3D-Printed Metal Car Parts Reach Real Roads
Owners of older or hard-to-source vehicles may find printed exhaust and wheel components as an alternative to discontinued originals.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Auto Parts
Meltio showed metal 3D-printed automotive components at Formnext 2026, highlighting parts made with wire-laser directed energy deposition. Among the examples, DMZ fitted a 3D-printed stainless steel exhaust header to an Abarth 595 sports car.
Why it matters
The examples show additive manufacturing moving from prototypes into parts that have been driven in real service, which may matter to owners of older vehicles where original components are hard to source. For the broader market, reduced assembly time and reinforced wheels suggest parts could be produced on demand rather than stockpiled.
DMZ's stainless steel exhaust header, installed in an Abarth 595, has completed roughly 10,000 kilometres on the road and 600 kilometres on a race track. DMZ reported cutting assembly time for the header from eight hours to one hour.
The players
Meltio
A metal additive manufacturing company known for its wire-laser directed energy deposition systems used to print metal parts.
DMZ
A company that developed a 3D-printed stainless steel exhaust header and reinforced steel wheels using Meltio's technology.
IMET3D
A firm that used wire-laser metal 3D printing to produce a replacement part for a failed centrifugal pump.
The details
Meltio uses directed energy deposition, a process that builds metal parts by melting and depositing material layer by layer. The exhaust header's geometry is designed to optimise exhaust gas flow in a combustion engine, which is difficult to achieve with conventional fabrication. DMZ also used the technology to reinforce a steel car wheel by depositing extra metal in selected areas, and the reinforced wheel reached the same natural frequency as an alloy wheel. IMET3D separately produced a replacement part for a failed centrifugal pump after conventional spare parts were no longer available.
Timeline
Exhaust header tested over approximately 10,000 kilometres during its year of use.
Meltio showcased the components at Formnext 2026, with its booth listed as 12.0 C119.
The Home Front
Wire-laser directed energy deposition is a metal additive process that builds parts layer by layer rather than machining them from solid stock. The examples here follow that trend by applying it to exhaust headers and wheel reinforcement rather than only to tooling.
If you own an older car with a hard-to-find exhaust or pump-style component, ask a qualified mechanic whether additive manufacturing can supply a replacement. Keep documentation of any custom-made part, including the maker and the parts involved, for future service records.
The takeaway
Metal 3D printing is now producing parts that have been driven on roads and track, which may give owners of discontinued vehicles another route to repair. Before commissioning any custom part, ask a licensed mechanic to confirm it suits your vehicle's exhaust or drivetrain requirements.
Further reading
For more on how these parts reach drivers, see our coverage of Auto Parts.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Themachinemaker.
