Meltio

Meltio
TypePrivate company
Industry3D printing, Additive manufacturing, Industrial technology
Founded2019; 7 years ago (2019) Linares, Jaén, Spain
Headquarters
Linares, Jaén
,
Spain
Area served
France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States
Key peopleÁngel Llavero López de Villalta
(CEO)
ProductsM600, Robot Cell, Engine Robot Integration, Engine CNC Integration
RevenueIncrease € 19 million (2024)
Websitemeltio3d.com

Meltio is a Spanish industrial technology company founded in 2019 and based in Linares, Jaén, Spain. The company develops and manufactures systems based on wire-laser Directed Energy Deposition (DED), a form of metal additive manufacturing,

Its systems use metallic wire as feedstock, which is melted by laser diodes arranged in a proprietary printhead to build or repair metal parts layer by layer. This process is applicable across industries including automotive, aerospace, energy, and mining, as well as for maintenance and repair operations.

Meltio recorded revenue growth from approximately €13 million in 2022 to €19 million in 2024. Its technology has been adopted by the defense forces of the United States, France, Spain, and South Korea.

The company operates in the directed energy deposition segment of the industrial metal additive manufacturing market, alongside competitors such as Trumpf, Z-Rapid Tech, and EPlus3D.

History

Meltio was founded in 2019 in Linares, Jaén, Spain, by Ángel Llavero López de Villalta.

Meltio received the 2023 Premio Nacional Pyme del Año (National SME of the Year Award) presented by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain and Banco Santander, at a ceremony presided over by King Felipe VI.

In 2024, Meltio launched the M600, an industrial wire-laser DED system, and the Engine Blue, a robot integration kit for wire-laser deposition, both unveiled at Formnext 2024. The Meltio M600 received the 'Enterprise 3D Printer of the Year (Metals)' award at the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards.

As of 2025, the company employs over 130 people at its production plant in Linares, which exports approximately 95% of its output.

Defense applications

United States Navy

In November 2022, a hybrid system of manufacture, consisting of the wire laser deposition head of Meltio integrated into a Haas CNC milling apparatus by the US partner Phillips Corporation, was installed on board the USS Bataan (LHD-5), an amphibious assault vessel of the United States Navy. This installation was the result of a collaborative initiative between the Commander of the Naval Surface Force Atlantic and the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Technology Office. In August 2023, the crew of the USS Bataan used the installed system to fabricate a replacement component for a de-ballast air compressor, restoring the part within five days.

During RIMPAC 2024, a containerized hybrid manufacturing system using Meltio technology was used by the Naval Postgraduate School on board the USS Somerset (LPD-25) to print and replace a pump part, thereby restoring mission capability within 34 hours.

Meltio technology was selected under the United States Department of Defense xTech International Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Program.

France

French Navy validated Meltio's wire-laser DED technology following a series of operational trials conducted by the Fleet Support Service (FSS) of the Ministry of Armed Forces. The validation concluded during exercise Ursa Minor 2024, a naval maintenance exercise in which Meltio's system, installed at the Toulon base, produced replacement parts for the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Spain

The Spanish Army and Spanish Air and Space Force have implemented Meltio's technology for the production of vehicle spare parts and for the maintenance of jet engines.

South Korea

In February 2025, the Republic of Korea Marine Corps Logistics Group deployed a robot-integrated Meltio wire-laser DED system to produce discontinued spare parts for Korean amphibious assault vehicles (KAAV) on-site.

Research collaborations

Front view of the Meltio M600 3D printer.

The ATILA project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and the State Research Agency, brings together AIDIMME, a Valencia-based non-profit technological institute specialising in advanced manufacturing, the General University Hospital of Valencia, the University of Salamanca, and Meltio to develop wire-laser DED processes for manufacturing titanium biomedical implants, including hip and knee prostheses.

In 2024, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, an independent research organisation based in Coventry, UK, deployed a Meltio M450 system for research into metal additive manufacturing, with a focus on remanufacturing and repair applications.

A 2024 review published in the MDPI Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing identified Meltio's printhead design as a representative implementation of the coaxial multi-laser wire-DED configuration.

In 2025, the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education deployed a Meltio M450 system for student training and validation of metal additive manufacturing capabilities at industrial level.

A 2026 study published in Materials Today Communications by researchers at the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (KSF) at Hochschule Furtwangen University, using a Meltio robot-integrated system, examined wire laser cladding on stainless steel substrates and demonstrated the viability of wire-laser DED for surface coating applications.

