AIM3D

What AIM3D does

AIM3D (legally NEW AIM3D GmbH) is a German industrial 3D printer manufacturer founded in January 2017 as a spin-off from the University of Rostock by Dr.-Ing. Vincent Morrison and Clemens Lieberwirth, headquartered at Industriestraße 12, 18069 Rostock, Germany with a headcount in the 11-50 range. The company designs and sells multimaterial extrusion-based 3D printing systems built on its proprietary Composite Extrusion Modeling (CEM) process, which processes standard injection-molding granules (pellets) — rather than filaments or powders — using a compact screw extruder with thermal separation between the feed and melt zones. This architecture enables a single machine to print engineering plastics, MIM-based metals, CIM ceramics, fiber-reinforced composites, and hardmetals, with extruder temperatures up to 425°C and a heated build chamber up to 200°C. The product portfolio is anchored by two industrial systems, the ExAM 255 (255x255x255 mm build volume) and the ExAM 510 (510x510x410 mm, high-temperature), supported by the patent-protected Voxelfill hybrid extrusion strategy that delivers up to 81% isotropy in Z-direction tensile strength versus roughly 25% for conventional FDM, approaching injection-molding mechanical performance. After a consolidation phase and June 2024 management buy-out that relaunched the business as NEW AIM3D, the company continues to operate with an installed base of approximately 40 ExAM systems in market.

AIM3D monetizes primarily through direct enterprise hardware sales of ExAM systems, augmented by process establishment and material qualification consulting, a print service bureau partner network (including Malping for high-performance thermoplastics), and sintering partnerships (notably with Element22 for titanium and Schunk for steel/copper/nickel) that together complete the metal additive manufacturing value chain. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, anchored in technical consultation and major trade-show presence at Formnext, K Düsseldorf, and Aircraft Interiors Expo Hamburg. The target verticals are aerospace (FAR 25.853-certified ULTEM 9085 components), automotive (OEM and tier-1 prototyping — Ford Motor Company, Daimler, Schaeffler, ZF Friedrichshafen), rail (Alstom via Replique), metalworking/sintering (Schunk), medical/orthopedic (Medicare GmbH prosthetic adapters), and tool/mold making, with documented enterprise pilots and reference deployments across each.

Revenue mechanics combine low-volume high-ASP industrial capital equipment sales (no public pricing disclosed), recurring services revenue tied to installed systems, and partner-driven indirect sales. AIM3D competes on a differentiated cost-performance curve — claimed up to 90% material cost savings versus filament printing, ~4x faster build times, and use of globally available standard granules — protected by a granted patent portfolio spanning EU and US jurisdictions (EP3463799B1, EP3648946B1, EP4100235-B1, US11541593B2, US11597118B2) covering the CEM extruder architecture, thermal separation, and Voxelfill. The company operates primarily across Europe with a developing North American presence (Ford in Dearborn, Michigan) and reports no public revenue figures.

Name

AIM3D

Legal name

NEW AIM3D GmbH

Website

https://aim3d.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AIM3D (NEW AIM3D GmbH) is a German industrial 3D printer manufacturer that uses proprietary Composite Extrusion Modeling (CEM) pellet-extrusion technology to print polymers, metals, ceramics, and fiber-reinforced composites for aerospace, automotive, rail, and industrial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial 3D Printers

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (3231)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Large-Format & Industrial Production 3D Printers (High-Throughput Systems) (IMAAAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotend/Extrusion & Material Delivery Components (Nozzles, Extruders, Feed Tubes) (IMAAAIAB), Service, Repair & Maintenance Contracts (Preventive Maintenance, Onsite Service, Extended Warranty) (IMAAAIAM), Electronics & Industrial Component 3D Printing Services (enclosures, fixtures, functional parts) (IMAAADAL), 3D Printers (Additive Manufacturing) (HDACAEAH)

Keywords

• Pellet 3D printing
• Industrial 3D printers
• Additive manufacturing
• Composite extrusion modeling
• Multi-material printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rostock

