Technical Challenges and Sustainable Approaches in Large-Scale 3D Printing – Interview with Royal3D

Royal3D, established in 2017 in Rotterdam as a spin-off of maritime engineering firm Royal Roos, develops solutions in the field of large-scale additive manufacturing. The company is located in the Rotterdam port area, a site that offers both the required space for large-format printing systems and proximity to industrial clients. At this facility, Royal3D operates CEAD gantry systems and an ABB robotic arm printer, enabling the production of meter-sized parts for industrial applications.

Rather than focusing on desktop-scale prototyping, Royal3D targets applications where component size and functionality are central. Typical projects include maritime parts, architectural structures, and custom industrial elements. The company also collaborates with designers to integrate features such as lighting or assembly details directly into printed components.

Sustainability is a recurring theme in Royal3D’s approach. The firm prioritizes the use of recycled and recyclable polymers and engages in circular material strategies together with its clients. Beyond production, Royal3D works on methods to trace and return printed parts at the end of their lifecycle.

Through partnerships with research institutions and continuous development of new applications, Royal3D positions itself as a bridge between industrial-scale 3D printing and sustainable material use.

Interview with Royal3D

In the interview with 3Druck.com, Royal3D reflects on the challenges and opportunities of scaling additive manufacturing beyond conventional dimensions, highlighting how this shift influences processes, materials, and applications. The conversation also touches on sustainability, sector-specific requirements, and future developments, offering insights into where large-format 3D printing may be headed in the coming years.

Royal3D has built a reputation in large-scale additive manufacturing—what were the biggest hurdles in moving from traditional 3D printing to producing much larger parts, and how did you address them?

Large-scale manufacturing has proven to be demanding, which pushed Royal3D toward creating an ecosystem that embraces engineers, designers, and professionals in the spheres of production and post-processing.

Moreover, from a technological perspective, in traditional 3D printing the parts are smaller, and the environment is tightly controlled with heated beds, cooling fans, and enclosed chambers to reduce warping and improve bridging. At a large scale, however, managing temperature becomes far more complex. If a layer cools too much, adhesion weakens; on the other hand, if it stays too hot, the whole print can deform or collapse. To guarantee consistent part strength, we need to guarantee consistent process parameters. That’s why Royal3D is developing a proprietary thermal imaging system that monitors print conditions in real time and adjusts parameters during the process.

Finally, when scaling up from traditional 3D printing to large-scale, common issues such as warping appear, creating the need for the Royal3D production team to find solutions for that, and thus intensifying the demand for post-processing. To address these, we’ve developed solutions such as specialized print beds and fastening systems that help secure large objects during the printing process.

Sustainability plays a strong role in your work—what types of materials are you focusing on, and how do they shape the performance and applications of your prints?

During the design stage, we are already considering the optimal material use to reduce waste and minimize material consumption. Our facilities further utilize solar energy through panels installed on the rooftop. In addition, we are constantly seeking out situations where we can use 3D printing as a more sustainable solution to existing methods, such as when it can replace single-use materials. For example, we are developing 3D-printed load spreaders to replace single-use wooden blocks used in the transport and logistics of large, irregularly shaped objects.

We have utilized a so-called closed-loop system, meaning that we recycle all misprints. Furthermore, Royal3D prioritizes post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials, and we’ve installed our own shredder system to reprocess waste into new print feedstock. In collaboration with our clients, we’re exploring material passports for parts with limited lifespans. After use, the part can be returned, shredded, and reprinted into a new product. This closed-loop approach opens the door to using advanced, higher-performance plastics responsibly, since we can ensure their reuse in future applications.

Your facility uses advanced large-format 3D printing systems; how do you adapt or optimize these technologies for the different industries you serve, particularly in the maritime and architecture sectors?

We continuously improve our large-scale printers with custom upgrades to make them more reliable and versatile. While different industries prioritize different aspects, they all demand parts that are strong, precise, and efficiently produced. With a solid grasp of the core process, we can explore advanced strategies like non-planar printing, custom build platforms, or novel post-processing.

For example, in some cases, it’s more practical to print parts in sections and assemble them later. For larger projects, we often combine multiple printers together with different techniques for the specific printers and strategies to achieve the best outcome. When it comes to architecture, aesthetics and integration are often the focus. We can work with designers to allow lighting to be taken into consideration with transparent prints, for example, or have mounting features directly in the prints to help with assembly. For the maritime sector, watertightness is often paramount, so we have to include watertight testing in the strategy.

Looking ahead, what developments in hardware, software, or materials do you see as most critical for pushing the boundaries of large-format additive manufacturing in the next five years?

We see that AI has enormous potential in analyzing part geometries and slicer files before printing, helping to predict failures caused by design or thermal issues. Several software companies are already advancing these tools. At the same time, material manufacturers are developing new compounds specifically optimized for additive manufacturing. Combined with more efficient post-processing, these advances could dramatically reduce engineering time, misprints, and waste—ultimately lowering costs and making large-scale additive manufacturing more accessible.

In terms of hardware, systems—like the thermal camera developed by Royal3D—that monitor print conditions in real time and can adjust parameters would also reduce misprints. We put extensive focus on R&D, as well as research collaborations with universities. For example, a group of students from Erasmus University recently based their research on Royal3D, exploring how AI technologies can be integrated into circular business models and applied to the future of 3D printing. This type of collaboration not only drives innovation but also connects cutting-edge academic insights with real-world industrial challenges.

Further information on Royal3D can be found on the company’s website.