Latest Results From The Autosmooth Project Make 3D Metal Printing With Coldmetalfusion Even More Attractive
3D post processing technology, Neue Materialien Bayreuth and Headmade Materials are advancing the groundwork for an efficient, fully automated post-processing for ColdMetalFusion (CMF) parts. The goal: a seamless process chain perfectly aligned with the CMF process. Even today, the technology enables cost-efficient serial production of high-quality metal components – at volumes of up to one million parts per year.
The first AutoSmooth results already drew significant attention within the additive manufacturing community: A new depowdering and surface finishing technology for green parts, developed in the first project phase, drastically reduced post-processing time compared with conventional methods. New investigations now confirm the potential of the technology – and add a decisive lever: feedstock reuse. A key focus of the current research lies in the automated processing and recyclability of the feedstock – the polymer-binder-enhanced metal powder used as the base material in CMF. Previous studies had shown that the material is fundamentally recyclable. The latest findings go far beyond that.
100% recycling rate: Feedstock reuse as an economic and environmental breakthrough
“Right now, all indicators point to full, meaning 100%, reuse of the feedstock,” says Sven Amon, project engineer at Rösler, who leads the AutoSmooth project and has spent nearly a decade researching and advancing automation and industrial applications of additive manufacturing. “This is a milestone. Until now, during manual depowdering or fine depowdering, only part of the feedstock could be reused, depending on part geometry.”
Neue Materialien Bayreuth is currently examining in detail how the reuse of materials processed through AutoSmooth affects long-term performance. A comprehensive life-cycle analysis of the process media is expected by mid-next year. In parallel, test series are underway to determine the mechanical properties of parts made from recycled feedstock – with a special focus on static strength, fatigue resistance and bending fatigue. These investigations are closely supported by Headmade Materials, the inventor of ColdMetalFusion.
The complete recyclability of the feedstock unlocks massive cost-saving potential: What was previously considered waste becomes a valuable resource. The closed material loop drastically reduces material costs, as the excess metal-powder feedstock that is not printed remains virtually indefinitely reusable. Combined with significantly reduced disposal costs, this creates a strong economic lever that makes CMF even more attractive for serial production.
The environmental impact is equally significant: 100% reuse dramatically lowers the CO₂ footprint of the entire process chain, enabling a sustainable, resource-efficient production system. Even the specially tailored process media can be fully recycled and reused after cleaning and sieving – another lever for cost reduction and environmental relief.
With this dual impact of cost efficiency and sustainability, AutoSmooth sets new benchmarks in industrial 3D metal printing. The ability to keep valuable raw materials in a nearly loss-free closed loop may prove to be one of the most important breakthroughs for the economic viability of additive metal manufacturing.
Patented workpiece fixture for the most delicate components
In addition to post-processing, the project also focuses on handling highly complex green parts. These components cannot be clamped with conventional fixturing methods. Their structures are so delicate that they would be damaged in a traditional blasting process with a rotating basket. The team led by Sven Amon has developed an elegant solution: The fragile parts are embedded in a specially printed mesh that is clamped directly into
the post-processing system. This patented handling concept is fully automatable and supports serial processing even for highly complex structures – another step toward end-to-end automation.
Faster to perfect surfaces – AutoSmooth unlocks the full potential of CMF
“Interest in CMF continues to rise – against the general trend in the additive industry,” says project lead Sven Amon. “That’s because CMF makes metal printing economically viable, particularly in prototyping and serial production. With the new AutoSmooth post-processing method, the process can now reach its full potential.”
The project, scheduled to run until summer 2026, forms the foundation for a new, fully automated post-processing system from AM Solutions. Initial test runs in a pilot setup are already showing promising results. In the coming months, the feedstock-analysis findings will be integrated into the pilot system. “With the system we intend to develop based on these research results, we will expand our established 2-in-1 approach – depowdering and smoothing – by adding sustainability. The result is a 3-in-1 process precisely tailored to the needs of metal-printing customers,” Amon explains. “This makes the production of highly demanding components – such as impellers – economically and industrially scalable. A decisive step that will allow CMF to establish itself as the leading 3D metal printing technology.”
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