LOCTITE 3D Printing
Develops and commercializes high-performance photopolymer resins (DLP/SLA) and comprehensive post-processing solutions for production-scale additive manufacturing, enabling end-use parts manufacturing across aerospace, automotive, medical device, and industrial applications.
- CEO / Founder
- Carsten Knobel
- Team Size
- 10000+
- Stage
- Subsidiary
- Total Funding
- Subsidiary
- Key Investors
- Henkel family (61.85% of ordinary shares as of March 19, 2026); institutional investors including BlackRock Inc. (3.03% as of September 2025), Silchester International Investors LLP (3.01% as of November 2025); free float held by international institutional investors
Technology & Products
Key Products
LOCTITE 3D Printing provides high-performance photopolymer resins for industrial applications. Henkel's additive manufacturing portfolio includes engineering-grade resins for DLP/SLA printing, post-processing solutions, and partnerships with equipment manufacturers like Carbon, Origin, and EnvisionTEC.
Technological Advantage
Single-component, validated photopolymer formulations with proven mechanical properties (temperature resistance, impact strength, dimensional stability) across 20+ OEM printer platforms reduce customer qualification risk; Henkel's post-processing expertise differentiates from competitors by enabling true end-use parts (vs. prototypes); 700+ sq meter Irish R&D facility enables rapid material iteration and customization; strategic partnerships with equipment leaders (Carbon, Origin, EnvisionTEC, Nexa3D) ensure materials compatibility and market access.
Patent position
With 79 patent families filed across all years, LOCTITE 3D Printing trails 3D Systems, Formlabs, Stratasys, and Arkema. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 10 families filed 2022–2024, 51 in 2019–2021
- Filed in
- US 33%EP 33%WO 29%CN 19%JP 8%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- 3D Systems 300Formlabs 114Stratasys 494Arkema 132
79 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces time-to-production for functional parts by 40-60% vs. traditional manufacturing while enabling design optimization (light-weighting, consolidation); leverages 140+ years of Henkel adhesive expertise to deliver validated material properties, integrated post-processing solutions, and ecosystem partnerships with leading equipment manufacturers (Carbon, Origin, EnvisionTEC, etc.); eliminates material qualification delays through established OEM validation workflows across 20+ printer platforms.
How They Differentiate
Broadest post-processing ecosystem (bonding, coating, cleaning, impregnation, curing) enabling true production-scale AM vs. competitors focused primarily on resin formulation; 140+ years of adhesive/coating expertise in thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties; superior validation across 20+ printer platforms (competitors typically optimize for 1-2 platforms); integrated end-to-end solutions from material selection through surface finish vs. point-solution competitors; established supply chain and customer relationships through Henkel's global Adhesive Technologies network.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Industrial manufacturers, medical device OEMs, aerospace/defense suppliers, automotive parts producers, contract manufacturers, design agencies
Industry Verticals
Aerospace & Defense; Automotive; Medical Devices; Industrial Manufacturing; Engineering & Machinery; Rail & Transportation
Competitors
3D Systems (photopolymer resins); Formlabs (DLP/SLA materials); Stratasys (photopolymer and FDM materials); BASF, Arkema (chemical companies with AM materials)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Adhesive Technologies business unit (parent of 3D Printing): €10,970M revenue in 2024 (1.7% YoY organic growth in nominal terms); +2.0% organic growth in H1 2024; +3.2% organic growth in 2023; +13.2% organic growth in 2022. Overall Henkel 2025 revenue: €20.5B; operating profit €3.0B.
Major Milestones
2016 - Entered additive manufacturing market with photopolymer resin development; 2018 - Opened 700 square meter advanced materials facility in Ireland; announced comprehensive 3D printing ecosystem with equipment partners; 2019 - Acquired Molecule Corp. (US-based 3D printing and industrial inkjet company) to strengthen materials portfolio and digital capabilities; 2019 - Expanded partnerships (Rapid Shape, M. Holland distribution); 2021 - Partnership with PostProcess Technologies for automated post-printing solutions; 2022 - Established Richmond, USA facility for end-use parts production serving automotive and industrial customers; 2023 - Launched new photopolymer resins (IND249, portfolio expansion); 2024 - Showcased new additive manufacturing materials at Formnext 2024; continued ecosystem expansion
Notable Customers
Aerospace/Defense OEMs (not explicitly named in public sources); Medical device manufacturers (not explicitly named in public sources); Automotive Tier 1 suppliers (not explicitly named in public sources); Contract manufacturers and service bureaus
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 99
- Granted
- 19
- Families
- 79
Leading domains: process (98), material (32), equipment (27)
Filings by year: 2025: 2 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 53 · 2018: 10
- Photocurable compositions for three-dimensional investment pattern casting and their uses2025534657 · JP
- 3D PRINTED PARTS MADE BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USING POST PROCESSING CLEANERS2020069473 · WO
- REACTIVE PRINTABLE COMPOSITION WITH ELASTOMERIC PROPERTIES2020229331 · WO
- THREE-DIMENSIONAL PARTS MADE BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USING A COATING COMPOSITION ON THE BUILD SURFACE2020104386 · WO
- PHOTO-CURABLE COMPOSITIONS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING113631390 · CN