SBO Adds Seven Metal 3D Printers Across US and UK Facilities

SBO AG is putting serious money behind metal additive manufacturing. The Austrian precision engineering group is adding seven new metal 3D printers across its US and UK operations before the end of September, with a 50 percent floor expansion at its Houston site pushing the additive manufacturing area past 2,100 square metres.

The US side received one Velo3D Sapphire XC and two Renishaw 500Q systems in the second quarter, all configured for high-performance alloys like Inconel and titanium. Two more Sapphire XC machines are on order for the third quarter. Across the Atlantic, SBO subsidiary 3T Additive Manufacturing in Newbury took delivery of an EOS M400 in the second quarter and has ordered a second machine for delivery before the quarter ends.

The investment is not just about printers. SBO is also adding downstream post-processing equipment because a printed build only counts if the part can be finished, inspected, and shipped to spec. The company already runs an integrated route from feasibility through printing, machining, heat treatment, and final delivery. Adding capacity without creating a bottleneck in finishing is the point.

The customer mix is shifting toward space, aerospace, defense, semiconductors, and energy. SBO cites an industry forecast that puts the metal additive manufacturing market at roughly $1.5 billion in 2025 and $4.8 billion by 2030. The company wants a larger slice of that growth, and it is using its existing expertise in high-performance alloys and precision machining as the entry point.

Klaus Mader, SBO's CEO, put it plainly: 3D metal printing is growing faster than the company's traditional oil and gas business, and SBO intends to capitalize. The seven-printer programme is due to be fully operational by the end of the third quarter. After that, the real test will be filling the machines with qualified production work without compromising repeatability or traceability.