Nordic Alpha Partners, a private equity firm focused on green industrial transformation, has invested a mid-double-digit million euro sum to acquire a minority stake in Additive Drives, a German company developing high-performance, 3D printed electric motors. Existing investor AM Ventures, which backed the company from its seed stage, also added new funding.
The partnership positions Additive Drives to scale its energy-efficient motors faster across multiple industries, supporting global electrification efforts.
“We wanted to work with Nordic Alpha Partners because they have a unique toolkit for industrial scaling and navigating industrial transformations”, said Philipp Arnold , Chief Financial Officer at Additive Drives. “We have been cash-positive from early on and we were looking for an operational partner that could really enable us to tap into hypergrowth and expand globally even faster.”
Advancing Energy Efficiency and Industrial Performance
Additive Drives manufactures motors that deliver both high thrust-to-weight ratios and strong efficiency, with inductive engines entirely free of rare-earth materials. Given that electric motors consume roughly 53% of global electricity, these gains have a high impact on energy use and sustainability.
The company’s industrial motors reach up to 98% energy efficiency, cutting energy losses by 70% and surpassing the IE5 benchmark set by the International Electrotechnical Commission—effectively achieving IE7-level performance. For industrial customers, this means lower energy costs, enhanced sustainability, and reduced total cost of ownership. The company already counts Amazon, Airbus, Audi, Schaeffler, and BMW among its clients.
The company’s high thrust-to-weight ratios also unlock new possibilities across electric vehicles, aerospace, advanced robotics, and other demanding applications, delivering longer range, reduced energy consumption, and improved reliability.
A Strategic Asset for European Industrial Sovereignty
Additive Drives’ technology is highly relevant to Europe’s electrification agenda. Scalable and readily deployable, it supports energy-intensive sectors such as AI, quantum computing, e-mobility, and robotics. Higher efficiency reduces heat generation, minimizing the need for large cooling systems, a key advantage for advanced technology deployment.
By eliminating rare-earth materials, the company’s motors lessen reliance on geopolitically sensitive supply chains, enhancing European industrial resilience. Rapid prototyping further accelerates development, with functional motor prototypes achievable in just 21 days.
“Additive Drives is a great example of the fact that Europe is still leading the game when it comes to highly advanced industrial technologies. They are already accelerating global electrification, and I’m sure we will see entirely new product categories emerge as a result”, said Laurits Bach Sørensen, Co-Founder and Senior Partner at Nordic Alpha Partners.
Limits and Considerations
Despite their efficiency and rare-earth-free design, Additive Drives’ 3D printed motors face adoption challenges. High-performance additive manufacturing remains more expensive than conventional production, particularly at scale. Fully leveraging the motors’ thrust-to-weight ratios and efficiency often requires adjustments to existing industrial systems. While rapid prototyping accelerates development, scaling to mass production and managing supply chains continue to be critical hurdles. Even without rare-earth materials, the technology relies on high-quality inputs and precision manufacturing, which are subject to availability and cost fluctuations.
3D Printed Electric Motors Enable European Autonomy
Industrial motor production has historically been limited by reliance on rare-earth magnets, complex tooling, and slow development cycles. Additive Drives is tackling these constraints directly with its high-performance, rare-earth-free 3D printed motors. Complementary European initiatives, such as MagNEO, which 3D prints permanent magnets using recycled or REE-free alloys and Spain’s IMDEA Nanoscience Institute, which uses recycled materials to 3D print magnets, are advancing 3D magnet production.
By enabling faster prototyping, more complex geometries, and reduced reliance on imported materials, these technologies collectively remove key bottlenecks that have historically limited European electrification capabilities.
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Featured image shows Additive Drives and Nordic Alpha Partners joined forces. Photo via Additive Drives.
