Caracol, one of Europe’s fastest-growing deep-tech companies and a pioneer in large-format robotic additive manufacturing (AM), presented a major leap forward in its mission to redefine industrial production at the Formnext 2025 exhibition in Frankfurt last week.

At the show, the company presented the new evolution of its Eidos manufacturing software suite — the intelligent backbone of Caracol’s connected manufacturing ecosystem. Eidos introduces next-generation features that integrate AI, as well as other manufacturing processes, and advanced sensing to enable more autonomous, adaptive and high-performance production across its platforms.

Building on a year of significant growth — including the acquisition of Hans Weber Maschinenfabrik GmbH’s AM assets and a $40m Series B funding round — Caracol further consolidated its position as a global specialist in digital and automated manufacturing. The latest Eidos manufacturing software suite – developed for Caracol’s robotic platforms in collaboration with leading software and AI companies – integrates new manufacturing processes, AI and advanced sensing to enable smarter and more autonomous production.

Eidos Builder goes beyond printing to combine Caracol’s advanced slicing, simulation and AM capabilities with other processes such as scanning and milling in fully automated workflows. Eidos Nexus, the IoT and control brain of the platforms, is now powered with AI control, introducing intelligent features to introduce sensing, learning and smart control.

Visitors to the show had the opportunity to delve into the Eidos software experience, see Heron AM and Vipra AM robotic platforms live, and touch real-world industrial large-scale parts manufactured by leading companies globally such as Alstom, NP Aerospace and the UK Digital Manufacturing Centre, JOME and the CPC Group

Caracol also presented the world’s first 3D-printed catamaran, created with V2 Boats using its Heron AM platform through a continuous 120-hour build.

More information www.caracol-am.com

UltiMaker, a global specialist in 3D printing technology, has unveiled its Secure Line of 3D printing products for defence and high-security environments. Leading at launch were the UltiMaker S6 Secure and UltiMaker S8 Secure, two robust solutions designed to deliver reliable, on-demand production capabilities across land, sea and air operations.

With rising demand for secure, resilient and decentralised manufacturing, the Secure Line marks a major step forward in turning additive manufacturing (AM) into a deployable tactical asset. Built on UltiMaker’s established platform, the S6 Secure and S8 Secure combine industrial performance with hardened security features designed to meet modern defence IT standards.

“The Secure Line represents a strategic leap in making AM a trusted and deployable asset for defence organisations,” says Andy Middleton, SVP EMEA and global marketing at UltiMaker. “By combining industrial-grade 3D printing with uncompromising security, the Secure Line enables the production of mission-critical components at the point of need, safely, reliably and with full control over their data and infrastructure.”

Designed for operations in extreme and temperate conditions, Secure Line printers offer air-gapped, USB-only workflows, with no Wi-Fi, no external cameras and no unverified third-party devices, eliminating common vectors for espionage, data theft or remote intrusion.

Key security features include: factory-flashed, tamper-resistant firmware; encrypted and auditable file handling; hardware-sealed components for field integrity; and no cloud dependencies or external attack surfaces. These features ensure full operational control and auditability, empowering defence forces to manufacture mission-critical components while maintaining the highest levels of data control, protection and system security.

The S6 Secure and S8 Secure are engineered to take industrial AM capabilities from the lab to the field.

More information www.bit.ly/4pkGKMV

Additive manufacturing (AM) machine manufacturer Stratasys recently participated in Trident Warrior 25, the US Navy’s flagship fleet experimentation exercise, demonstrating how AM keeps military units operational at sea and in forward-deployed locations. In partnership with FleetWerx and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE), Stratasys supported the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell (JAMC) with field-deployable 3D printers and on-demand production through Stratasys Direct.

The JAMC was the Department of Defense’s largest distributed manufacturing demonstration to date, connecting assets across more than 8000 miles. The exercise allowed the Navy to print parts in-theatre or reach back to Stratasys Direct for higher volume or complex production, creating a wide-ranging ecosystem of support and options across forward-deployed locations.

During the exercise, seven different sites across the global leveraged Stratasys printers, with all parts meeting US military specifications. Trident Warrior 25 also demonstrated that by deploying 3D printers in the field, there is reduced reliance on traditional logistics chains. Lightweight, corrosion-resistant polymer parts were used to create new components, replace broken parts and produce rapid prototypes in-theatre, supported by reach-back production from Stratasys Direct.

“Trident Warrior 25 demonstrated the value of a multi-echelon polymer advanced manufacturing network,” says Morgan Bower, programme manager at FleetWerx. “By pairing field-ready solutions in forward-deployed environments with cutting-edge manufacturing expertise, the team cut lead times for critical components and boosted mission resilience.”

Adds Chris Curran, programme manager at CAMRE: “Our collaboration with Stratasys and FleetWerx during Trident Warrior highlights how academia, industry, and the military can work together to validate and accelerate new technologies. These efforts are crucial to building resilient, distributed manufacturing ecosystems for the fleet.”

More information www.stratasys.com

Machine tool manufacturer DMG Mori demonstrated at Formnext 2025 in Frankfurt last week how its additive manufacturing (AM) systems – both the LaserTec DED hybrid machines for laser deposition welding and the powder-bed models in the LaserTec SLM series for layer-by-layer manufacture – may be optimised for the series production of metallic components. The company showcased how both technologies can be seamlessly integrated into end-to-end AM process chains.

As part of its MX machining transformation strategy, the manufacturer concentrates on production in one clamping. Accordingly, LaserTec DED machines reduce throughput times by employing a six-in-one process that includes preheating, AM using a powder nozzle, 3D scanning, milling, turning and grinding.

The ability to switch between additive and subtractive technologies allows the creation of complex geometries and multi-material parts that can be endowed with bespoke properties, such as better wear or corrosion protection, or increased resistance to chemicals. AM components often have a long service life and require little maintenance, so their availability is maximised. 

With the latest LaserTec 30 SLM third-generation powder-bed AM machine, DMG Mori has introduced an interchangeable build chamber to eliminate one of the biggest bottlenecks in metal 3D printing, namely long cooling times after completion of the process. The chamber may be removed and replaced with another, pre-prepared chamber without having to wait, so production can continue almost without interruption. 

Set-up times are significantly reduced, as preparation of the chamber is performed away from the machine. This not only eliminates the need for repeated flooding of the chamber with inert gas but also lowers consumption of the shielding gas. An integrated lid increases safety and preserves the protective atmosphere between jobs, allowing powder management and material handling under inert gas conditions. 

More information www.dmgmori.com