From prototype to production
The start-up TRACK3D from the Charlottenburg Innovation Centre (CHIC) aims to make industrial 3D printing suitable for serial production
Industrial 3D printing is still generally viewed as a technology strictly for prototyping. TRACK3D wants to change that. Using monitored printing processes and digital twins, the startup is working to make additive manufacturing ready for serial production and certification.
The leap into industry already happened decades ago. Yet for many companies, 3D printing remains a tool for prototypes and one-off pieces. To move into mass production, one crucial factor is often missing: control. This is where TRACK3D GmbH comes in. The young company is based at Charlottenburg Innovation Centre (CHIC). What industrial 3D printing often lacks is a clear view into the ongoing process. This insight is necessary to pull additive manufacturing out of its experimental niche.
“We are developing 3D printing systems where the process is no longer a black box,” says Aymen Montasser, responsible for sales and marketing at TRACK3D. “Our SituGuard system monitors every single layer in real time, allowing us to detect and correct deviations directly during the print.” The goal is to make additive manufacturing so stable and traceable that it can be used reliably even in strictly regulated industries.
Technically, TRACK3D relies on a layer-based extrusion process. This involves melting a plastic filament and building the workpiece layer by layer—the most common form of 3D printing, used by many consumer devices. Unlike those, however, the startup focuses consistently on industrial applications. TRACK3D processes high-performance plastics such as PEEK or ULTEM at very high temperatures: The print nozzles reach up to 500°C, while the build chamber is actively heated to 250°C. The gamechanger is the integrated monitoring. Instead of relying on camera images, the company uses laser scanners to measure out every printed layer. Target and actual states are continuously compared, with printing parameters adjusted as needed. The result is not just a physical component but a digital twin that documents the entire manufacturing process.
The approach targets a central problem in additive manufacturing: the lack of repeatability. While identical components in many 3D printing processes can vary even under the same conditions, TRACK3D’s monitored process is designed to deliver consistent results—whether it’s the tenth or the thousandth component part. Deviations are not discovered after the fact but identified and corrected during production. This reduces scrap while simultaneously creating the data foundation needed to document parts and processes. In regulated sectors, this is vital. It is not just the result that matters, but the verifiable path taken to get there.
Founded in 2023 as a spin-off from Technische Universität Berlin, the start-up is therefore targeting industries where additive manufacturing must function with absolute reliability. These include the automotive industry—particularly for functional prototypes and small series—as well as medical technology and aerospace. In these fields, it isn't enough for a part to fit at the end. The entire manufacturing process must be fully traceable. This is where integrated monitoring comes in because it provides the process data necessary to integrate additive manufacturing into industrial workflows in a reproducible and robust way.
The evaluation of data generated during the 3D printing process plays a central role here. To recognise patterns, classify deviations, and further stabilise the process, TRACK3D relies on AI-supported solutions with a strict focus on determinism. For the current six-person team, AI is not an end in itself nor an autonomous decision-maker. It is a tool to better understand complex sequences. The priority is transparency, traceability, and industrial reliability. It’s not the promise of an “intelligent” machine, but a controllable process.
“In my view, the technology is already much further ahead than many companies realise,” says Montasser. “The real problem isn't 3D printing itself, but the willingness to accept it as a serious production method.” For him, thinking of 3D printing not as an experiment but as a controllable industrial tool is the only logical conclusion.
Kai Dürfeld for Potenzial
TRACK3D - next level 3D printing