On 6 February 2026, the first day of the field trip began with a visit to Rapidobject GmbH in Leipzig, followed by a visit to Additive Drives GmbH in Dresden. The two company visits demonstrated how additive manufacturing is already being used today in various industrial process chains.

At Rapidobject GmbH, the students gained an insight into the entire process of a manufacturing order. This begins with the customer’s CAD and material data and extends from the selection of the appropriate process right through to the actual production of the component.

Specific examples clearly demonstrated that not every additive manufacturing process is equally suitable for every task. The material, component geometry, production volume and intended application determine which process is used.

Rapidobject has extensive experience, particularly in the field of additive manufacturing of plastic components. Since September 2025, a system for powder-bed-based laser beam melting of metals – PBF-LB/M for short – has also been expanding the technical capabilities at the site. This enabled the students to understand how different materials and processes are combined within a single manufacturing service provider.

At Additive Drives GmbH in Dresden, the focus was on the additive manufacturing of components for electric machines. The company is one of the pioneers in the use of the PBF-LB/M process with high-purity copper powder.

Following an introduction to the company’s development, the students toured the production and assembly areas. Various projects, components and semi-finished products were presented, as well as the interplay between additive and conventional manufacturing processes.

It became clear that, in industrial practice, additive manufacturing is often not used in isolation. Rather, it is combined with customised machinery – some of which the company has developed itself – and highly automated processes. The company also utilises additive processes in its in-house tool and equipment manufacturing, primarily for plastic components.

In addition to technical questions regarding materials, equipment and production processes, the students also learnt about potential topics for their final-year dissertations.

A week later, on 13 February 2026, students at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) in Chemnitz gained an insight into another dimension of additive manufacturing: the production of large-format plastic components.

At the SEAM Research Centre, they learnt about screw extrusion additive manufacturing. In this process, plastic granules are melted using an extrusion screw and then built up layer by layer to form a component.

The tour focused on the newly developed large-format system, the “Epic3D”. Among other things, it can be used to produce customised façade elements and other weather-resistant components for the construction sector.

The tool-free manufacturing process makes it possible to produce even large-format components with customised shapes without first having to manufacture complex tools or moulds. This opens up new opportunities for the cost-effective production of small batch sizes and bespoke designs.

In addition, a METROM machining centre was presented. A similar system is also available at the Chair of Additive Manufacturing at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. The machining centre combines conventional machining by milling with the SEAMHex research tool, which enables the rapid and precise additive manufacturing of medium-sized components.

The three visits demonstrated the wide range of applications in additive manufacturing. Depending on the material, component size and field of application, different systems and process chains are used – from plastic components and highly conductive copper components to large-scale applications for the construction industry.

For the students, the two-day field trip offered the opportunity to link the content of their lectures with real-world production and research environments. At the same time, they gained insights into current technological developments and potential career paths in research, development and industrial manufacturing.