The young company Advanced Additive is dedicated to optimizing extrusion-based 3D printing at the software level. Uncertainty during material deposition often leads to poor part quality and low repeatability. With its software Project Path, Advanced Additive aims to provide solutions. By improving toolpath planning, Project Path ensures precise material deposition, resulting in high-quality parts with better mechanical properties. We spoke with Julia Paternoster, co-founder of Advanced Additive, about the startup’s founding story and asked her how Project Path works.
3DN: Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us how you got into 3D printing?
My name is Julia Paternoster, and I am the co-founder of Advanced Additive. I am responsible for communication, marketing, and sales, actively shaping our company’s public image and customer relationships. Together with our founder and CEO, Florian Aigner, who oversees the technical side of the business, we are developing innovative software solutions for additive manufacturing.
Julia Paternoster and Florian Aigner at the startup festival hosted by Stellwerk 18.
We both share a strong enthusiasm for technology and innovation. During his studies and through various projects, Florian immersed himself deeply in 3D printing, while I was fascinated by the ability to manufacture complex products efficiently and unlock new application areas.
3DN: How did the founding of Advanced Additive come about, and what have been the most important milestones since then?
The idea for Advanced Additive grew out of the conviction that software plays a key role in optimizing additive manufacturing. The Technical University of Rosenheim and the ROCkET startup center were crucial partners in this process. The university not only provided an inspiring environment for research and development but also supported us significantly in applying for the EXIST startup grant. Thanks to this support, and later the FLÜGGE grant, we were able to establish the company and advance the development of our product, Project Path.
A major milestone was completing the first prototype of Project Path, followed by our participation in the Formnext trade fair, where we received valuable feedback and made important contacts. This feedback formed the basis for a successful beta test, during which our software was evaluated in real-world applications. Building on these results, the software was further refined and finalized to offer our customers a reliable and high-performance solution.
Another important development was our shift from a purely AI-centered approach to a more universal software solution, which significantly shaped our direction and strengthened our overall strategy. With support from partners like Zortrax, as well as the EXIST and FLÜGGE funding programs, we were able not only to advance our technical solutions but also expand our network within the industry.
A Comparison of Cura (left) vs. Project Path (right), showcasing visual improvement of the parts.
3DN: Could you explain your work and Project Path in more detail?
We develop software solutions that make the production process in additive manufacturing more efficient. In our view, software is the area with the greatest untapped potential in 3D printing. That’s why we are currently developing optimized toolpath planning algorithms that improve the mechanical properties of parts while also making them more reproducible. This level of part quality allows us to explore new applications for 3D printing while reducing material waste caused by failed prints. Together with our development and collaboration partners, we are creating a software solution that is not tied to a specific machine but fully independent of both hardware and material, and can be used with any slicer or platform.
Project Path is a universal software solution that revolutionizes toolpath planning for 3D printing processes. By using variable extrusion widths, parts are filled completely and precisely, leading to significant improvements in mechanical properties, part quality, and process reliability. This takes 3D printing to a new level, delivering results with a quality and consistency comparable to injection molding. Our software integrates seamlessly as a plugin or post-processor into existing production environments, supports common interfaces like Zortrax Z-Suite, and is machine- and material-agnostic. We are also working on further optimizations, including Brick Layers, Circular Infill, and speed optimization, to further increase efficiency and quality in 3D printing.
3DN: Project Path is designed to prevent print errors directly in the G-code. How does that work?
Our software generates optimized G-codes that enable more precise material deposition and more consistent infill and surface quality. This improves mechanical properties, reduces production errors, and opens up more possibilities for industrial 3D printing applications.
One example is the production of compressed air system components, which require extremely precise control. Using Project Path, we were able to reduce the leakage rate to just 0.019 bar/h, achieving outstanding airtightness. These improvements are made possible by new infill strategies with adaptive extrusion widths that perfectly match the part geometry, ensuring maximum precision.
Another application example showcases airtight containers. The leakage rates were reduced to just 0.019 bar/h.