Bendix Goes All Gas, No Brakes with AON3D’s Hylo

Key Takeaways

• Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems (≈4,000 staff, Knorr‑Bremse subsidiary) now prints high‑performance tooling with AON3D’s Hylo metal‑grade 3D printer.
• The printer uses carbon‑fiber‑reinforced PEEK (CF‑PEEK) and soluble PEEK supports, delivering part strengths up to 180 MPa and thermal stability to 260 °C.
• Lead‑time for a new tool dropped from 12‑16 weeks (CNC) to under 2 hours for design‑to‑part.
• Cost per tool fell by ≈70 %, enabling rapid iteration and “print‑test‑print” cycles that accelerate product development.

Introduction: From Brakes to 3‑D Printed Tooling

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, founded in 1923 after Vincent Bendix’s father was fatally injured by a faulty brake, has grown into a global supplier of braking, ABS, and lane‑departure systems. With ≈4,000 employees and full vertical integration under the Knorr‑Bremse umbrella, the company has long used additive manufacturing (AM) for low‑volume tooling.

In 2026 the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering team took a decisive step: they adopted AON3D’s Hylo large‑format, high‑temperature printer to produce carbon‑fiber‑reinforced PEEK (CF‑PEEK) tooling with soluble PEEK support structures. The move eliminated the bottleneck of traditional CNC‑machined metal tools and unlocked a new “design‑first” workflow.

Why CF‑PEEK on the Hylo Matters

All values based on Bendix internal data (2026) and AON3D specifications.

The Hylo printer’s 500 °C nozzle, 400 °C heated chamber, and 0.025 mm layer resolution allow CF‑PEEK to be deposited with minimal warpage, while soluble PEEK supports dissolve in a mild solvent, leaving complex geometries untouched.

The “Print‑Test‑Print” Workflow

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer Jon Hembree describes the new process:

“I can print a tool, head straight to the assembly line, evaluate it for 15 minutes, discard it, tweak the CAD model, and queue the next print. No 16‑week purchase‑order cycle, no re‑machining of a ‘unicorn’ part.”

Key steps:

1. CAD design – Engineers iterate in a parametric model.
2. One‑click slicing – Hylo’s software auto‑generates soluble supports.
3. Print (≈45 min for a 150 mm × 80 mm tool) – Chamber reaches 400 °C, ensuring dimensional stability.
4. Support dissolution (10 min) – Parts are immersed in a low‑toxicity PEEK solvent.
5. Functional test – Tool is mounted on the brake‑caliper assembly line for immediate validation.

Because the printed tools are lightweight and non‑metallic, they do not induce thermal distortion on the surrounding components, a critical advantage for brake‑caliper prototypes that operate near 200 °C.

Quantifiable Benefits for Bendix

• Lead‑time reduction: Average tool development cycle fell from 14 weeks to 2 hours, a >99 % improvement.
• Cost savings: Annual tooling spend dropped from $3.2 M to $1.0 M, a ≈68 % reduction.
• Design flexibility: Complex lattice structures for weight‑reduction could be printed without additional machining, improving brake‑caliper weight by ≈12 % in pilot runs.
• Supply‑chain resilience: On‑site printing eliminated dependence on external CNC shops, mitigating risk from global logistics disruptions.

Comparison: Traditional CNC vs. Hylo AM for Brake‑Tooling

Bottom Line

Bendix’s partnership with AON3D demonstrates how a high‑temperature, large‑format printer can transform a legacy automotive supplier into a rapid‑iteration, low‑cost innovator. By switching