The German government’s decision to cut funding for additive manufacturing has met with resistance. After the government initially announced support for the technology, recent budget proposals made no mention of it. Criticism from the additive manufacturing industry has come from the organizers of Formnext, the largest 3D printing trade fair, as well as from experts in the field, who are calling for a reconsideration of the government’s policy.
At the beginning of the coalition agreement of the current government, formed by the CDU, CSU, and SPD under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, it was stated: “We support lightweight technology, additive manufacturing, and 3D printing” as part of their plan to boost the German economy. Under the section “Innovation Boost for the Economy,” it was made clear that additive manufacturing has a permanent place in the government’s innovation agenda. This position was reaffirmed at the meeting of state economic ministers in Stuttgart. The meeting minutes stated: “The conference of economic ministers welcomes that the promotion of lightweight technologies, additive manufacturing, and 3D printing continues to be part of the federal policy objectives, which is an important signal that should now be backed up with concrete measures.”
The coalition agreement mentions additive manufacturing in connection with lightweight technologies and supports its promotion (Credit: SPD)
Formnext Vice President Warns of Negative Consequences
But now comes the surprise: the current budget proposal makes no mention of additive manufacturing. Even under the term lightweight construction, which was previously linked to additive manufacturing in earlier drafts, no additional funds are allocated in the new proposal. Instead, only previous commitments are to be funded under the “completion of the lightweight construction program.”
With the upcoming Formnext in Frankfurt, voices from the German additive manufacturing community are growing louder. Sascha Wenzler, Vice President of Formnext at Mesago Messe Frankfurt, emphasizes that the German government is making a critical mistake and preventing other forward-looking technologies from realizing their potential. “I see the world-leading position of the German AM industry at risk in the long term. This would certainly also affect the innovation capacity of many German industrial sectors.”
Christoph Stüpker, also Vice President of Formnext, argues that Germany could fall behind other industrial nations such as China or the United States if the government continues on this path. “For German AM companies to continue enabling innovation across large parts of the industry, we also need government support for this sector, which is so important for the entire industry.”
Support for the technology was also confirmed at the Economic Ministers’ Conference (Credit: Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg)
Calls From Industry Experts
With the current change in course, the government appears to be following the unpopular debt brake and the resulting innovation deficits of previous coalitions. As Christian Seidel from the Munich University of Applied Sciences points out, there was initially hope “that additive manufacturing would receive systematic support both in the short and medium term in order to remain in the leading group in the global competition.”
Other industry experts also view this development regarding support for innovative technologies critically. Markus Heering, Managing Director of the Additive Manufacturing Working Group at VDMA, emphasizes: “For domestic machinery and plant engineering, innovations from industry and research, including advanced AM solutions, are extremely important. This is a key factor in developing technological leadership and maintaining Germany’s technological sovereignty. We therefore call for strong political commitment.”
It remains to be seen whether the coalition under Friedrich Merz will respond to the demands of the additive manufacturing industry. A transparent statement regarding the government’s plans to support lightweight technologies, additive manufacturing, and 3D printing would be desirable, especially in view of the industry’s likely annual highlight at Formnext in November. For more information on the coalition agreement, you can find an English version HERE.
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Cover Image Credit: Michael Kappeler | dpa