Focus on sustainable metal technologies: M&H and California Metals join forces to make high-tech production more environmentally friendly.
ILZ/CALIFORNIA. Austria’s leading 3D printing specialist, M&H, is entering into a strategic partnership with the Californian company California Metals. The US company’s portfolio comprises environmentally friendly aluminium, steel and titanium, which are produced in a sustainable manufacturing environment.
“Through this partnership, we can use materials that have been manufactured to the strictest environmental standards. Combined with our expertise in 3D printing, this enables us to further reduce material consumption and waste – a crucial factor for sustainable high-tech production. This makes our supply chain even more environmentally friendly and reduces our carbon footprint – a factor that is increasingly becoming a decisive consideration in the market,” emphasises M&H Managing Director Patrick Herzig.
A first in the aviation industry
Specifically, over the coming months, M&H will manufacture the first prototypes from ‘Clean Aluminium’, ‘Clean Steel’ and ‘Clean Titanium’ and drive forward the integration of these materials into existing production processes. “The aim is to develop components for high-performance applications that are not only lighter and more robust, but also more environmentally friendly,” Herzig explains. The first applications are planned for the aerospace industry, with motorsport and other high-tech sectors set to follow later.
Motorsport insider at the forefront in California
“M&H is one of the world’s leading 3D printing companies, particularly in motorsport and the high-end segment, where quality and innovation are crucial. This partnership brings together two companies that share the same goal: to make additive manufacturing and metalworking more sustainable and efficient,” explains Michael Resl, CEO of California Metals.
A native of Graz, he has made a name for himself particularly in international motorsport: from 2012 to 2020, he was Head of Motorsport at AVL Racetech, before moving to Munich to join the DTM’s governing body, ITR, where, as Technical Director, he was responsible for the development of the racing series. Resl has been at the helm of California Metals since early 2023.
The close collaboration between the two companies is now intended not only to accelerate innovation, but also to facilitate market access across various sectors. “We want to help each other reach the next level,” explains Herzig.
For M&H, however, this is not the first time it has crossed the “Atlantic”: since autumn 2023, the Ilz-based company has been supplying one of the world’s leading manufacturers of process and pressure-retaining equipment in North America. Herzig and Resl emphasise in unison that the partnership with California Metals is now also intended to help “open further doors for both sides”.