Additive Drives

What Additive Drives does

Additive Drives GmbH is a Dresden-based deep-tech company founded in 2020 that develops and manufactures customized, high-performance electric motors using proprietary additive manufacturing (3D printing) processes for copper and aluminum. Its portfolio includes hairpin stators, NextPin and X-Pin winding technologies, wavewinding stators, axial flux motors, oil- and phase-change-cooled motors, copper injection-molded bus bars, and the world's first radial flux motor with a sintered soft magnetic composite (SMC) core. The technology stack combines additive manufacturing with conventional production, enabling magnet-free and rare-earth-free designs that achieve up to 98% energy efficiency (surpassing the IE5 benchmark toward IE7), power densities exceeding 25 kW/kg, and heat dissipation above 60 kW/liter.

The company operates a direct enterprise sales motion targeting automotive OEMs (Audi, BMW, Ford, Porsche, Volkswagen, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, NIO, Rolls-Royce), Tier 1 suppliers (Bosch, Continental, ZF, Schaeffler, Dana, Aisin), aerospace and aviation customers (Airbus, Umbra Group), industrial robotics and automation players (ABB), and off-highway/agriculture OEMs (John Deere). Revenue is generated through three streams: (i) custom electric motor development and design services, (ii) rapid prototyping engagements with a marketed 4-week turnaround for hairpin stators, and (iii) flexible series production for volumes from 1 to 100,000+ units, leveraging tooling-free additive processes to lower customer acquisition barriers.

Additive Drives employs over 70 engineers and specialists at its Dresden headquarters and manufacturing facility, with a US sales office opened in San Francisco in January 2025 to serve North American customers. The company has been profitable since inception, has completed over 300 customer projects, holds 17-20 patents, and in February 2026 raised over €25 million from Nordic Alpha Partners (lead) and AM Ventures to fund international scaling. Its three co-founders — Axel Helm (CEO), Philipp Arnold (CFO/Head of Sales), and Dr. Jakob Jung — continue to lead the company.

Name

Additive Drives

Legal name

Additive|Drives GmbH

Website

https://additive-drives.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Additive Drives is a Dresden-based manufacturer of customized, 3D-printed electric motors combining additive and conventional production for automotive, aerospace, and industrial OEMs. Its magnet-free motors achieve up to 98% efficiency and 25+ kW/kg power density.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Motors (custom/additive manufacturing)

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Transmission and Power Train Parts Manufacturing (33635), Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing (33632), Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing (336320)

SIC

Motors & Generators (3621), Electronic Coils, Transformers & Other Inductors (3677)

akta.pro primary industry

AC Motors (Induction, Synchronous) (IMAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electric Drive Unit / E-Axle Manufacturing (Motors/Inverters/Gearboxes) (IMACACAC), Automotive & Mobility Additive Service Providers (prototypes, tooling, low-volume parts) (IMAAADAI), DC Motors (Brushed, Brushless DC) (IMAGACAB)

Keywords

• Electric motor manufacturing
• Additive manufacturing motors
• 3D printed stators
• Hairpin winding technology
• Custom electric drives

Headquarters

HQ city

Dresden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Electric Motor Development and Production: Design, prototyping, and series production of customized electric motors for specific customer applications. Revenue generated through development fees, prototyping services, and production contracts for small to medium series (1 to 100,000+ units). No tooling costs for 3D-printed prototypes reduces customer acquisition barriers.
2. Prototyping Services: Rapid prototyping services delivering motors in as little as 4 weeks. Generates revenue through engineering and development service fees. Tooling-free production enables cost-effective small-batch prototyping.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Additive Drives designs, prototypes, and manufactures customized high-performance electric motors using proprietary additive manufacturing (3D printing) combined with conventional processes. It offers rapid prototyping (4-week delivery), flexible series production (1 to 100,000+ units), and specialized motor technologies (hairpin, Next-Pin, wavewinding, axial flux) for automotive, aerospace, industrial robotics, and heavy equipment applications. Its motors are magnet-free/rare-earth-free and achieve up to 98% efficiency with power densities exceeding 25 kW/kg.

Product overview

Additive Drives is a Dresden-based manufacturer of high-performance, customized electric motors combining proprietary 3D printing and conventional manufacturing processes. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio including prototyping services (world's fastest 4-week turnaround), series manufacturing (quantities from 1 to 100,000+), and specialized motor technologies such as Hairpin Stators, Next-Pin, X-Pin, Wavewinding, and Axial Flux Motors. Their products achieve up to 98% efficiency (surpassing IE5 to reach IE7 performance levels) with power densities exceeding 25 kW/kg. The company serves diverse sectors including automotive, aviation, motorsport, heavy-duty vehicles, robotics, and industrial applications, with customers including Amazon, Airbus, Audi, BMW, Ford, and Schaeffler. Recent innovations include oil cooling and phase change cooling systems, copper injection-molded bus bars, and rare-earth-free motors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customized Electric Motors Tailor-made high-performance electric motors combining proprietary 3D printing and conventional manufacturing processes, achieving up to 98% efficiency and power densities of 25+ kW/kg, for automotive, aerospace, industrial robotics, and heavy equipment applications.
• Prototyping Services Rapid prototyping service delivering finished hairpin stators and motor prototypes in as little as 4 weeks from idea inception, eliminating tooling costs and enabling cost-effective small-batch development for enterprise customers.
• Series Manufacturing Flexible series production combining additive manufacturing and conventional processes for small to medium series ranging from 1 to 100,000+ units, enabling custom motor production without high-volume tooling investments.
• Hairpin Stator Hairpin winding technology for electric motors using rectangular copper rods instead of coiled wires, enabling higher copper fill factors, improved efficiency, and 4-week prototyping delivery for voltages from 48-1200V and power up to 800 kW.
• Wavewinding Stators Flat wire wave winding stators for electric mobility, providing compact design and high conductor density, suitable for high speeds and high power density applications; produced in the world's only line with closed-slot wavewinding.
• High-Performance Single Coils Concentrated windings for torque motors and axial flux motors enabling highest power densities in the smallest installation space with perfect geometric fit, targeting high-torque, compact-form-factor motor applications.
• Axial Flux Motors Ultra-flat axial flux motor design achieving up to 30% higher torque densities than comparable radial flux motors, with new coil designs and optimized bus bars, suitable for electric mobility and high-torque applications.
• Oil-Cooled Electric Motors Electric motors with direct oil cooling technology enabling high power densities exceeding 25 kW/kg in minimal installation space, including direct slot cooling, stator stack oil cooling close to slot, and spray cooling of end turns.
• Copper Injection Molded Bus Bars Injection-molded copper bus bars achieving up to 101% IACS conductivity with 40%+ copper mass reduction versus conventional designs, enabling functional integration for electric motor wiring at scale (tens of millions per year capability).
• High-Torque Motors for Robotics Compact high-torque motors delivering high torques without gearboxes, with maintenance-free operation, replacing inefficient hydraulics in industrial and humanoid robotics applications.
• Radial Flux Motor with SMC Core World's first radial flux motor using sintered soft magnetic composite (SMC) stator cores, improving automation and series production while reducing CO2 footprint to 1/3 of laminated steel and producing no manufacturing waste.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% energy efficiency, surpassing IE5 benchmark and reaching IE7 performance levels
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Daikin Chemicals EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Development Agreement for developing new high-performance insulation materials for electric motors. Collaboration includes development of PFA-insulated magnet wire and other advanced insulation systems. New systems installed at Dresden production facility. Multi-year partnership focused on reducing partial discharge and enabling thinner insulation layers.
• Schaeffler ELMOTEC STATOMATcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for wavewinding stator production combining Schaeffler's industrialization and automation expertise with Additive Drives' flexible manufacturing processes. Enables rapid prototyping and small series production of shaft-wound stators for electric mobility applications.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Hofer Powertrain: German engineering company specializing in powertrain and e-drive development for OEMs, including hairpin and axial flux motor solutions. Competes for the same development-services-and-series-production engagements with automotive customers.
• Elaphe Propulsion Technologies: Slovenian Elaphe specializes in in-wheel and high-torque electric motors for EVs, aerospace, and robotics. Comparable in targeting high-torque, high-efficiency motor applications with non-conventional architectures.
• Magnax: Belgium-based Magnax is developing high-performance axial flux motors targeting EV and aerospace applications, with similar power density and efficiency claims. Direct competitor in the axial flux motor space with overlapping customer profile.
• EMRAX: Slovenian EMRAX manufactures axial flux motors for EV, aerospace, and industrial applications. Competes with Additive Drives in the high-power-density axial flux motor segment with established off-the-shelf product lines.
• Phi-Power: Phi-Power (a Bulten Group company) develops direct-wound hairpin stator technology for electric motors, overlapping directly with Additive Drives' NextPin and hairpin stator offering for automotive and industrial applications.
• YASA (Mercedes-Benz AG): YASA develops axial flux electric motors for automotive and aerospace applications and was acquired by Mercedes-Benz to industrialize axial flux motors for AMG.EA platforms. It is the most directly comparable motor-architecture peer to Additive Drives' axial flux offering.

Emerging players

• Protean Electric: UK-based Protean Electric develops in-wheel motor technology for passenger and commercial vehicles. Comparable as an emerging player pursuing differentiated motor architectures in the same automotive and mobility end-markets.
• DeepDrive: Munich-based DeepDrive develops a dual-rotor electric motor with stator technology aimed at high efficiency and low cost for mass-market EVs. An emerging direct competitor in the next-generation EV traction motor space.

Others

• AVL List GmbH: AVL is a major powertrain engineering services firm and is both a customer of and ecosystem participant with Additive Drives (joint 500 kW EDU development). Comparable as a development-services peer in the motor/powertrain ecosystem rather than a direct product competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Turntide Technologies: Turntide commercializes switched reluctance motor technology (originally from Nidec) for HVAC, industrial, and transport applications. Adjacent incumbent in rare-earth-free motor solutions with broader product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sweeney-lumber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 Additive Drives