Hörmann Vehicle Engineering Completes 3D FiberTrain Project for Additive Manufacturing of Composite Rail Components
BY Composights
Published: 23 Jul 2026
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H rmann Vehicle Engineering (HVE) has successfully completed the 3D FiberTrain research project, demonstrating the potential of large-format additive manufacturing for producing lightweight fiber-reinforced composite components for the rail industry.
The project brought together industry and research partners to develop a manufacturing process capable of producing complex rail vehicle components using large-scale 3D printing combined with fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials. The approach is intended to reduce production time, improve design flexibility, and lower material consumption compared with conventional manufacturing methods.
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As part of the project, HVE developed and validated manufacturing concepts for structurally demanding rail components while demonstrating that additive manufacturing can support both prototype development and low-volume production. The process enables the fabrication of large, geometrically complex parts without the need for expensive molds or tooling, allowing faster design iterations and greater customization.
A key outcome of the research was the successful integration of continuous fiber reinforcement into the additive manufacturing process, enabling printed components to achieve significantly higher mechanical performance than standard polymer-based 3D-printed parts. The combination of lightweight thermoplastics and reinforcing fibers offers improved stiffness, strength, and durability while supporting weight reduction in rail vehicles.
The project also highlighted the sustainability benefits of thermoplastic composite manufacturing, including reduced material waste and the potential for recycling at the end of a component's service life. HVE believes the technologies developed through 3D FiberTrain could accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing across the rail sector, where lightweight composite structures are increasingly being used to improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, and simplify vehicle production.
The completion of the project marks another step toward industrializing advanced composite additive manufacturing for transportation applications, demonstrating how digital production technologies can enable faster, more flexible, and more sustainable manufacturing of next-generation rail components.
