Additive manufacturing AIM 3D relaunches with enhanced 3D printing technology and strategic partnerships

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3D printing company AIM 3D, a pioneer in granulate 3D printing, has successfully relaunched following a phase of shareholder restructuring and consolidation. The company has optimised its innovative Voxelfill process, ensuring stronger and more consistent 3D-printed components. With strategic partnerships and advancements in their 3D pellet printers, the company plans to make significant strides in the additive manufacturing industry.

After a consolidation phase and reorganization of the shareholder structure, AIM 3D is back in the game. The company has now succeeded in optimising the patented Voxelfill process. Strength tests prove that this process can overcome inhomogeneous strengths of 3D components in the X, Y and Z axes and thus comes close to conventional processes such as injection molding. AIM 3D has also entered into a cooperation with the AM service provider Replique from Mannheim with the aim of making the material Ultem 9085 more suitable for 3D printing.

Since 2017, AIM 3D has been consistently focusing on 3D pellet printers as opposed to FDM 3D printers that process granulates with filaments. Lower material purchase costs for granulates and the use of reclaimed material directly from the mill form the basis for the cost-effectiveness of this AM production strategy with 3D pellet printers.

A variety of factors led to a difficult development of the market during the second half of 2023 and an investment backlog: High energy costs, uncertainties in business development and transformation processes inhibited investment decisions in the industry. An enormous challenge for suppliers of 3D printing systems. Dr. Vincent Morrison (CEO): “In this difficult market environment, it was not possible for us to stick to our initial development goals. This resulted in a reorganization of the shareholder structure and new strategic partnerships. During the restructuring phase, we continued to meet our customers’ needs and proceeded with the further development of our granulate printing technology. We now believe more than ever in our CEM technology and the established team at AIM 3D. 3D pellet printers offer the unique option of mapping the properties of conventionally manufactured parts in a very cost-effective manner with an additive manufacturing strategy.” The relaunch of AIM 3D was the result of a combination of a new shareholder structure and a management buy-out (MBO).

Part of the reorientation of AIM 3D was the focus on strategic partnerships with companies that contribute special expertise. On the one hand, a cooperation with the software development company Create it Real from Denmark aims at optimizing the Voxelfill strategy for overcoming inhomogeneous strengths with respect to process control based on the established slicing software solution Slicex. On the other hand, Replique from Mannheim, a full-service AM provider, supports the optimization of Ultem applications with their expertise and 3D printing platform. AIM 3D has also announced further strategic partnerships and the validation of new materials for 2024. Clemens Lieberwirth (CTO): “In the run-up to the relaunch of AIM 3D, we continued to pursue our development goals for 3D pellet printing: Improving cost efficiency, strengthening material independence, higher quality, component load capacity, reproducibility and process stability.”

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