When Addcat reduced their catalytic converter production costs from €2,600 to €300 per kilogram, it wasn’t through incremental improvements. The 8-fold cost reduction came from switching to Liquid Aluminium Printing.
While most Metal Additive Manufacturing discussions focus on technical capabilities, the real question for manufacturers is simpler: what can you actually make with this technology, and does it deliver better results than existing methods?
Three categories dominate current production: thermal management systems achieving 40% performance improvements, aerospace components using previously “unprintable” Al-7075, and catalytic converters at one-eighth the cost of powder-based AM. Each represents a specific manufacturing problem where Liquid Aluminium Printing’s unique capabilities (complex internal geometries, high-strength alloy compatibility, and consistent unit economics) outperform traditional methods by measurable margins.
Table of contents
- Executive summary
- How Liquid Aluminium Printing works
- Application #1: Thermal management delivers 40% performance gains
- Application #2: Aerospace adopts “unprintable” alloys
- Application #3: Catalytic converters at 8x lower cost
- When to choose Liquid Aluminium Printing over casting or CNC
- Technical specifications: what’s actually possible
- Current limitations to consider
- ROI calculation: 12-month payback reality
- Making the decision: is LAP right for your factory?
- The practical reality
- Next steps: evaluate your application
Related content: New to aluminum AM? Start with our overview of Aluminum Additive Manufacturing technologies and challenges.
Executive summary
Liquid Aluminium Printing delivers documented 8-fold cost reductions and 40% performance improvements in production environments.
Proven applications:
- Thermal management: 40% better heat exchangers, 10% efficiency gains in fans
- Aerospace: Al-7075/Al-7050 processing previously impossible with AM
- Catalytic systems: €800-2600 to €100-300/kg cost reduction
Technology fits best at:
- 1-10,000 parts annually (consistent economics vs tooling costs)
- Complex internal geometries
- High-strength alloy requirements
Implementation: €250,000 equipment cost, standard wire feedstock, G-code programming, no specialized facilities. ROI typically within 12 months at 100+ parts/year.
How Liquid Aluminium Printing works: molten metal vs powder-based AM
Liquid Aluminium Printing represents a fundamental departure from conventional metal Additive Manufacturing. Where powder-based systems struggle with aluminum’s high reflectivity and thermal conductivity, and wire-arc systems use electric arcs to create localized melt pools, Liquid Aluminium Printing works with fully molten metal from the start.
The process heats aluminium wire to 700°C in a controlled chamber, then extrudes it through a nozzle onto the build platform. Because the metal is already fully molten and temperature-controlled, it bonds reliably without the hot cracking that affects laser-based systems, especially with high-strength alloys.
ValCUN’s continuous stream approach (Molten Metal Deposition) extrudes fully molten aluminium in continuous streams, eliminating trajectory-based height limitations, enabling full orientation freedom including inverted printing, and delivering superior surface quality through uninterrupted deposition.
Technical comparison: for detailed analysis of all aluminum 3D printing technologies, see our complete comparison guide.
Application #1: Thermal management delivers 40% performance gains
Thermal management has emerged as Liquid Aluminium Printing’s most immediately profitable use case, driven by the technology’s ability to create complex internal cooling geometries combined with aluminium’s high thermal conductivity.
Data centers and industrial cooling represent the largest opportunity. ValCUN has demonstrated 10% efficiency improvements in fan blade designs compared to conventional die-cast versions – translating into annual energy savings worth millions in large-scale deployments. The key advantage: hollow fan blades with internal struts that optimize airflow while maintaining structural integrity, impossible to produce with casting or machining.
Electronics thermal solutions showcase immediate ROI potential. Power electronics cooling projects demonstrate significant improvements through design optimization and part consolidation, with ThyssenKrupp validating that heat exchangers can be “55% more performant with pricing up to 40% lower” compared to traditional designs.
EV cooling: from battery packs to power electronics
Electric vehicle thermal management pushes conventional manufacturing to its limits. Battery packs need uniform cooling across hundreds of cells, while power electronics generate intense localized heat.
