SLM Solutions will join forces with Mahle, a leading automotive supplier, to improve the speed and quality of automotive components in both prototype and serial productions. Mahle will utilize SLM Solution’s systems to empower OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to fulfill their need for metal additive manufacturing (AM) in serial production. The components will be printed with aluminum and stainless steel alloys, which are resilient and resistant to corrosion. Their topology is optimized to reduce overall weight. Structures that are too complex for conventional manufacturing methods are easily produced while still adhering to the strict quality standards of the automotive industry.

Mahle’s 3D-printing center in Stuttgart will reduce production time from several months to just a few days, thereby simultaneously accelerating the drive toward climate-neutral mobility. The focus will rest primarily on components from the fields of thermal management, mechatronics and electronics.

Approximately 120 SLM Solutions’ systems for automotive applications are currently operating at OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. A dedicated application engineer from SLM Solutions will support Mahle at every step of the process, from prototyping to series production and the production of manufacturing equipment.