The 3D Printing Pioneers’ Journey from HZG Group: From Bavaria to the World

In Lichtenfels, two hours’ drive north of Munich, there is a globally recognized 3D printing center with a modern infrastructure and many companies focusing on this future technology. At the end of the 1980s, the region was one of the first in Europe where 3D printing became established.

This is due in no small part to the founders of Concept Laser, Kerstin and Frank Carsten Herzog, who are also the founders of the HZG Group. Through their joint efforts, they founded the technology company Concept Laser and built it into one of the global market leaders in the field of metal 3D printing.

After selling their company, Kerstin and Frank Carsten Herzog returned to their entrepreneurial roots. Together with the HZG Group team, they are investing specifically in promising start-ups in the field of additive manufacturing.

In Lichtenfels, they also operate their own development and application center, “naddcon,” where they work with the most exciting technologies that 3D printing currently has to offer.

“The portfolio of our first start-up fund is complete,” says Frank Carsten Herzog. “Since our launch 2022, we have screened over 2,700 start-ups and invested in promising business ideas. We have also participated in the first follow-up rounds of our start-ups.”

In the US, Rapid Liquid Print, a spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Axtra3D from industry veteran Gianni Zitelli are part of the HZG Group’s portfolio. For the HZG Group, the decisive factor in selecting the startups was that they must have the potential to bring about lasting change in the industry. Above all, however, the technology must inspire and stimulate the imagination: How can this innovation be introduced in a beneficial and profitable way in an established environment and further developed in a forward-looking manner?

Implementing efficiency gains

HZG is focusing on the key drivers that will bring 3D printing technology into industrial production: lightweight construction, functional integration, and simplification by combining many individual parts into a single component. The automated design and manufacture of fixtures, as well as the use of digital intelligence such as component and construction process simulation, bring about lasting change to the production process. This also includes process monitoring, and building on this, artificial intelligence for additive manufacturing in the future. This will not only take the controllability of the technology to the next level, but also further improve the robustness and reliability of the technology and thus of the manufacturing process.

Herzog: “We are still at the beginning of the possibilities of 3D printing for the industry. There is still room for leaps forward in all areas.” On the other hand, it is also clear that after years of hype, the market for additive manufacturing now seems to have cooled down significantly and become more realistic. How does HZG assess the situation? Despite all due sobriety, Frank Herzog is convinced of the opportunities in the market: “In the long term, we believe that a consolidated, specialized AM market will establish itself and play an important role in the industrial environment. The startups in our portfolio are ideally positioned to play a leading role in this development.”

More than ever, it is important to focus on the market and customer needs. Frank Carsten Herzog: ”We tell all our portfolio companies: Accept that you are developing a product for a real market need – not just for your founding idea. That means being close to the customer, listening, and really understanding the daily challenges in production.“

This is an approach that the HZG Group also pursues with its own development and application center. naddcon Managing Director Christian Steinhage says: ”We look at 3D printing along the entire process chain and have an overview of the potential we can leverage with the technology in various industries. In most cases, customers are not experts in 3D printing, but approach us because they are curious to find out whether the technology can help them become more efficient. We will find out together with our customers.”

HZG Group is a Bronze Sponsor of Additive Manufacturing Strategies (AMS) 2026, a three-day industry event taking place February 24–26 in New York City. The conference brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators from across the global AM ecosystem. As a sponsor, Arcway will support discussions focused on scaling additive manufacturing, industrial adoption, and emerging production technologies. Registration is open via the AMS website.