Battery cooling plates produced with Liquid Aluminium Printing integrate features impossible with traditional methods:
- Serpentine channels with varying cross-sections optimized for each cell group
- Integrated mounting bosses and seal grooves (no secondary machining)
- Weight reduction through optimized wall thicknesses
- Single-piece construction eliminates potential leak points
Power electronics housings achieve improvements through function integration. Replacing multi-part assemblies with single printed components reduces thermal resistance, package size, and lead time compared to traditional tooling and production methods—achieving 30% size reduction while improving thermal performance.
Application #2: Aerospace adopts “unprintable” alloys
The ability to reliably process Al-7075 and Al-7050 changes the aerospace AM equation entirely. These alloys, with ultimate tensile strengths exceeding 570 MPa, have been the backbone of aerospace for decades but were considered “unprintable” due to severe hot cracking in powder-bed fusion systems.
ValCUN’s controlled thermal approach prevents hot cracking through consistent 700°C melt temperature (no localized overheating), gradual cooling rates preventing stress accumulation, and elimination of rapid solidification zones that initiate cracks.
This means aerospace manufacturers can now print components in the same trusted alloys they’ve qualified for 50 years, eliminating the lengthy certification process required for new materials like AlSi10Mg.
ValCUN’s ESA collaboration validates manufacturing of satellite structural components with complex internal geometries, UAV components with integrated cable routing, and spare parts for space missions.
Related reading: Why traditional aluminum AM technologies struggle with high-strength alloys and how liquid metal printing overcomes these limitations.
Application #3: Catalytic converters at 8x lower cost
The collaboration between ValCUN and Addcat demonstrates Liquid Aluminium Printing’s economic impact in catalytic applications. Addcat achieved:
- Cost transformation: production costs dropped from €2,600/kg (using conventional powder-based AM) to €300/kg with Liquid Aluminium Printing—an 8-fold reduction that delivered ROI in under one year
- Performance improvements: 20% increase in catalytic efficiency through optimized internal geometries that maximize surface area while ensuring optimal flow characteristics
- Energy efficiency: 30% reduction in energy consumption due to improved thermal distribution within the catalytic substrate
- Production scalability: the single-step process eliminated the 40+ hour post-processing cycle required by alternative AM methods, enabling responsive production scheduling
Air purification systems
Catalytic converters and air purification systems benefit from Liquid Aluminium Printing’s ability to create complex internal structures that maximize catalytic surface area while minimizing pressure drop, optimize flow distribution for uniform catalytic activity, integrate multiple functions (structural support, thermal management, catalytic activity) in single components, and enable custom designs optimized for specific pollutants and operating conditions.
When to choose Liquid Aluminium Printing over casting or CNC
The 1-10,000 parts sweet spot
Cost comparison by production volume
| Volume Range | Liquid Aluminium Printing | Die Casting | Sand Casting | CNC Machining |
| 1-100 parts | €100-300/kg | Not viable* | €200-400/kg | €200-500/kg |
| 100-1,000 parts | €100-300/kg | €50-150/kg** | €150-250/kg | €150-300/kg |
| 1,000-10,000 parts | €100-300/kg | €30-100/kg | €100-200/kg | €100-200/kg |
| 10,000+ parts | €100-300/kg | €20-50/kg | €80-150/kg | Not competitive |
*Die casting tooling €50,000-200,000 makes small volumes impossible **Assuming tooling costs can be amortized
Sweet spot: 1-10,000 parts annually where tooling costs make casting uneconomical while complexity makes machining expensive.
Note: These costs assume standard geometries. For optimized designs with complex internal channels or maximum performance requirements, only Liquid Aluminium Printing can produce the required geometry, making cost comparisons less relevant than capability differences.
Capability comparison
| Manufacturing Requirement | Liquid Aluminium | Die Casting | Sand Casting | CNC Machining |
| Complex internal channels | Yes, near unlimited | Very limited | Limited | No |
| Geometry freedom | High | Medium | Medium | Limited by tool access |
| Minimum wall thickness | 1.5mm | 0.8mm | 3mm | 0.5mm |
| Design change cost | €0 (software) | €10,000+ (tool mod) | €500 (pattern) | €500 (programming) |
| Material waste | <5% | 10-20% | 20-30% | 50-90% typical for aerospace parts |
| Lead time (new design) | 1-2 days | 6-12 weeks | 2-4 weeks | 1-2 weeks |
| Al-7075 capable | Yes | No | Limited | Yes |
Technical specifications: what’s actually possible
Geometric capabilities (validated in production)
Based on ValCUN’s documented capabilities:
- Overhangs: >70° without support structures
- Bridging: >20mm spans without process changes
- Build orientation: Any angle including fully inverted (upside-down printing)
- Layer resolution: 0.5-1.5mm (optimized for functional parts)
- Build rate: 820 cm³/hour
- Part density: >99% theoretical density
- Build envelope: Up to 400 × 400 × 400mm (machine dependent)
- Dimensional tolerance: ±0.3mm + 0.002 × dimension
Design freedom: Discover how these capabilities enable design freedom advantages in aluminum FDM compared to traditional AM constraints.
