Newcastle-based XYZO has launched an automated hybrid manufacturing platform designed to move polymer additive manufacturing from isolated 3D printing operations toward finished-part production.
The system integrates additive processes with precision machining, finishing, inspection and process control. XYZO says this approach is intended to reduce manual intervention between individual manufacturing stages and create a controlled workflow from digital design to finished component.
The platform was developed in response to barriers that continue to limit the transition of additive manufacturing from prototyping to repeatable production. XYZO argues that printing often represents only one step in producing a functional component, with additional operations required before a part is ready for use.
Combining additive with downstream manufacturing
XYZO’s modular architecture is designed to accommodate several polymer additive manufacturing processes, including Digital Light Processing (DLP), Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), pellet extrusion and drop-on-demand deposition. Its common chassis can also integrate five-axis CNC micro-milling alongside cleaning, curing, inspection and other post-processing operations.
XYZO is positioning the technology as an automated production line in which additive manufacturing acts as one stage within a broader manufacturing sequence.
“For years, the AM sector has concentrated enormous effort on improving the printing process itself,” said Kegan McColgan-Bannon, CEO of XYZO. “But manufacturers do not ultimately need printed parts, they need finished parts that are accurate, repeatable, and economically viable to produce.”
McColgan-Bannon added that the platform grew from considering how additive manufacturing could operate as part of an integrated production system rather than as an isolated process.
Automating the transitions between these stages could be particularly relevant for workflows where printed components require secondary machining, dimensional verification or application-specific finishing before they can enter service.
One example comes from XYZO’s work on microfluidic devices, where the company has combined DLP with CNC machining inside the same enclosed system. A component is first printed to near-net shape before an integrated CNC spindle machines features to their final dimensions. Washing, curing and subsequent printing operations can then follow without transferring or re-fixturing the component.
The approach builds on earlier research involving members of the XYZO team. A 2021 study on projection stereolithography for microfluidic devices identified the potential to combine DLP SLA with CNC micromachining and functional inkjet deposition to produce functional micro-assemblies within a single hybrid manufacturing environment.
Targeting low-volume and precision applications
XYZO is targeting applications where manufacturers require the flexibility of digital production but where conventional production tooling may not be economically justified.
Identified markets include precision prototyping, microfluidics and diagnostics, medical devices, printed electronics, defence applications and low-to-medium-volume manufacturing.
The company is also developing application-specific workflows with customers, allowing potential users to evaluate particular components and manufacturing processes before progressing toward pilot projects or system deployment.
One such project is Project DREAM, a six-month feasibility study between XYZO and Lunaris Medical backed by Innovate UK’s Made Smarter Innovation programme. The project is investigating an end-to-end digital workflow for producing personalized sleep apnoea masks.
The proposed workflow combines facial scanning and automated CAD generation with XYZO’s manufacturing platform to produce customised, multi-material masks. According to XYZO, the project is investigating whether these stages can be linked into a more automated workflow with fewer manual intermediate steps.
“There is a huge difference between announcing an interesting piece of research and putting a technology in front of manufacturers and saying, give us your application and let us show you what it can do,” said McColgan-Bannon.
According to the CEO, XYZO can currently manufacture components, develop customer-specific workflows and begin deploying hybrid manufacturing systems around production requirements, although further development of the platform is ongoing.
Automating the path from print to finished part
XYZO’s launch comes amid a broader push to automate the operations surrounding additive manufacturing as companies move from prototyping toward repeatable production. In March 2025, PostProcess Technologies introduced the DEMI X 520, an automated post-processing system developed for dental laboratories using PolyJet 3D printing. Around the same period, Carbon highlighted automation and workflow optimization for dental labs as part of its IDS 2025 portfolio, targeting reduced manual intervention beyond the printing stage in high-throughput polymer applications.
Automation is also extending into quality control and production management. GKN Aerospace integrated Interspectral’s AM Explorer software to monitor and analyze more than 400 data points from its metal 3D printing systems, while AMFG launched Sentinel AI in 2025 to automate the extraction of manufacturing information from engineering drawings.
These developments reflect growing attention to the full additive manufacturing workflow, including integration, throughput and process control. XYZO is addressing this from the hardware side by combining additive manufacturing, machining, finishing and inspection within a single modular platform.
Register now for AMA: Software 2026. Join 3D Printing Industry on 22 October for expert presentations, panel discussions and live audience Q&A exploring the software shaping additive manufacturing. [Register here.]
To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don’t forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn.
Explore the full Future of 3D Printing and Executive Survey series from 3D Printing Industry, featuring perspectives from CEOs, engineers, and industry leaders on the industrialization of additive manufacturing, 3D printing industry trends 2026, qualification, supply chains, and additive manufacturing industry analysis.
Feature Image shows XYZO machine. Photo via XYZO.