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. 3D Printer Hardware Sales: Sale of industrial pellet-based 3D printers — ExAM 255 and ExAM 510 — and their associated extrusion systems (CEM-E1, CEM-E2, CEM-E3). The machines are sold directly to industrial customers, service bureaus, and research institutions.
2. 3D Printing Services: AIM3D connects customers with partner print service bureaus equipped with ExAM systems. Services include full-service additive manufacturing from product idea, design, re-engineering, simulation, validation, finishing, and logistics.
3. Process Establishment and Material Qualification Services: Consulting services for process setup, material qualification, feasibility studies, and application development, helping customers establish optimal printing profiles and qualify materials for their specific use cases.
4. Sintering Services (via Element22): Through the Element22 partnership, AIM3D offers debinding and sintering services for titanium and other sinterable materials printed on its systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AIM3D manufactures and sells industrial multi-material 3D printers (ExAM 255 and ExAM 510) based on its proprietary CEM (Composite Extrusion Modeling) process, which processes standard injection-molding granules (pellets) instead of filaments or powders to print polymers, metals via MIM feedstocks, ceramics, and fiber-reinforced composites. The company complements its hardware with the patent-protected Voxelfill process, SlicEx slicing software, and customer services including process establishment, printing services, and sintering services through partner networks.

Product overview

AIM3D (now NEW AIM3D) is a German industrial 3D printer manufacturer founded in 2017 as a spin-off from the University of Rostock. Its product portfolio centers on two flagship multi-material industrial 3D printers — the ExAM 255 (compact, 255³ mm build volume) and the ExAM 510 (large-format, high-temperature, 510x510x410 mm build volume) — both powered by the proprietary CEM (Composite Extrusion Modeling) process that processes standard injection-molding granules instead of filaments or powders. The CEM-E2 and CEM-E3 are the company's latest pellet extruder generations. Key differentiators include the patent-protected Voxelfill process (which overcomes Z-axis strength anisotropy to reach ~80% of injection molding strength), material openness across plastics, metals, ceramics, and hardmetals, and compatibility with certified aerospace-grade materials such as ULTEM 9085. The company complements its hardware with software tools (SlicEx Voxelfill plugin developed with Create it Real), and a suite of customer services including process establishment, printing services, and sintering services through its partner network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ExAM 255 3D Printer Industrial pellet-based 3D printer using the CEM process with a 255 x 255 x 255 mm build volume, two CEM-E1 extruders up to 425°C, vacuum chuck heated to 160°C, print speeds up to 500 mm/s with PA6 GF30, and automatic material feed up to 2 liters. Designed for prototyping of metal and plastic parts.
• ExAM 510 3D Printer Industrial high-temperature multi-material 3D printer using the CEM process with a 510 x 510 x 410 mm build volume, up to three extruders (two CEM-E3 up to 425°C plus one filament extruder), build plate heated to 275°C, heated chamber up to 200°C, maximum build rate of 150 cm³/h (targeting 300-600 cm³/h), and automatic laser-supported bed leveling. Supports processing of unfilled or filled engineering plastics, MIM, and CIM materials at processing volumes of 1,000-4,000 kg/year per unit.
• Process Establishment Services Consultative customer service supporting clients in establishing AIM3D's 3D printing processes for their specific materials and applications, including material qualification studies, feasibility analyses, process development, and application engineering.
• Printing Services Network of print service partners equipped with ExAM series 3D printers that offer component manufacturing for customers on optimally configured production lines, including full-service additive manufacturing from product idea, design, re-engineering, simulation, validation, finishing, and logistics.
• Sintering Services Debinding and sintering service network for metal 3D-printed parts, including partnerships with Element22 for titanium processing and Schunk Sintermetalltechnik for copper, nickel-based alloys, and high-temperature steels, enabling customers to complete the full metal additive manufacturing chain.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% material cost savings vs. filament-based 3D printing
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Create it Real (Aalborg, Denmark)coreTechnology or Integration · 2 November 2023Danish software house Create it Real entered a development partnership with AIM3D to integrate the Voxelfill process as a plug-in into the SlicEx slicing software (based on Real Vision Slicer) for ExAM 255 and ExAM 510 machines. This enables optimal control of voxel-based filling strategies, selective densities, and Z-strength improvement for polymers, metals, and ceramics.
• Schunk Sintermetalltechnik GmbH (Thale, Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Materials specialist and metalworking company Schunk expanded its expertise as a development and cooperation partner for 3D metal printing using AIM3D's CEM process. The partnership covers material development (copper, nickel-based alloys), further development of machine technology (extruder cooling, vacuum chuck), and marketing for 3D metal parts starting at lot size 1. Schunk uses an ExAM 255 installed in 2020.
• Replique (Mannheim, Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAM full-service provider Replique partnered with AIM3D to optimize ULTEM 9085 applications for aerospace, automotive, and rail sectors using the ExAM 510. Replique provides its 3D printing platform and expertise to support industrial qualification and deployment of AIM3D's high-performance polymer printing capabilities.
• Element22 (Germany)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerElement22 specializes in debinding and sintering of titanium, offering sinter services for AIM3D-printed metal parts using FPF technology. The same feedstock can be used for both 3D printing and conventional MIM, simplifying customer transition to additive manufacturing. Element22 titanium feedstock is available for purchase separately.
• ifm-UnternehmensgruppeminorOthersLong-standing supplier partnership since 2018, with ifm recently visiting AIM3D and producing a film about their technology and close collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Markforged: Markforged offers industrial composite and metal 3D printing systems widely used in automotive and aerospace for end-use parts and tooling. They compete with AIM3D in industrial extrusion-based manufacturing, particularly for fiber-reinforced parts.
• EOS GmbH: EOS is the European leader in industrial powder-bed 3D printing (SLS, DMLS) for metals and polymers, heavily serving automotive, aerospace, and medical customers. AIM3D's pellet-based metal printing (via MIM feedstock) provides a lower-cost alternative to EOS's metal powder-bed systems for similar applications.
• Stratasys: Stratasys is the global leader in industrial FDM/FFF 3D printing with extensive aerospace, automotive, and medical footprints. AIM3D's pellet-based technology directly competes with Stratasys' proprietary filament ecosystem as a cost-disrupting alternative for the same customer base.
• 3D Systems: 3D Systems provides a broad portfolio of industrial 3D printing solutions including metal and polymer extrusion systems, serving automotive and aerospace manufacturers. AIM3D competes with their extrusion-based offerings as a pellet-fed alternative with multi-material capabilities.

