The BMW Group has become the latest car manufacturer to reveal that it incorporates 3D printing into its production process. 

More than 10,000 additively-manufactured parts are already being built into the Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the process has been used to 3D print mounting brackets for the new Dawn convertible since the start of the year.

Plastic holders for hazard-warning lights, centre lock buttons, and sockets are just some of the 3D-printed parts to appear in the Rolls-Royce Phantom since 2012, and the technique is set to become even more widespread throughout the BMW Group - which also owns Mini - over the coming years. 

Quicker and greener techniques such as planar 3D printing will be pursued in the future too.

Udo Hänle, head of production strategy and technical integration at BMW Group, said that 3D printing has “promising potential” and will be one of the main production methods of the future within the group.

“The integration of additively-manufactured components into Rolls-Royce series production is another important milestone for us on the road to using this method on a large-scale,” he commented. 

“By utilising new technologies, we will be able to shorten production times further in the future and increasingly exploit the potential of tool-less manufacturing methods.”

The news comes around the same time that Mercedes-Benz announced that it will offer 3D-printed spare parts for its trucks from September.