Materialise refines CO-AM platform: three new software packages for automated AM workflows

Materialise is using Formnext 2025 to further develop its open CO-AM platform in a targeted way for different user groups in additive manufacturing. The software and service provider is introducing three preconfigured solutions – CO-AM Professional, CO-AM NPI and CO-AM Enterprise – that put automation, traceability and system openness at the center.

“Industrializing additive manufacturing isn’t a software problem or a hardware problem; it’s a manufacturing problem,” said Udo Eberlein, Vice President of Software at Materialise. “It requires understanding the complete workflow, the real constraints, and the practical trade-offs that production teams face every day. We’re tailoring our offerings to meet the specific needs of the market, from standard to the most advanced users, bringing NPI and Enterprise solutions to help them scale AM with confidence.”

CO-AM Professional targets operations with high part variability and low volumes. The solution combines Magics-based build and platform setup with cloud-based order processing and integrated tracking of parts, build platforms and material batches. The goal is an end-to-end data flow across heterogeneous machine fleets, providing users with a unified “single source of truth” for AM processes.

“The AM industry needs an ecosystem that connects tools and automates workflows. No point solution will solve this challenge,” said Eberlein. “Platforms without deep domain knowledge risk becoming abstraction layers, convenient until they’re not, flexible until you need something they didn’t anticipate. Materialise delivers decades of software development expertise earned through close collaboration with our partners and factory-floor knowledge. CO-AM is how we put that knowledge to work for the entire industry.”

With CO-AM NPI, Materialise is addressing companies that want to qualify and certify series parts. At its core is the new low-code automation technology CO-AM Brix, which is based on a node-based editor and more than 800 integrated algorithms from the Magics, Build Processor and 3-matic SDKs. This enables variation of exposure strategies, automation of parameter studies, and the freezing of approved “recipes,” including QA limits, for repeatable production.

CO-AM Enterprise extends these functions with production execution, order and inventory management, and connectivity to shopfloor data sources. Process data, telemetry, quality inspections and genealogy information are stored in a common domain model aligned with standards such as ISO/ASTM 529xx, 3MF, OPC UA and QIF. The open Build Processor architecture allows OEM strategies, custom exposure routines and third-party tools to be integrated into CO-AM.

Materialise explicitly positions CO-AM not as a ready-made MES, but as a configurable orchestration layer that connects existing IT and machine landscapes. At Formnext, the company is demonstrating not only CO-AM Brix but also new generations of metal Build Processors, with a focus on how to build scalable, auditable AM workflows across multiple sites.