Direct peers

• Tritone Technologies: Tritone (Israel) developed the MoldJet technology for industrial 3D printing of metal and ceramic parts via paste/pellet-based material deposition. Both companies target industrial production of metal and ceramic parts using granular feedstocks, with similar value propositions around material flexibility and cost.
• Arburg: Arburg's Freeformer is the closest direct competitor to AIM3D — a German industrial 3D printer that processes standard plastic granules/pellets for additive manufacturing. Both target industrial customers with material-open extrusion-based systems, making Arburg the primary benchmark for AIM3D's product positioning.
• BigRep: Berlin-based BigRep manufactures industrial large-format FDM 3D printers targeting automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers. While BigRep uses filament rather than pellets, it competes for the same industrial AM budget and large-format use cases as the ExAM 510.

Emerging players

• Velo3D: Velo3D provides industrial metal additive manufacturing systems focused on aerospace and defense customers with complex part geometries. They represent an adjacent industrial metal 3D printing competitor though using powder-bed fusion rather than extrusion.
• Pollen AM: Paris-based Pollen AM (formerly Pollen Robotics' AM spinoff) offers the Pam-Series pellet-based 3D printers for high-temperature polymers. Like AIM3D, Pollen targets industrial applications with pellet-based extrusion, making them a direct technology comparable though smaller in scale.

Others

• Dyze Design: Dyze Design designs and manufactures high-performance hotends and extrusion systems for industrial 3D printing. As a supplier of pellet extruder components, they represent an enabling/competing technology provider to AIM3D's proprietary CEM-E extruder line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AIM3D_GmbH

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AIM3D