ValCUN, a Belgian metal additive manufacturing company, has detailed new applications and performance data for its Molten Metal Deposition (MMD) process ahead of its appearance at Formnext 2025. The firm says the wire-based technique is designed to lower the cost and complexity of aluminium AM by enabling ready-to-use parts without debinding, sintering, or build-plate cutting.
Targeting the challenges of aluminium AM
ValCUN’s process targets long-standing limitations that have restricted the adoption of aluminium additive manufacturing. Despite aluminium’s ubiquity, it is the most-used industrial metal after steel, manufacturers remain reliant on extrusion and casting. These routes are well-established but face geometric constraints and higher costs at low volumes.
Established metal AM processes such as LPBF, DED, and WAAM also struggle with aluminium. Their use of non-standard feedstock, the safety requirements associated with explosive powders, and high thermal input contribute to cracking and limit compatibility with industrial alloys such as the 6xxx and 7xxx series.
ValCUN’s MMD process addresses these barriers by melting aluminium wire inside the printhead before deposition. The company states that this approach uses three to eight times less energy than laser-based systems and enables the use of low-cost, free-market wire, positioning MMD as a simpler and more cost-effective alternative.
Single-step aluminium part production
According to ValCUN, MMD enables immediate part use after printing. The process does not require furnace cycles, powder recovery, or complex build-plate removal, allowing components to be taken directly from the build surface. The company frames this as a deployable approach suited for production floors and field environments where operators may have limited equipment or support systems.
The reduced thermal input also enables the processing of standard industrial aluminium alloys used in conventional manufacturing. ValCUN says this creates a pathway for transferring validated aluminium applications into an additive manufacturing workflow where design or economic advantages are present.
Cost, sustainability, and design freedom
The company attributes its reported low cost-per-part to the use of commercial aluminium wire rather than proprietary powders. Combined with lower energy use and the absence of post-processing, ValCUN reports cost reductions of up to 90% compared to powder-based metal AM. The process also supports closed-loop recycling, allowing aluminium scrap to be remelted and reused. Non-planar robotic motion further enables structures to be added to existing parts or produced with more complex geometries.
Industrial applications demonstrated
ValCUN highlights several areas where the technology is being applied. In HVAC and data-centre cooling, customer-specific aluminium components have reportedly delivered up to 30% reductions in energy losses. In automotive engineering, the process is used for lightweight structures and local reinforcement, contributing to reductions in mass, part count, and supply-chain complexity.
For chemical process equipment, MMD enables recyclable aluminium substrates with high thermal conductivity. The company also points to field and defence environments, where the compact, wire-fed system can support on-site metal part production with minimal logistical overhead.
“Manufacturers want metal AM that makes business sense. MMD does, a deployable, easy-to-use solution that slashes post-processing and time-to-part, delivering immediate value on the production floor,” said Jonas Galle, ValCUN’s Co-founder and CEO.ValCUN will demonstrate the technology at Formnext 2025 in Frankfurt, located at Hall 12.0, Stand C21. The company positions MMD not only as a new printing method, but as a step toward deployable, production-ready metal manufacturing.
Wire-based metal AM gains momentum
Wire-fed metal additive manufacturing has seen growing momentum across the AM sector as companies and research groups look for alternatives to powder-based processes. Recent developments in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), wire-laser systems, and hybrid processes highlight increasing interest in lower-cost feedstock, improved sustainability, and simplified material handling. Projects such as DEEP Manufacturing’s DNV-approved WAAM workflows and Virginia Tech’s AI-enhanced wire-arc research demonstrate how wire-based approaches are being scaled for certified industrial production. This broader trend has opened opportunities for new deposition technologies that aim to reduce energy consumption, expand alloy compatibility, and support large-format or deployable manufacturing environments.
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Featured image shows the principle of ValCUN’s Molten Metal Deposition process. Image via ValCUN.
