Freemelt expands into metal Additive Manufacturing production services
Freemelt AB, based in Mölndal, Sweden, has announced it will now include Additive Manufacturing production services in response to a shift in customer demand. The company stated that the expansion reflects a broader shift in advanced metal Additive Manufacturing from technology validation and development towards industrial deployment and serial production, particularly in sectors including fusion, defence and MedTech.
The company will structure its new offering around two business areas: Production Systems and Manufacturing. Production Systems will continue to target customers seeking to establish and control their own Additive Manufacturing capacity, while the new Manufacturing business will provide services ranging from component design, application engineering and process development to qualification, inspection and delivery.
“The market is changing. Customers increasingly need access to qualified manufacturing capacity, materials expertise and reliable supply chains – not only advanced production systems,” stated Daniel Gidlund, CEO of Freemelt. “By expanding our offering with manufacturing services for advanced metal components, we are meeting this shift in demand and taking an important step towards building Europe’s industrial platform for qualified advanced metal components.”
Freemelt intends to build the manufacturing offering around its Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB) Additive Manufacturing technology and experience with extreme materials, including tungsten and other refractory metals. The company also has an installed base of more than forty-five machines and experience in qualification and production programmes across MedTech, fusion, defence and other industrial sectors.
A recent example is a contract awarded by Fusion for Energy (F4E), the European organisation responsible for Europe’s contribution to ITER and other major fusion programmes. The contract covers the manufacture and delivery of approximately 33,000 tungsten-based components for the JT-60SA fusion programme.
Freemelt estimates that the market for production systems alone is worth SEK 22–33 billion. By expanding into qualified component manufacturing and, over time, higher-value subsystems, it estimates its addressable market could increase to SEK 450–560 billion, approximately twenty times the opportunity represented by production systems alone.
Reflecting the expanded offering, Freemelt has reaffirmed its ambition to reach SEK 1 billion in annual order intake by 2030 and introduced a new financial ambition to become EBITDA positive in 2028.
The company expects more than half of its revenues to come from recurring sources, including service and aftermarket activities related to production systems, process and application development, qualification services, component manufacturing and long-term industrial customer relationships.
Freemelt plans to pursue the expansion through what it describes as an equity-light strategy, using partnerships and external capacity where appropriate. Initial production volumes within the Manufacturing business are expected to be supported by selected equipment investments and partners associated with specific customer contracts, while Freemelt uses its existing facilities, infrastructure and support functions
Organic growth will remain the primary focus, although the company may also consider acquisitions that complement its industrial platform and longer-term growth plans.
