Beyond the Printer: Automation’s Role in the Next Generation of AM

What this episode covers

Oliver Elbert, Head of Additive Manufacturing at Grenzebach, discusses how the company is applying its decades of industrial automation expertise to scale additive manufacturing (AM). He explains that while AM technology has matured, post-processing remains a bottleneck, which Grenzebach addresses through automated guided vehicles (AGVs), job exchangers, and fully automated post-processing lines like the Polyline project. Elbert highlights that automation significantly increases printer availability and reduces labor dependency, making AM viable for high-volume serial production and reshoring efforts in the US and Europe.