ATLIX, a leading provider of industrial Additive Manufacturing systems with a fully integrated ecosystem, and DHR Engineering, a fast-growing custom automation company, have joined forces to advance automated metal additive manufacturing. At Formnext 2026, the two companies will present the first result of their collaboration: a concept demonstration of the ATLIX xBUILD 3000 with DHR’s automation for continuous printing. Visitors can see it in Hall 12, Booth D99, 17–20 November in Frankfurt.
Metal AM has become an established production technology in aerospace, medical, dental, energy and automotive. As multilaser systems make machines increasingly productive, the manual work around the build (changing cylinders, handling powder, preparing the next job) sets the pace of production. With skilled AM staff in short supply, automating these steps is becoming key to scaling metal AM.
The concept demonstration represents ATLIX and DHR’s vision of the future of additive manufacturing: production environments where output can grow fast, moving from individually operated machines to systems that run continuously. It is not a finished product, but a starting point to open the conversation with manufacturers on how automation can be shaped around their own production needs.
At its core is the ATLIX xBUILD 3000, an industrial metal AM system designed for scalable series production across a wide range of metal materials. Its 300 × 300 × 400 mm build volume accommodates large single parts or full batches of smaller ones, while full-field multilaser technology with up to 2 × 700 W allows both lasers to reach the entire build plate for maximum productivity. Automatic multilaser alignment checks the lasers every two layers with 40 µm accuracy, ensuring consistent part quality from build to build.
DHR automated the printing workflow on the xBUILD 3000, both inside and outside the printer. An industrial robot handles work cylinder loading and unloading, supply cylinder exchange, recovery container transfers, and powder refilling at the sieving station. Integrated with a custom lid system inside the printer, the robotic cell transitions from one build to the next with zero manual intervention.
The result is a production concept designed for up to 98% machine utilization, with shorter changeovers, less idle time and higher productivity, especially in high-mix, low-volume production. It improves operator safety and lets skilled staff focus on high-value work instead of material handling. Thanks to its modular approach, the cell is designed to scale from a single automated printer to a full production line with several machines and a post-processing station.
“Scaling metal AM takes more than faster machines: every machine hour has to count,” said Matthias Himmelsbach, CEO of ATLIX. “With the xBUILD 3000, we deliver the productivity and process stability that series production requires. Together with DHR, we are showing how automation can unlock that potential around the clock. This concept is our vision of where Additive Manufacturing is heading: production that scales with our customers’ demand.”
“At Formnext, the spotlight is usually on the machine itself. Together with ATLIX, we want to show the other half of the story: what happens around it, where metal AM production really scales,” said Dimitar Hristakiev, Founder and CEO of DHR Engineering.
ATLIX and DHR Engineering Join Forces
November 13, 2026
