BLT shows how metal 3D printing saves weight and integrates parts in vehicle engineering

Metal 3D printing is gaining attention in the automotive sector wherever electrification and additional safety structures are pushing vehicle weight upward. Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) describes across several projects how powder-bed fusion laser beam melting (PBF-LB/M) can be used to design functional components with lower mass without losing sight of the required stiffness and strength targets. The application field ranges from university racing series to near-series components.

With Formula Student teams, BLT says it focuses on load-bearing chassis components that must withstand high dynamic loads. For the Tongji Electric Racing Team, uprights made from high-strength aluminum were produced on a BLT-S600 PBF-LB/M system with four lasers. The printed parts are said to integrate into the suspension without collisions and achieve weight reductions of 36.1% at the front and 32.8% at the rear compared with conventionally machined uprights. For brake calipers, BLT also combines topology optimization with simulation. For the optimized caliper designs, a maximum simulated stress of 320 MPa is cited; weight is said to drop by 39.6% at the front and 48.8% at the rear compared with purchased standard components.

Beyond racing, BLT points to titanium-containing parts where geometric integration is the priority. An additively manufactured titanium brake caliper is said to be more than 30% lighter than cast variants while also addressing stiffness and temperature resistance. At Formnext 2025, BLT also showed a titanium door hinge as an integrated structure combining functional elements and a lightweight base plate, which is said to save about 50% weight compared with aluminum or iron castings.

For larger structural parts, BLT cites a one-piece printed rear axle subframe for an electric vehicle. The design uses a hollow architecture with a 2 mm wall thickness and a lattice-filled interior, optimized with BESO, and was manufactured on the BLT-S815 with an 800 × 800 × 1500 mm build volume. The result is said to be around 20% lighter while still meeting strength and stiffness requirements. Overall, the examples show that metal AM in vehicle engineering excels especially where part architecture, functional integration, and weight budget can be optimized together.