Automotive 3D Printing Applications With UltiMaker Factor 4
Last Updated: May 16, 2026
Reading Time: 5 Minutes
Related Products
Browse products related to the article
-
UltiMaker UltiMaker Factor 4
$49,450.50
Automotive production runs on tight tolerances and tighter deadlines. When a critical part goes obsolete or a fixture breaks, every day of downtime costs money. Industrial 3D printing has changed how engineering teams respond. The UltiMaker Factor 4 now handles parts once outsourced for hundreds of euros each.
This post walks through three automotive 3D printing applications produced on the Factor 4. Each entry covers a real 3D printed automotive part, with cost and timing data from the production floor.
Why the Factor 4 suits automotive 3D printing
The Factor 4 is built around three traits automotive engineers ask for. It prints engineering composites like PPS CF, which survive under-the-bonnet heat. It holds tight tolerances across long, unattended print jobs. And it accepts a wide range of UltiMaker filaments, including the TPU 95A used in the third application below.
For Australian manufacturers running mixed production, this matters. Spare parts, jigs, and end-use components no longer sit in a supplier queue. They print overnight on the shop floor.
Application 1: High-pressure pump valve
End-use part. Material: UltiMaker PPS CF.
This valve directs liquids and chemicals through a high-pressure pump. The original component was discontinued, which meant the entire pump assembly had to be replaced at a cost of around €5,000. Printing a new valve in PPS CF avoids the assembly replacement entirely.
PPS CF meets two non-negotiable specs for this application. It is flame retardant to the UL94 V0 standard. It resists all common solvents and oils below 200 °C. The printed valve drops in without further qualification work.
Application details:
Material: UltiMaker PPS CF
Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 80 mm
Outsourcing lead time: 2 to 3 weeks
Print time on the Factor 4: 11 hours
Outsourcing cost per part: €140
In-house material cost: €26
Per-part cost falls by 81 percent. Lead time drops from weeks to a single overnight print.
Application 2: Air intake connector
End-use part. Material: UltiMaker PPS CF.
This connector channels hot air through a vehicle’s intake system. Engineering teams use it as a prototype during development and as a low-volume production part for small series builds. The component sees sustained temperatures up to 230 °C in service.
UltiMaker PPS CF holds its mechanical properties at those temperatures. The original part was injection-moulded and outsourced. Short-run tooling is expensive, so the printed connector wins on cost and flexibility.
Application details:
Material: UltiMaker PPS CF
Dimensions: 230 x 220 x 124 mm
Outsourcing lead time: 4 to 6 weeks
Print time on the Factor 4: 19 hours
Outsourcing cost per part: €287
In-house material cost: €106
Per-part cost falls by 63 percent. Lead time drops from over a month to under a day.
Application 3: Airless trolley tyre
Replacement part. Material: UltiMaker TPU 95A.
Production hall trolleys go through tyres steadily, and storing spares ties up warehouse space. Printing them on demand removes the inventory line entirely. This example is a scaled-down version of a real customer component, printed in UltiMaker TPU 95A on the Factor 4.
Infill pattern and density adjust to emulate traditional tyre pressure, so the printed tyre behaves like the pneumatic original. A softer TPU 70A from a third-party material partner also works for applications needing more flex.
Application details:
Material: UltiMaker TPU 95A
Dimensions: 70 x 70 x 25 mm
Outsourcing lead time: 4 to 6 weeks
Print time on the Factor 4: 4 hours
Outsourcing cost per part: €30
In-house material cost: €2.44
Per-part cost falls by 92 percent. Tyres print in half a working shift.
How automotive 3D printing changes the economics
The three applications share a pattern. Each replaces an outsourced or obsolete part with an in-house print. The materials meet real-world specs. Automotive 3D printing rewrites the cost equation when the print runs sit between 4 and 24 hours and the cost reductions land between 63 and 92 percent per part.
Australian manufacturers report similar returns. Our DP3D ROI case study covers how an Australian engineering business deployed UltiMaker hardware for jigs, fixtures, and small-series end-use parts. Moval, a Spanish manufacturer running an UltiMaker S8, took the same path with shop-floor jigs and fixtures, set out in the Moval case study.
Heineken’s Seville plant pushed this further. It used UltiMaker hardware to cut tooling costs and improve floor safety across its bottling line, with the production detail in our Heineken case study. Volkswagen Autoeuropa runs a comparable model. In-house jig and fixture printing replaced outsourced tooling, saving the plant 91 percent on per-part costs. Read the full rollout in our Volkswagen Autoeuropa case study.
Frequently asked questions
What is PPS CF and why does it suit automotive 3D printing?
PPS CF is a polyphenylene sulphide composite reinforced with chopped carbon fibre. It resists heat above 200 °C, shrugs off most automotive fluids, and meets the UL94 V0 flame retardancy standard. Those properties match the operating environment under the bonnet and inside fuel and chemical systems.
How much does it cost to print an automotive part on the UltiMaker Factor 4?
Material cost depends on part size and chosen filament. The three 3D printed automotive parts in this post landed at €2.44, €26, and €106 each, compared with outsourced costs of €30, €140, and €287 respectively. Print times ranged from 4 to 19 hours.
Will the Factor 4 replace obsolete parts in service?
Yes, where the original specification is known and an equivalent material is available. The pump valve above replaces a discontinued component using PPS CF. It avoided a €5,000 full-assembly replacement. Recertification is usually straightforward because the printed part matches the original chemical and flame retardancy requirements.
What is the build volume of the UltiMaker Factor 4?
The Factor 4 has a 330 x 240 x 300 mm build volume. The air intake connector at 230 x 220 x 124 mm shows the working range for under-the-bonnet components. Larger assemblies print in sections and join during finishing.
Is the Factor 4 worth it for low-volume automotive production?
Outsourced tooling for a short run rarely makes economic sense, which is where the Factor 4 earns its place. Per-part cost on the three applications above fell by 63 to 92 percent. Lead times collapsed from weeks to hours, removing supplier-side bottlenecks from the production schedule.
Want to view the full range of UltiMaker 3D printers? Click here.
Tags
Relevant Products
Browse products related to the article
-
UltiMaker UltiMaker Factor 4
$49,450.50