Additive business update: EOS, Protolabs, Velo3D, and more - Engineering. com
New partnerships, upscaling capacities, and startups to watch. We’re well into the summer now and that typically means a slowdown in manufacturing industry news. It’s the time of year when plants are. . .
New partnerships, upscaling capacities, and startups to watch. We’re well into the summer now and that typically means a slowdown in manufacturing industry news. It’s the time of year when plants are retooling, people are taking vacations, and everyone catches their breath as we move into H2. Even so, there’s been no shortage of additive manufacturing (AM) industry news. Here are some of the latest developments in the business of 3D printing. EOS partners with Constellium on materialsContinuing its expansion in materials,EOShas announced a strategic partnership withConstellium. The industrial 3D printing OEM will add the aluminium supplier’s Aheadd CP1 to its materials portfolio, branded as EOS Aluminium Constellium CP1, while EOS Aluminium Al5X1 will be renamed EOS Aluminium Constellium Al5X1 and added to Constellium’s alloy portfolio. “This partnership represents a unique opportunity to bring next-generation aluminium alloys into industrial additive manufacturing at scale,” said Ludovic Piquier, senior VP of manufacturing excellence and CTO at Constellium, in a press release. “By combining Constellium’s alloy development expertise with EOS’ leadership in AM, we aim to accelerate innovation and unlock new high-performance applications for customers worldwide. ”According to EOS, typical applications for EOS Aluminium Constellium CP1 include:Heat exchangersSemiconductor industry applications such as heat sinks and wafersComponents requiring high-quality surface finishing, polishing, and anodizationParts exposed to corrosive environments as an alternative to coated traditional alloysLightweight structural components with moderate mechanical load requirementsEOS Aluminium Constellium CP1 will be available from EOS starting August 2026. Protolabs expands manufacturing to support drone productionUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a highly fecund area for AM at the moment,and for good reason. Indeed, the demand for 3D printed drones is high enough that digital manufacturing service providerProtolabshas expanded its manufacturing capabilities specifically to support drone manufacturers. According to a recent Protolabs press release, revenue from the company’s drone customers has grown more than 90% since 2023, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 40%. In response, the company has expanded its quick-turn CNC machining capacity as well as itsMulti Jet Fusion (MJF)capabilities, the latter through a partnership withHP. “In this highly competitive industry, where drone developers are innovating at the speed of software, Protolabs is uniquely positioned to help accelerate that pace, delivering flight-ready parts in a matter of days instead of weeks,” said Suresh Krishna, president and CEO of Protolabs in the same release. “The advances we’re making in CNC machining and additive manufacturing are enabling tighter tolerances and lightweighting of parts for drone applications. ”The company will be showcasing its drone manufacturing capabilities at theCommercial UAV Expo, September 1–3 in Las Vegas, NV. Velo3D triples production capacityAnother growth story comes from metal additive manufacturerVelo3D, which recently announced a major expansion of its manufacturing operations with a new 288,747-square-foot facility in Livermore, CA. The new Livermore Production Campus is expected to become operational later this year and will serve as Velo3D’s primary production and manufacturing center. The facility is designed to support the installation of more than 40 large-format additive manufacturing systems, with infrastructure to accommodate more than 100 systems over the next couple of years as customer demand continues to grow. According to Velo3D, the facility will also provide substantial capacity for machine manufacturing, in-house post-processing operations, and production-scale manufacturing of mission-critical components. “This expansion is a reflection of the increasing demand we are seeing from customers who want to move beyond prototyping and qualification into production,” said Arun Jeldi, CEO of Velo3D in a press release. “Our customers are looking for more than technology. They are looking for a trusted partner that can help them qualify applications, scale production, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate innovation. ”AM startupsFinally, there have been a couple of big announcements recently from3D printing startupsthat are worth noting. The first is fromCurifyLabs, a Finnish health technology company that uses 3D printing to create personalized medicines. The company recently completed its Series A funding round, raising $14M to continue product development and expand operations in the US. According to CurifyLabs, pharmacies in 21 US states and across Europe use the company’s proprietary Compounding System Solution (CSS) to compound and dispense thousands of doses daily. The company claims that its most recent product, the PharmaPrinter Aurum, compounds up to nine times faster than manual processes. Another AM startup to watch isAMPERA, a Florida-based company that claims to have completed production on the first full-scale 3D printed nuclear reactor module. The unit, which includes the core and pressure vessel, was unveiled at AMPERA’s innovation center by its founder and CEO, Brian Matthews. “This next-generation nuclear core and pressure vessel sets the foundation for factory-built, mass-produced nuclear energy,” Matthews said. “The advanced technology and additive manufacturing used demonstrate a clear commercial path for new nuclear technology coming to market in an accelerated manner. ”According to the company, its spherical monolithic gyroid core is 3D printed with silicon carbide and designed for up to 30 years of life without refueling. It’s fueled with tri-structural isotropic thorium kernels, supplied via a recently-established Australian subsidiary. Missed the last Additive business update? Don’t worry:we’ve got you covered.