Rapid Fusion, a UK provider in robotic additive manufacturing (AM) systems, has announced a manufacturing agreement with Applied Automation, a supplier of automation and control solutions, to bring its large-format hybrid 3D printer, Medusa, to market by early 2026.
The partnership builds on a successful two-year collaboration between the two companies and will see their engineering teams unite to industrialize the Medusa prototype—transforming it into a commercially ready system. The printer is designed to serve high-demand sectors such as automotive, aerospace, construction, healthcare, and renewable energy.
Martin Jewell, CTO at Rapid Fusion, highlighted the company’s strengths but acknowledged their need for a manufacturing partner for low- to mid-volume production. “We are not set-up to manufacture the solutions we create in low to medium volumes, which is where our relationship with Applied Automation really comes into its own. Our initial robot systems – Apollo and Zeus – have been developed in partnership so it made perfect sense to give Paul and his team the opportunity to build Medusa.”
Medusa: A New Large-Format Hybrid 3D Printer Moves Toward Commercialization
Medusa is supported by a £1.2 million grant from Innovate UK. The system operates at triple the speed of traditional 3D printing methods, delivers double the precision, and reduces training and maintenance costs by 30%. Its gantry-style architecture combines pellet extrusion, filament extrusion, and CNC machining in a single platform, making it suitable for producing large-scale moulds and tooling used across multiple industries. The system also integrates artificial intelligence with Siemens motion control technology and offers a build volume of 1.2 cubic meters, with motion speeds up to 1200 mm per second.
The Medusa project is expected to generate over £5 million in revenue during its first year and create up to 10 new jobs across the organizations involved. Jewell explained that the goal is to reduce early production costs by streamlining the design for manufacturing and developing an assembly line capable of building each model within six weeks. “This gives us a great opportunity to be first to market and live on shopfloors by March 2026.”
Paul Rowe, Director of Applied Automation, described the company’s role as focusing on how Medusa can be serialised efficiently in terms of cost and speed to meet Rapid Fusion and marketplace demands. “The facility in Plymouth is packed full of equipment and over 200 control system experts, toolmakers and manufacturing professionals that all work together to help bring the outsourcing process to life for customers.”
He added that two pre-production machines will be ready in the coming months to fine-tune the process. Rowe also emphasized that compliance is a key aspect, stating, “Compliance is really important for Medusa and, by tapping into our service, it immediately gives the machine approvals with CE marking and UL508a, the latter is so important for the North American market.”
New Large-format 3D Printers
In February, Large format additive manufacturing firm Compound Dynamics unveiled the RM40 Series, its new range of industrial 3D printers. Priced between $240,000 and $310,000, the pellet and filament extrusion systems boast a substantial 1524 x 1524 x 1050 mm build volume (2.25 cubic meters).
Designed for customers needing large-scale components, the RM40 began shipping to US and Canadian customers last September. By enabling the fabrication of large components as single pieces, the RM40 enhances efficiency and structural integrity by eliminating assembly steps, according to Compound Dynamics.
Elsewhere, Industrial engineering firm Omnific 3D has unveiled the BGM-1000, a large-format industrial 3D printer designed for high-speed and high-precision additive manufacturing. Built in Britain, this Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) system delivers print speeds of up to 3 m/s, with peak mechanical speeds reaching 11 m/s. The system accommodates a wide range of nozzle sizes, from 0.3mm to 1.6mm, offering versatility for various printing needs. Optimized specifically for filament-based printing, it avoids the additional weight of a pellet extruder, which would otherwise reduce overall speed.
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Featured image shows Rapid Fusion and Applied Automation sign new manufacturing deal. Photo via Rapid Fusion.