References

  1. 1 2 Donaire, Ginés (2023-04-08). "El 'milagro' de Meltio: cómo una empresa jienense se ha convertido en proveedor de la US Navy". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Rodríguez, Chema; Di Lolli, Alberto (2024-08-13). "Tecnología 'made in' Jaén para que la armada más poderosa del mundo se fabrique sus propios recambios". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  3. 1 2 3 Poveda, Juan Esteban (2025-02-12). "Meltio supera las 500 ventas de sus impresoras de metal 3D y factura ya 19 millones en 60 países". El Economista (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  4. 1 2 "La empresa jienense Meltio, ganadora del VII Premio Nacional Pyme". Cámara de Comercio de España (in Spanish). Cámara Oficial de Comercio, Industria, Servicios y Navegación de España. 2024-04-30. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  5. 1 2 Davies, Sam (2024-03-12). "Meltio introduces M600 metal DED 3D printing system". TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  6. 1 2 "Metal 3D Printer Installed on USS Bataan". United States Navy. U.S. Navy. 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  7. 1 2 Schwaar, Carolyn (2025-12-16). "From Research To Deployment: The Scale-Up Of Defense 3D Printing". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  8. 1 2 "Expérimentation de l'impression 3D métal en plein exercice URSA MINOR". Marine nationale (in French). Ministère des Armées. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  9. 1 2 "El Ejército del Aire y del Espacio incorpora tecnologías de fabricación aditiva metálica". Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (in Spanish). Ministerio de Defensa de España. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  10. ↑ Hernandez, Rodolfo (2025-04-02). "Korean Army validates Meltio metal 3D printing in first Asian deployment". 3D Printing Industry. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  11. ↑ Shaikhnag, Ada (2025-04-16). "Metal 3D printer shipments down 11%: bright spots at Flashforge, Formlabs". 3D Printing Industry. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  12. ↑ "Meltio: An International Joining of Forces to Revolutionize the 3D Market". 3DPrint.com. 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  13. ↑ Marinero, Ismael (2023-06-24). "El invento español que revoluciona la industria militar desde Jaén: así lo usa ya la Armada de EEUU". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  14. ↑ "La empresa jienense Meltio, ganadora del VII Premio Nacional Pyme del Año". Banco Santander (in Spanish). Banco Santander. 2024-04-30. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  15. 1 2 3 "Meltio surpasses 500 3D printer sales amid 50% revenue growth". 3D Printing Industry. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  16. ↑ Garófano, Laura (2024-05-26). "Meltio, la mejor pyme de España: en sólo cinco años vende a 50 países desde Jaén y factura 13 millones". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  17. ↑ Davies, Sam (2022-11-08). "US Navy installs Phillips Additive hybrid metal 3D printing solution on USS Bataan". TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  18. ↑ "Metal 3D Printer Installed on USS Bataan". Naval Sea Systems Command. United States Navy. 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  19. ↑ "US Navy Adopts Phillips Additive Hybrid 3D Printing for Enhanced Defense". 3D Printing Industry. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  20. ↑ "NAVSEA Improves Readiness of USS Bataan with New 3D Printing Capability". Naval Sea Systems Command. United States Navy. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  21. ↑ "Impact at RIMPAC: NPS Students Enhance Fleet Readiness with 3D Printing Technology". Naval Postgraduate School. 2024-08-16. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  22. ↑ "Meltio's metal additive manufacturing technology gains recognition from U.S. DoD". 3D Printing Industry. 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  23. ↑ "French Navy validates Meltio hybrid 3D printing technology". VoxelMatters. 2024-07-18. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  24. ↑ "Meltio's Wire-Laser Metal AM Joins South Korea's Defense Arsenal". 3DPrint.com. 2025-04-15. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  25. ↑ "육군, 금속 3D프린팅 기술 활용해 정비지원 능력 강화" [Army strengthens maintenance support capabilities using metal 3D printing technology]. 국방일보 (in Korean). 국방홍보원. 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  26. ↑ "Meltio introduce sus impresoras de metal 3D en el Ejército de Corea del Sur". El Economista (in Spanish). 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  27. ↑ "El proyecto ATILA, en el que participa la FIHGUV, confirma que la tecnología de impresión 3D de metal de Meltio por hilo de soldadura contribuye con éxito a la creación de implantes biomédicos con titanio". Fundación de Investigación del Hospital General Universitario de Valencia (in Spanish). FIHGUV. 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  28. ↑ "Resolución de la convocatoria PLEC2022" (PDF). Agencia Estatal de Investigación (in Spanish). Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. 2022-12-05. p. 6. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  29. ↑ "The Manufacturing Technology Centre unlocks innovation potential with Meltio 3D printer". The Manufacturer. 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  30. ↑ "Manufacturing Technology Centre unlocks innovation potential with Meltio 3D printer". Manufacturing Technology Centre. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  31. ↑ Ghanadi, Nahal; Pasebani, Somayeh (2024). "A Review on Wire-Laser Directed Energy Deposition: Parameter Control, Process Stability, and Future Research Paths". Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing. 8 (2): 84. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  32. ↑ "Meltio, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Alar and Sitres Latam partner to promote metal Additive Manufacturing in Mexico". Metal Additive Manufacturing. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  33. ↑ "Vanguardistas en Prototipado Industrial con Impresión 3D en Metal". RAPID 3D Lab (in Spanish). Tecnológico de Monterrey. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  34. ↑ "Ausstattung". KSF – Institute for advanced manufacturing (in German). Hochschule Furtwangen University. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  35. ↑ Siahsarani, Armin; Barmouz, Mohsen; Fattahi, Saman; Azarhoushang, Bahman; Ghadiri Zohrani, Esmoeil (2026-03-01). "Influence of laser-engineered substrate structuring on clad geometry in wire laser cladding: Experimental analysis and multi-objective optimization using a hybrid surrogate-assisted evolutionary framework". Materials Today Communications. 52: 115178. Retrieved 2026-05-08.

38°05′20″N 3°39′38″W / 38.0888°N 3.6606°W / 38.0888; -3.6606