ARBURG
German manufacturer of injection molding machines, robotic systems, and industrial additive manufacturing systems (ARBURG Plastic Freeforming), headquartered in Lossburg, Germany.
- CEO / Founder
- Dr. Volker Nilles
- Team Size
- 1001-5000
- Stage
- Mature
- Latest Round
- Bootstrapped
- Key Investors
- Hehl family; Keinath family
Technology & Products
Key Products
Freeformer 200-3X; Freeformer 300-3X; Freeformer 550-3X; ARBURG Plastic Freeforming (APF) technology; ALLROUNDER injection molding machines (hydraulic, hybrid, electric); robotic systems; GESTICA control system; arburgXworld customer portal
Technological Advantage
Patented ARBURG Plastic Freeforming (APF) process; ability to use standard injection molding granulates; multi-material and multi-color capability; 60% vertical integration with in-house production; 100+ years of plastics processing expertise; family-owned with long-term R&D horizon.
Patent position
ARBURG filed 34 patent families across all years. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 13 families filed 2022–2024, 7 in 2019–2021
- Filed in
- US 32%EP 32%WO 29%CN 21%
34 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Industrial additive manufacturing (ARBURG Plastic Freeforming / APF) that processes standard injection molding granulates into functional parts without molds, bridging the gap between injection molding and 3D printing.
How They Differentiate
APF process uses standard injection molding granulates (not proprietary filaments) and processes them via a piezo-actuated nozzle that deposits droplets layer-by-layer, enabling multi-material parts with hard-soft combinations and support materials — all from the same materials used in conventional injection molding.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Industrial manufacturers in automotive, medical technology, packaging, electronics, consumer goods, and mechanical engineering sectors needing functional prototypes, small-batch production, and multi-material plastic parts.
Industry Verticals
Automotive; Medical Technology; Packaging; Electronics; Consumer Goods; Mechanical Engineering; Construction
Competitors
Engel Austria GmbH; KraussMaffei Group; Wittmann Battenfeld
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Revenue: ~€600M (2024), €780M (2023), €750M (2018); Employees: ~3,400 globally; Export share: 75%
Major Milestones
1923: Founded by Arthur Hehl in Lossburg; 1956: First injection molding machine series production; 1961: ALLROUNDER principle patented; 2013: Freeformer / ARBURG Plastic Freeforming (APF) launched at K 2013; 2018: Freeformer 300-3X launched; 2025: Announced withdrawal from additive manufacturing business (effective Dec 31, 2025); 2026: Dr. Volker Nilles appointed CEO.
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 39
- Granted
- 12
- Families
- 34
Leading domains: process (39), equipment (21), material (7)
Filings by year: 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 9 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3
- METHOD FOR DISPENSING DISCRETE VOLUMES2024121384 · WO
- SUPPORT GEOMETRY2024028478 · WO
- MATERIAL DRYING FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING2025125374 · WO
- Method for producing a three-dimensional object9039953 · US
- QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING2025021776 · WO