Started at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, tha company today has customers all over the world: Additive Drives GmbH wins the prestigious German Innovation Award 2025 in the start-up category. The TUBAF spin-off from 2020 thus continues its successful course.
The conventional production of electric motors takes up to 60 weeks from prototype to production. The most complex part of production is the winding of copper coils in the core of the motor. Additive manufacturing enables Additive Drives to significantly speed up this development process and make the motors more efficient at the same time: Up to 45 per cent more performance with the same motor size. Additive Drives GmbH is thus enabling a new generation of electric drives. By building series without tooling costs, the motors can be optimised and adapted for every application. A look at the company's customers shows that this solves a relevant problem in the automotive sector: in addition to almost all major German car manufacturers, this also includes numerous suppliers. However, Additive Drives' products are also used in other sectors, such as the manufacture of pumps. This is because electric motors are responsible for around a third of global energy consumption. There is therefore a high demand for solutions to make electric motors simpler, better and cheaper - the mission of Additive Drives. Founded in 2020, the company now employs more than 80 people.
Additive Drives GmbH was supported by the SAXEED start-up network at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg during its start-up phase and funded with an EXIST research transfer programme. With this programme, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) supports the implementation of application-oriented research results in innovative start-ups. Funding is provided for personnel resources for the start-up team of up to four people and up to €250,000 for material resources over a period of up to 24 months. After the company is founded, the foundations are laid for long-term cooperation, and there is still close collaboration between Additive Drives and TUBAF today.
"At Additive Drives, the right team comes together with the right idea at the right time," says Andre Uhlmann, Head of SAXEED at TUBAF, explaining the company's success factors. With this combination, the company is on course for growth. "Additive Drives GmbH continues to be the most successful spin-off from TU Bergakademie Freiberg in the past 10 years," adds Prof Dr Tobias Fieback, Vice-Rector for Research, International Affairs and Transfer.
As a central institution at the Vice-Rectorate for Research, International Affairs and Transfer,SAXEED is a key player in start-up support at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. SAXEED sensitises and motivates students, graduates and university staff to the idea of starting their own business. Through the wide range of networking and teaching events, founders are qualified and supported by experienced start-up advisors from the evaluation of the business idea through the development of the business model to the founding of their own start-up. SAXEED is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), the Free State of Saxony, the participating universities and the BMWK.