Qualified material portfolio
- Al-4043 (AlSi5): general purpose, excellent fluidity, minimal oxidation
- Al-5356 (AlMg5): marine applications, good corrosion resistance
- Al-6061 & Al-6082: structural applications with 310 MPa tensile strength, heat treatable to T6
- Al-7075 & Al-7050: aerospace grade with 570+ MPa tensile strength
All materials available as standard 1.2mm welding wire. No proprietary powders required.
Current limitations to consider
While Liquid Aluminium Printing excels in specific applications, understanding its limitations ensures appropriate application selection:
- Surface finish: Parts require post-processing for mirror finishes (<Ra 5 μm)
- Resolution: 0.5-1.5mm layer heights optimized for functional parts
- Fine surface details below 2mm: Cannot reproduce text, logos, or intricate features smaller than 2mm
- Single material: Currently limited to one alloy per build
- Production speed: At 820 cm³/hour, technology excels with hollow structures
ROI calculation: 12-month payback reality
Investment requirements
System cost: €250,000 for production-ready GEN2 equipment (2-3x lower than competing AM technologies like ElemX at €400-500k or Grob GMP300 at €500-600k). The machine fits through standard doors, runs on standard electrical plug, no ATEX certification or specialized safety equipment required.
Operating costs:
- Material: €12/kg standard aluminium wire versus €100/kg powder
- Energy: significantly lower consumption than laser-based systems
- Labor: minimal post-processing versus extensive powder-based methods
Documented ROI: Addcat case study
Before (powder-based AM):
- €2,600/kg production cost
- 40+ hour post-processing
- 15% scrap rate
After (Liquid Aluminium Printing):
- €300/kg production cost
- 4-hour total production
- <2% scrap rate
- ROI achieved in under 12 months
Making the decision: is LAP right for your factory?
When Liquid Aluminium Printing makes sense:
- Your parts have internal channels or cooling passages
The technology excels at complex internal geometries - You need 1-10,000 parts annually
The sweet spot where tooling doesn’t make economic sense - You work with high-strength aluminium alloys
Especially Al-7075 that cracks in powder-bed systems - Design iterations are frequent
Zero tooling cost for design changes - Lead time matters
Days instead of weeks for new designs - You’re already using wire-fed processes
Similar workflow to existing wire-based manufacturing
When to consider alternatives:
- You need mirror surface finish
Requires post-processing to achieve <Ra 5 μm - Your volumes exceed 50,000/year
Die casting becomes more economical - You need <1mm wall thickness
Below process capability limits - Multi-material in single part is critical
Currently single alloy per build - Fine surface details below 2mm are essential
Cannot reproduce text, logos, or intricate features smaller than 2mm
The practical reality of Liquid Aluminium Printing
Liquid Aluminium Printing solves specific problems where traditional methods fail. The technology delivers maximum value for complex internal geometries, production volumes where tooling can’t be justified, and high-strength alloys that crack in powder-based AM.
The numbers from production deployments are consistent: 8-fold cost reductions, 20-40% performance improvements, ROI within 12 months at 100+ parts annually.
Next steps: evaluate your application
1. Request feasibility study: send your CAD file for analysis. ValCUN engineers will assess printability and project ROI within 5 business days.
2. Order sample parts: test actual components in your application (2-3 weeks turnaround).
3. Join beta program: for production-ready applications, participate in a 2-month field test with full support.
Ready to evaluate specific applications for your manufacturing requirements? Contact ValCUN’s application engineers to discuss your thermal management, aerospace, or production challenges and determine potential ROI within your next fiscal year.
Further reading: