Meltio offers disruptive yet hassle-free metal 3D printing solutions to all, yielding fully functional metal parts for industrial prototyping or end-use. Their mission is to delight customers, partners, and employees by pioneering the development of affordable metal additive manufacturing solutions that are reliable, safe and easy to use.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Meltio: Meltio manufactures 3D printing solutions, such as the M450 metal 3D printer or the Meltio Engine. However, we are not a 3D printing service, we do not commercialize 3D printed pieces but we provide our customers with an ecosystem of sales partners and integrators, who provide outstanding customer support to grant a hassle-free metal 3D printing experience.
E.E: What’s the news for 2021 about new products?
Meltio: In 2020, we successfully stabilized the M450’s hardware, and this year we are focusing on developing and integrating the Meltio Engine to distinct CNC and robotic platforms, including ABB, Fanuc, Kuka, and Haas among many others.
Improving our current product portfolio and innovating is always an ongoing project.
Even though the Meltio M450 metal 3D printer has an open materials platform, we are constantly trialing new materials to be added to our material portfolio, and developing print process parameters to ensure proper user experience and print success for various geometries.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
Meltio: Our current product portfolio consists of the Meltio M450 metal 3D printer and the Meltio Engine, which can be seamlessly integrated into a CNC machine or a robotic arm. This helps users to choose the package that suits their manufacturing requirements; a turn-key metal 3D printer, CNC integration for hybrid manufacturing, or robotic integration for large components.
The Meltio M450 opens up a new world of possibilities for designing industrial-grade parts without the need for industrial infrastructure. It is seamlessly integrable into any office environment or university lab and its open material platform enables applications ranging from industrial prototyping, mold and die, one-offs, short runs, to mass manufacturing, maintenance, and repair.
The Meltio Engine aids to have our unique Wire-Powder Laser Metal Deposition technology hosted in virtually any motion system. The CNC machine integration is one of the most affordable hybrids manufacturing solutions, fitting almost any CNC machine in the market, and the robotic integration unlocks geometry freedom, while still being one of the most cost-effective solutions available.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
Meltio: Since the metal 3D printing industry has not seen any significant changes in the past 20 years, the adoption of this technology remained consequently restricted to a few niche applications. This was caused by several significant factors, such as high investment, development, and running costs, limited part size, and part properties, and last but not least, continuous subpar user experience and convenience. However, the industry is ready to be reformed, and instead of focusing on complex and sophisticated designs, Meltio aims to change the face of the industry by enabling the creation of relatively simple shapes.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
Meltio: As of today, the industrial polymer additive manufacturing market is significantly bigger than its metal equivalent, however, according to this year’s AMPOWER report, it is also expected to grow more in the upcoming years than the polymer AM market. This change is inevitable once unique technologies, such as Meltio’s WP-LMD technology, become increasingly widespread. It is also crucial to note that up until now, only a handful of industries, such as aerospace and healthcare, have adopted metal additive manufacturing, and this adoption had remained reserved for certain clear-cut applications. However, since the rise of new metal AM technologies, such as wire DED or metal material extrusion, increasing interest from more traditional industries, such as foundries, machine shops as well as the oil and gas and the molding industry can be witnessed.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
Meltio: Our Wire-Powder Laser Metal Deposition technology is pioneering as the printhead comes packaged with six cost-effective lasers instead of a high-priced one and it is capable of processing wire and powder independently or simultaneously. WP-LMD is a Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process that functions by precisely stacking weld beads on top of one another, in powder or wire form, when introduced into the laser-generated melt pool. Thanks to this unique DED process, our technology is capable of producing fully functional 3D printed parts.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2021?
MELTIO: We set big goals out for this year to create something as unique as our technology – a channel ecosystem including several layers of sales partners and integrators, to mutually develop and to drive business opportunities together.