Hochschule München - Smart Manufacturing Lab

Slogan

Advancing additive manufacturing through the smart interplay of software and hardware

Profile

Integrated into the manufacturing technology lab, which features a wide range of technologies—such as 5-axis CNC and sheet metal processing—our additive manufacturing equipment is distributed across our two locations in downtown Munich and Bad Tölz. Using equipment that is, in some cases, state-of-the-art, we support our partners in tackling R&D challenges in additive manufacturing.
Our focus is on using artificial intelligence methods to improve process control and monitoring.

Technology / Research

Metal AM:

• 5 laser beam melting systems, including 2 flagship machines:
  • AMCM M290 with beam shaping (AFX from nlight) and full-surface in-situ eddy current testing from Amiquam (as of June 2026: the only machine in the world with this combination of features)
  • A specially modified Alpha laser system for fundamental research in the field of metallic multimaterial processing
• 1 electron beam melting system with a 60 kV acceleration voltage and ELO process monitoring, for which we are developing AI algorithms for process improvement and quality evaluation
• 2 systems for multi-step additive manufacturing and a sintering furnace (ExOne Innovent Plus Metal Binder Jetting and Desktop Metal Studio Line

Plastic AM:

• 1 Formiga P110, scheduled for commissioning in 2026 with a Fine Detail Resolution module for producing ultra-fine polyamide structures
• 1 granulate 3D printer with a Hans Weber extrusion head (scheduled for commissioning in 2024)
• 1 printing farm based on European Prusa printers with online access management for all students in Faculty 6 for Mechatronics and Applied Natural Sciences

Products / (Service) Offerings

Research and Development – Focus:

• Processing of steel materials (tool steel and stainless steel)
• Pure tungsten, even for the finest structures, as 4 of our PBF-LB/M systems have a focal diameter of 60 µm
• AI in additive manufacturing—specifically for the analysis of process monitoring data and to support process design
• Training courses with a strong practical component on metal and plastic AM machines—"hands-on training"