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German machinery maker ARBURG will be winding down its additive manufacturing business ARBURGadditive’s operations by the end of this year.
The company said it will stop selling its Freeformer 3D printing system on 31 December 2025, bringing an end to its dedicated business in industrial 3D printing.
“This business decision was taken after careful evaluation and consideration of the current market situation and the current economic parameters,” says Dr Armin Schmiedeberg, Chairman of the Advisory Board at ARBURG.
In a press release, the machinery maker wrote that its additive manufacturing business has not achieved its “economic targets”, and the global 3D printing market has not “developed in line with expectations.”
While ARBURG is leaving the market, it said it will continue supporting customers who already use its machines. Spare parts and service will remain available worldwide. About 40 employees currently working in sales, development and assembly for the ARBURGadditive division are expected to move into other roles within the parent company.
ARBURG’s decade in AM sector
Founded in 2013, ARBURG’s additive manufacturing business began with the launch of the Freeformer system and the ARBURG Plastic Freeforming (APF) process. Until then, the company was primarily known as a leading global manufacturer of injection molding machines for plastics processing, and its unveiling of the Freeformer at the K 2013 show in Düsseldorf marked its entry into 3D printing.
A year later at Fakuma International Trade Fair, the German manufacturer announced it was taking orders, becoming the first plastics machinery company to also make an industrial 3D printer, with deliveries scheduled to begin after pilot projects concluded in March 2015.
By 2018, the company had expanded its Freeformer product line with the launch of Freeformer 300-3X industrial 3D printer that expanded its Plastic Freeforming technology to multi-material and multicolor applications. The system uses three material discharge units to combine hard and soft plastics, incorporate a separate support material, and fabricate complex functional parts directly from standard injection moulding granulates.
More recently, ARBURGadditive presented the Freeformer 550-3X with the Gestica production assistant, at Formnext tradeshow last year. The company showcased applications ranging from medical implants to on-demand grippers and expanded its APF portfolio with materials such as Ultem 9085 and TR 90.
Simon Leitl, Director Development APF at ARBURGadditive, said “At Formnext 2024, we will be presenting many application examples of how to do this that will deliver real added value.” With the closure of its additive manufacturing business, ARBURG has confirmed that it will no longer present its technology at trade fairs or conferences.
Business exit 3D printing sector
Beyond ARBURG, ARMOR Group’s AM business KIMYA shut down its filament production and withdrew from the 3D printing market, closing an activity it had launched in 2017 with a €15 million investment.
The company had built a reputation for high-performance polymers such as PEKK and polycarbonate, supplying materials to Stratasys, Ultimaker, and AON3D, and even developing custom PEKK filament for railway spare parts. However, the limited number of printers capable of processing such demanding polymers, coupled with slower-than-expected market growth and wider economic pressures, left little prospect for improvement.
In another news, Massachusetts-based metal 3D printer manufacturer Desktop Metal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas after its board concluded a review of strategic alternatives to address liabilities and liquidity issues. The filing followed Nano Dimension’s $179.3 million acquisition of Desktop Metal earlier in the year.
As part of the process, the company agreed to sell subsidiaries including ExOne GmbH, EnvisionTEC GmbH, ExOne KK, and AIDRO s.r.l. to an affiliate of US-based industrial technology investor Anzu Partners. Court approvals have since been granted for the acquisitions of ExOne in Germany and Japan, as well as EnvisionTEC, with operations expected to continue without disruption and existing leadership retained to ensure stability.
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Featured image shows an Arburg Freeformer 3D printing facility. Photo via Arburg.
