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ACTech

ServiceFreiberg, GermanyFounded 1995· One of 2188 Service companies tracked by AMPulse

Produces casting prototypes and small batches of complex metal parts using additive manufacturing and traditional methods, serving automotive, aerospace, and engineering industries.

CEO / Founder
Cornelia Bahr, Norbert Demarczyk, Ray Wünsche (Managing Directors)
Team Size
201-500
Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
$52.9M
Latest Round
Acquired
Key Investors
Materialise NV

Technology & Products

Key Products

Casting prototypes; Small-batch metal parts; 3D printed metal parts

Technological Advantage

Expertise in metal shaping and production standards, integrated with Materialise's 3D printing technology for specialized applications.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces development time and costs for metal prototypes by providing all design and production processes under one roof, enabling rapid production of ready-to-install castings comparable to series production.

How They Differentiate

Specializes in rapid prototyping of complex metal castings with in-house technologies, offering complete production processes from 3D data to finished parts, unlike general manufacturing services.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Automotive suppliers, aerospace companies, machine and plant manufacturers

Industry Verticals

Automotive; Aerospace; Engineering; Industrial Manufacturing

Competitors

Xometry; Protolabs; VulcanForms

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Over 1,000 companies worldwide utilize its services; achieved all-time sales of 500,000,000 EURO.

Major Milestones

Founded in 1995; Acquired by Materialise on October 4, 2017

Notable Customers

BMW; Audi; Porsche; Airbus; MTU Aero Engines

https://www.actech.de

Official records

Filings, certifications, and programme counts AMPulse can show for this company.

  • [C] ISO_9001 · claimed

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
5
Granted
1
Families
4

Leading domains: process (5), material (3), application (1)

Filings by year: 2020: 4 · 2000: 1

  1. METHOD AND MOULD FOR THE COUNTER GRAVITY CASTING IN SAND DIES WITH DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION1268104 · EP
  2. Apparatus for cleaning printed three-dimensional parts in powder bed to separate adhered powder particles115362033 · CN
  3. DEVICE FOR CLEANING THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPONENTS MADE OF ADHESIVE POWDER PARTICLES, SAID COMPONENTS BEING PRINTED IN A POWDER BED04126400 · EP
  4. DEVICE FOR CLEANING THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPONENTS MADE OF ADHESIVE POWDER PARTICLES, SAID COMPONENTS BEING PRINTED IN A POWDER BED2021197543 · WO
  5. Device for cleaning three-dimensional components made of adhesive powder particles, said components being printed in a powder bed12275063 · US

Funding rounds

  • Acquired$52.9M2017-10Source: Metal AM - October 2017

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

ACTech, a Materialise subsidiary based in Freiberg, Germany, occupies a specific niche between pure additive manufacturing service bureaus and conventional foundries. Founded in 1995, the company focuses on producing complex metal casting prototypes and small-batch production parts by integrating 3D printing with CNC pattern making and machining under one roof. This hybrid approach reduces development time and cost for metal prototypes while delivering parts that match series-production quality.

The company's core technology centers on metal additive manufacturing, though its distinctive advantage lies in combining AM with traditional metal shaping and production standards. ACTech manages the entire workflow from 3D data to finished, ready-to-install castings, eliminating the handoffs typical of multi-vendor prototyping projects. This end-to-end capability is particularly valuable for customers requiring rapid iteration on complex geometries without sacrificing dimensional accuracy or mechanical properties.

ACTech serves automotive suppliers, aerospace companies, and industrial manufacturers. Named customers include BMW, Audi, Porsche, Airbus, and MTU Aero Engines, reflecting deep penetration into German automotive OEMs and European aerospace primes. The company reports that over 1,000 organizations worldwide use its services and has achieved cumulative sales of 500 million euros. Its acquisition by Materialise in October 2017 provided access to broader AM software and process expertise.

Competing against generalist manufacturing platforms like Xometry, Protolabs, and VulcanForms, ACTech differentiates through specialization in rapid metal castings rather than broad-spectrum production. Its integrated in-house technologies create a moat for customers who need fast, high-quality prototypes that can transition to serial production. The open question is whether the hybrid AM-plus-casting model can scale cost-effectively as pure metal LPBF and binder jetting technologies continue to mature.