DAIHEN
Japanese electrical equipment manufacturer that develops and sells WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing) metal 3D printing systems for large-scale industrial parts, leveraging its core arc welding and robotics technologies.
- CEO / Founder
- Shoichiro Minomo (蓑毛正一郎)
- Team Size
- 1001-5000
- Stage
- Public
- Latest Round
- Post-IPO
Technology & Products
Key Products
ArcBuilder 3D (WAAM metal additive manufacturing system); Contract manufacturing service (受託造形サービス); D-Arc welding system; Industrial robots; Welding power sources; Copper-alloy 3D printing technology
Patent position
DAIHEN has 25 patent families filed across all years, compared with 4 for named peer WAAM3D, and 56% of them are in JP, its largest office share. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 14 families filed 2022–2024, 0 in 2019–2021
- Filed in
- JP 56%WO 24%US 16%CN 12%EP 4%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- WAAM3D 4
25 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Leverages 80+ years of arc welding expertise and proprietary AC synchro-feed welding technology to deliver high-speed, low-cost WAAM systems for large metal parts (up to 1.5m), with integrated robot control and contract manufacturing services.
How They Differentiate
Unlike powder-bed fusion competitors, DAIHEN's WAAM uses wire feedstock and arc welding — dramatically lower material cost, higher deposition rates (several to tens of times faster than PBF), and ability to produce parts up to 1.5m. Their proprietary AC synchro-feed welding technology solves the reproducibility and deformation challenges typical of WAAM. As a major listed industrial group with in-house robot, welding power source, and control system manufacturing, they offer vertically integrated solutions.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Shipbuilding, energy, construction machinery, aerospace/defense industries requiring large metal structural parts (propellers, rocket nozzles, heavy equipment components)
Industry Verticals
Shipbuilding; Energy; Construction Machinery; Aerospace & Defense
Competitors
Lincoln Electric Additive Solutions (US); WAAM3D (UK); MX3D (Netherlands)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Consolidated revenue ¥226.4B ($~1.6B) for FY2025; WAAM target ¥10B ($~70M) by 2030; Listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime (6622) and Fukuoka Stock Exchange
Major Milestones
1919: Founded as Osaka Transformer Co.; 1934: Started welding machine production; 1980: Launched arc welding robot "Soar"; 2016: World's first copper-alloy 3D printing technology; 2024: Established Tokyo HQ (dual-headquarters system); 2026-05-18: Announced WAAM business entry with ArcBuilder 3D system
Recent coverage of DAIHEN
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 34
- Granted
- 13
- Families
- 25
Leading domains: process (33), equipment (27), material (18)
Filings by year: 2025: 3 · 2024: 12 · 2022: 2 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 10
- 積層造形システム37163944|2025163944 · JP
- Metal powder, manufacturing method of additive manufacturing and additive manufacturing2017036508 · JP
- LAMINATION MOLDING SYSTEM2025220604 · WO
- Metal powder, method of producing additively-manufactured article, and additively-manufactured article106964774 · CN
- 積層造形システムおよび積層造形方法38061294|2026061294 · JP