BMW's Additive Manufacturing Campus in Oberschleißheim expands automation, adds serial Wire Arc DED from 2027

BMW Group is expanding automation and technological breadth at its Additive Manufacturing Campus (AMC) in Oberschleißheim, adding new equipment and orienting the site toward scalable industrial applications rather than prototype-only work. Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, a directed energy deposition process, moves into serial production there starting in 2027. BMW says AM parts now span the full vehicle lifecycle, from early concept and prototyping through series production and aftersales, and are used in dynamic function testing and crash trials, according to Timo Göbel, head of Additive Manufacturing at BMW Group.

Automotive AM has historically stayed selective and tooling-heavy, with narrow serial-part use limited by cost per part versus stamping and casting at automotive volumes. Committing WAAM to serial production signals BMW is targeting larger, near-net-shape metal components where DED's build-rate and material-efficiency advantages over powder-bed processes can offset automotive cost pressure. The 2027 date gives component and wire-feedstock suppliers a concrete production window to plan capacity against, ahead of full ramp.