Siemens Energy and GEFERTEC partner to scale WAAM serial production for large metal parts in energy and automotive sectors

Siemens Energy and GEFERTEC have announced a partnership to scale Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) for serial production of large metal components, targeting the energy and automotive sectors. The collaboration, announced ahead of the WAAMathon event, integrates Siemens Energy's industrial automation and simulation expertise with GEFERTEC's proprietary WAAM systems, which use robotic welding and arc-based deposition to build parts up to several meters in length. The joint effort focuses on solving the core challenges of repeatability and thermal control through integrated sensors and simulation software, aiming to reduce material waste and cost compared to traditional forging or casting.

This partnership is a direct play on the industrial-tooling and energy verticals, where WAAM's ability to produce large, near-net-shape parts without the size constraints of powder bed systems is a structural advantage. For GEFERTEC, the deal provides a critical path to escape the 'research-academic' orbit and enter serial production credibility, leveraging Siemens Energy's qualification infrastructure and customer base in gas turbines, pumps, and heavy equipment. The move also updates the 'Chinese localization arc' pattern: while Chinese WAAM entrants have scaled on cost, this partnership competes on process control and certification readiness, embedding GEFERTEC's technology into Siemens Energy's supply chain rather than competing on price alone.

For GEFERTEC, the practical next step is to demonstrate that its WAAM cells can hold dimensional tolerances and mechanical properties across a production run of hundreds of parts, not just prototypes. The partnership's success hinges on whether the integrated sensor and simulation stack can reduce post-machining time to a level that makes WAAM cost-competitive with conventional forging for energy-sector components. If executed, it would give Siemens Energy a captive, qualified WAAM supply line and give GEFERTEC the reference case it needs to sell into other capital-intensive verticals.