AltForm showcases Print Brilliance 400 metal AM machine at IMTS 2026
AltForm, formerly Prima Additive by Sodick, based in Turin, Italy, is exhibiting at IMTS 2026, the International Manufacturing Technology Show, taking place from September 14 to 19 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The company is exhibiting at Sodick Inc’s Booth 338640, South Building, Level 3.
AltForm and Sodick Inc are both part of the Sodick Group, the Japanese precision engineering company headquartered in Yokohama. Sodick Co., Ltd. acquired a majority stake in AltForm, then known as Prima Additive in May 2025, integrating the Italian company’s metal Additive Manufacturing and laser processing expertise into the group’s global industrial portfolio. Sodick Inc is the group’s North American subsidiary, responsible for commercial operations, application consulting, and technical support across the US and Canada. The companies’ joint presence at IMTS is intended to reflect this shared ownership, combining AltForm’s technology with Sodick Inc’s local infrastructure.
North American presence through Sodick Inc
Through Sodick Inc, the Sodick Group’s North American subsidiary headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, AltForm’s solutions are permanently available for evaluation, demonstration, and application consulting in the North American market.
Sodick Inc’s Schaumburg facility houses a dedicated showroom where potential customers can see AltForm machines firsthand, discuss specific production requirements with application engineers, and access ongoing technical support. For manufacturers in the aerospace, defence, automotive, and other advanced manufacturing sectors, the facility provides a local point of contact for AltForm machines.
On show: the Print Brilliance 400
AltForm’s centrepiece at IMTS 2026 is the Print Brilliance 400, the flagship machine of the Print 400 Series. With a build volume of 430 x 430 x 450 mm and four full-overlap lasers, each with access to the entire build area, the Print Brilliance 400 is engineered for serial industrial production. Build rate reaches up to 4 x 100 cm3/h, with layer thickness adjustable from 20 to 120 micrometres and optional preheating up to 200 °C (300 °C on request) for expanded material compatibility. The machine supports external powder removal, enabling a cleaner, safer post-build workflow, and features an advanced filtration unit with automatic backflushing that allows continuous operation without unplanned maintenance stops. The full process, from powder management to build execution and post-processing, can be integrated into automated production cells, making the Print 400 Series a platform for manufacturers seeking to scale metal AM beyond standalone machine operation.
The Print Brilliance 400 is equipped with AltForm’s AI-powered software ecosystem, which operates across three integrated layers:
- AI-powered HMI: an intelligent human-machine interface intended to guide operators step by step through job preparation, monitor process stability in real time, detect anomalies before they become defects, and recommend both corrective and preventive maintenance actions. Designed to lower the operator skill threshold and reduce unplanned downtime, it makes industrial-grade AM production accessible beyond specialist engineering teams.
- Mobile application: full remote access to build status, machine alerts, and production metrics from any device, enabling production managers and supervisors to monitor operations without constant floor presence.
- Fleet management platform: a centralised dashboard for multi-machine production environments, with integrated MES/ERP connectivity via OPC-UA and Siemens ecosystem compatibility. Every component produced is linked to a blockchain-secured digital passport certifying process parameters, material lot, machine ID, and production date, a key requirement for aerospace and defence qualification programmes.
These capabilities are particularly relevant in defence and aerospace applications, where process traceability, operator-independent repeatability, and the ability to document every build to certification standards are not optional features. AltForm states that the combination of open parameter architecture, AI-assisted process monitoring, and blockchain traceability makes the Print Brilliance 400 a production platform suited to the qualification and supply chain requirements of these sectors.
Custom machines and automated lines: beyond the standard machine
AltForm’s engineering capability extends beyond the supply of standalone AM machines. The company designs and integrates custom production solutions: multi-machine automated lines, robotised cells combining additive and subtractive processes, and turnkey installations tailored to specific production requirements.
The company states that this capability is grounded in real industrial deployments. AltForm has already engineered and commissioned multiple fully automated AM and laser processing lines for customers across Europe, including production lines for laser coating of brake discs now running at automotive OEMs at volumes of 150,000 – 250,000 units per year. The engineering, integration, and commissioning expertise developed through these projects is directly applicable to metal AM production environments requiring the same level of process control, throughput, and reliability.
AltForm will be present at Booth 338640, South Building, Level 3, for the full duration of IMTS 2026, September 14–19, 2026, at McCormick Place, Chicago. Application engineers will be available to discuss specific production requirements, technology selection, and the path from prototype to qualified industrial production.
