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Accelerating Automotive Acoustic Component Development
Context
Sika Automotive is a global supplier of bonding, sealing, damping, and reinforcing solutions for automotive manufacturers. The company develops specialized materials used in vehicle structures to improve durability, acoustics, and performance. 
One of these technologies, SikaBaffle®, is a heat-expandable material used to create cavity sealers that reduce noise and vibration within vehicle structures.
Developing these components requires rapid design iteration and accurate validation before moving into full production.
“With the support of a reliable filament extrusion workflow tailored to our proprietary materials, we’ve been able to accelerate the introduction of 3D printing applications for our acoustic sealing solutions.”
- Jose Bautista, Global Product Manager (Acoustic and Sealing Foams), Sika AutomotiveThe Challenge
Sika’s acoustic cavity sealers are complex components designed to expand when exposed to heat, allowing them to fill structural cavities within vehicle bodies.
Developing these parts traditionally required injection-molded prototypes, a process that often involved multiple design iterations. A typical cavity sealer can require 5–10 design iterations before the final geometry is validated.
This iterative process can significantly extend development timelines when each prototype must be produced through conventional tooling.
To accelerate development, Sika needed a workflow that would allow engineers to prototype these components more quickly while maintaining compatibility with their proprietary SikaBaffle® material.
The Approach
Sika implemented an in-house workflow that enables proprietary materials to be converted into filament and used for additive manufacturing.
By producing filament internally and using 3D printing to prototype acoustic components, engineers could rapidly evaluate design variations and test new geometries.
This approach allowed the team to iterate faster and validate designs earlier in the development process.
