The Spanish company Meltio has further strengthened its position in the field of metal additive manufacturing and achieved several milestones in 2024. Notably, the development of the new metal 3D printers, Meltio M600 and Meltio Engine Blue, enhances the use of laser-based wire deposition technology and is suitable for industrial applications.
As an assessment of the year 2024, Angel Llavero Lopez de Villalta, CEO of Meltio, said: “The past year has confirmed the trend in the incorporation of additive manufacturing technology as a mass manufacturing technology in industries around the world. Meltio is becoming worldwide thanks to our technology as a reliable alternative or complement to traditional manufacturing technologies. In 2024, there has been a lot of news in the industry that has shaken the global additive manufacturing market by announcements of sales declines, company bankruptcies, mergers and this is worrisome. It is true that 2024 has been confirmed as a year in which the industry needs to be more efficient and needs to become more competitive to compensate for the increase in costs and this opens wide the door to bring that efficiency. The past fiscal year has been the turning point where advanced manufacturing technologies are starting to gain strategic weight among industries not for prototyping but for defined final parts with high reliability rates.”
With these advancements, Meltio is responding to the growing demand for efficient and scalable manufacturing solutions. The Meltio M600 has been recognized for its precise processing of various metals, such as titanium, Inconel, and stainless steel. By integrating the Meltio Engine Blue system into existing CNC machines or robotic arms, companies can expand their production capacity without abandoning traditional manufacturing methods.
Over the past year, Meltio has significantly expanded its business, increasing revenues by more than 50 percent compared to the previous year. This growth occurred despite a challenging economic environment, including rising raw material costs and market consolidations within the additive manufacturing sector.
Ildefonso Fuentes, Meltio’s CFO, explained how the company is expanding its growth: “In 2024, the economic situation of the international 3D printing and additive manufacturing sector has been characterized by moderate growth, marked by economic challenges such as inflation, rising production and operating costs, but also by opportunities driven by innovation and sustainability. With such a fragmented market in 3D printing hardware, 2024 has been a particularly turbulent year in terms of mergers, acquisitions and company exits. Last year we continued to maintain our clearly upward trend in terms of results, achieving an increase of more than 50% in our turnover compared to FY2023. I would like to emphasize that our year-over-year growth is fundamentally based on clear organic growth. Our strategic decision taken by the management to work on organic growth in the current context of global market uncertainty is especially key to establishing Meltio’s long-term business success”.
He adds in the face of the international geopolitical situation, the company’s commitment to innovation: “With challenging macroeconomic conditions creating a more conservative environment for raising capital and taking financial risk, the importance of achieving profitability has never been more important for 3D printing companies. Despite the challenges, innovation remains the key driver at Meltio by 2025. New materials and technologies are being developed that enable more advanced applications that together with improved production efficiency will allow for greater adoption in various industries,” highlights Ildefonso Fuentes.
At the same time, Meltio has intensified its collaboration with international partners. Companies in the aerospace, defense, and automotive sectors are increasingly relying on Meltio’s technology. Partnerships with institutions such as the US Navy and the French Navy underscore the industrial relevance of Meltio’s systems.
Lukas Hoppe, Head of Research and Development at Meltio gives the technological keys for the future: “Looking back to 2024, I would say that from a technological point of view it has been the most important year in our history since the launch of the first products back in 2019. With the launch of the new Meltio M600 and Meltio Engine Blue metal 3D printer with the new blue laser system and a completely new Hardware platform that has been in development for the past three years, we are now able to meet the needs of industrial users with fast, reliable and easy-to-use solutions. Looking ahead to 2025, we foresee developments that could surpass the significance of our 2024 breakthroughs. Our goal is to fully exploit the potential of laser wire deposition through cutting-edge software solutions, which will redefine the way our technology is used. On the hardware side, we are focused on adding new capabilities and delivering even greater performance for the M600 and Meltio Engine Blue, ensuring that these platforms remain at the forefront of innovation in industrial manufacturing.”
Looking to the future, Meltio plans to further enhance software integration to improve the efficiency of its additive manufacturing systems. Additionally, the optimization of existing hardware platforms such as the M600 and Engine Blue will continue to increase their performance. The technological advancements in this field indicate that additive manufacturing is no longer just for prototyping but is increasingly playing a crucial role in the serial production of components.
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