Meltio Ships US-Assembled Robot Cell for Industrial Metal 3D Printing

Metal 3D printing company Meltio has started shipping a robot cell assembled in the United States, targeting North American industrial customers who want to avoid the delays and customs complications of importing equipment from Europe. The unit, called the Meltio Robot Cell, combines Meltio's metal printing head with ABB robotic arms inside a laser-safe enclosure.

The cell is built in partnership with FORCE Automation, a US-based automation specialist that is also Meltio's first official ABB Robotics Integration partner in North America. That local assembly relationship is the entire point: customers receive a complete, tested system that only needs inert gas and electrical hookup before it starts printing metal parts.

What Is Inside the Cell

The Meltio Robot Cell uses the company's open hardware platform, meaning the metal printing head can be paired with robotic arms from any manufacturer, though the initial offering pairs it with ABB hardware. The robot and positioner sit on a self-supporting platform inside a laser-safe enclosure. The system integrates the Meltio Engine and Meltio Space software, plus monitoring and safety features designed for continuous industrial operation.

The enclosure defines a specific work area for all daily supplies, and the integrated monitoring lets operators manage the full build process without constant supervision. That level of autonomy matters for production environments where downtime is expensive.

Who This Is For

Meltio's pitch is aimed at manufacturers who need metal parts on demand but do not want to run a full integration project. The traditional path to robotic metal AM required sourcing the robot, the print head, the enclosure, and the software separately, then commissioning the whole system on site. Meltio's approach removes that integration step entirely.

The company explicitly ties the US assembly to what it calls "technological sovereignty": the ability for North American manufacturers to source critical production equipment without depending on transatlantic shipping lanes. That framing will resonate with defence and aerospace buyers who have procurement rules around domestic supply chains.

Meltio will continue to offer its standard Spanish-assembled systems for markets outside North America. The US-assembled Robot Cell is available now through FORCE Automation for customers ordering inside the United States.

Source: TCT Magazine