BYD Yangwang U9X 30% Weight Saving Thanks to a 3D Printed Chassis

Image Source: BLT

When the Yangwang U9X stunned the automotive world with a sub-seven-minute Nürburgring lap and a 496.22 km/h top-speed run last year, much of the coverage focused on power and aero. New disclosures show another equally important story: the car’s integrated aluminum body produced using large-format metal powder-bed fusion and delivered more than a 30% weight reduction compared with conventionally manufactured chassis components, while boosting torsional stiffness by over 200% in critical areas.

How 3D Printing Made the Numbers Possible

The weight savings aren’t just from “printing the same part”. They come from rethinking the structure. Engineers used topology optimization and internal lattices/hollow chambers to concentrate material only where it’s needed for strength, stiffness, and energy absorption. The result is a monolithic, high-strength aluminum structure made with a custom alloy and produced on large-format metal AM systems supplied by a manufacturing partner. That combination of design freedom and material engineering is what unlocked the double win: lighter mass and higher stiffness for better crash and durability performance.

The Partner and Hardware Behind the Build

Bright Laser Technologies (BLT), the metal AM equipment partner that supplied several large-format systems for the project, delivered machines capable of producing big, high-quality aluminum structural components and even 3D printed brake calipers with internal oil channels and inserts. These calipers reportedly achieved 20–30% weight savings through topology optimization and reached >99.5% density, passing radiographic inspection with no internal defects. That level of as-built integrity is essential when moving 3D printed parts into safety-critical systems.

Track Testing and Inspection

What turns a design proof into industrial credibility is real-world testing. The U9X’s Nürburgring program included endurance runs and braking cycles that validated the printed body and the printed brake components under race-grade conditions. Radiography and density measurements, not just dimensional checks, were used to confirm the structural integrity of the printed parts, a best practice for any AM application intended for road or track.

Why This Matters for Automotive 3D Printing Adoption

1. Design freedom → performance: Integrated printed body structures remove joints and fasteners, allowing continuous load paths and topology-driven mass savings.

2. Parts consolidation: AM enables several traditionally separate stamped or welded parts to become one printed component, reducing assembly complexity and potential failure modes.

3. Accelerated development loops: When paired with digital simulation and in-house print capacity, OEMs can iterate more quickly on performance-critical structures.

4. Validation pathways are emerging: The project shows how rigorous NDT (non-destructive testing), density control, and track validation can accelerate confidence in metal AM for primary structures.

Challenges to Broader Rollout

Despite the breakthrough, scaling this approach across mainstream vehicle production faces hurdles: expensive machine time for large metal PBF builds, raw material and post-processing costs, qualification and regulatory certification for primary structures, and supply-chain throughput for high-volume manufacturing. Tire and component limits also illustrate the complex systems integration required when pushing performance boundaries. Still, the project is concrete proof that 3D printing can move from niche parts to structural roles when the economics and validation strategy align.

Sources

1. VoxelMatters, “BYD achieved 30% weight saving with record-breaking AM chassis.”, https://www.voxelmatters.com/byd-achieved-30-weight-saving-with-record-breaking-am-chassis

2. BYD official news (Yangwang U9X top-speed / Nürburgring releases), https://www.byd.com/mea/news-list/yangwang-u9-xtreme-is-the-worlds-fastest-production-car-with-top-speed-of-496kmh

3. Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) — project notes and press material on the U9X collaboration, https://www.xa-blt.com/en/news/blt-empowers-byds-yangwang-u9x-to-break-world-records-with-a-top-speed-of-496-22-km-h