Additive Manufacturing Group (AM)

Additive Manufacturing Group

The Additive Manufacturing Group at SDU pioneers advanced 3D and 4D printing technologies to develop high-performance components for next-generation engineering applications. Our state-of-the-art metal additive manufacturing facilities, including Powder Bed Fusion and Electron Beam Melting (EBM), enable the production of complex, high-value geometries that would be difficult or impossible to manufacture using conventional methods.

These capabilities are demonstrated in the EUDP-funded eRotaryActuator project, where we developed and manufactured print-in-place planetary gearboxes for high-load applications using industrial-grade materials. Beyond research projects, the group collaborates continuously with Danish and international industry, acting both as an advanced manufacturing partner and as a specialist in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). Through these collaborations, we help translate emerging additive manufacturing capabilities into robust, certifiable, and economically viable products.

In collaboration with the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) at MIT, we are developing and validating additively manufactured alloys specifically tailored for fusion reactor environments. Many of these materials and component architectures cannot be produced efficiently - and in some cases cannot be produced at all - using conventional manufacturing processes. Additive manufacturing therefore serves not merely as an alternative production method, but as an enabling technology for their realization. This opens new possibilities for materials and components capable of operating under the extreme conditions found in fusion applications.

As the only EBM facility in Denmark, our laboratory offers a uniquely broad portfolio of materials, including challenging metals such as pure copper and tungsten, as well as more commonly used steels, aluminium alloys, and titanium alloys.

Our expertise also supports emerging and intelligent application areas ranging from unmanned systems and biomedical technologies to the sustainable reuse and upcycling of polymers. Our mission is to advance additive manufacturing as a competitive and attractive industrial technology, enabling entirely new approaches to the design, production, and deployment of engineered systems.

Our expertise is demonstrated through a range of national and international projects, including:

• U-Shield (IFD)
• ABBA (EUDP)
• eRotaryActuator (EUDP)
• ExoCast®DFU (Eureka Eurostars)

By tightly integrating materials science, mechanical design, and mechatronics, the Additive Manufacturing Group accelerates the development of optimized thermal, mechanical, and electromechanical components. A core part of our mission is to drive a cultural shift in engineering design: moving beyond traditional design-for-manufacture constraints towards geometry-, function-, and performance-driven design enabled by additive manufacturing.