DAIHEN Enters Metal 3D Printing With ArcBuilder WAAM System

What ArcBuilder 3D is

DAIHEN Corporation, a Japanese heavy-electrical manufacturer, has entered additive manufacturing with the ArcBuilder 3D. It is a wire arc directed energy deposition (DED) system that uses the company's proprietary AC Synchro-Feed welding process to deposit metal. The system is expected to price in the range of $450,000 to $500,000.

How it works

ArcBuilder 3D feeds wire through a welding head that melts and deposits material layer by layer. The AC Synchro-Feed process gives it control over arc behavior that DAIHEN claims improves deposition quality and consistency. The system is aimed at large-part repair, tooling, and near-net-shape production where material efficiency matters more than fine surface finish.

Where it fits in the market

Wire arc additive manufacturing has been around for years, but most WAAM systems come from specialized startups or research labs. DAIHEN's entry signals that established industrial welding companies see AM as a natural extension of their core competency. The company already supplies welding equipment and automation systems to automotive, aerospace, and shipbuilding customers. ArcBuilder 3D lets those customers add large-format metal deposition to their existing DAIHEN tooling ecosystem.

This is DAIHEN's first AM product, and the company has not announced specific early adopters yet. The price point puts it in the same range as other industrial DED systems from companies like Sciaky and Relativity's former divisions. What DAIHEN brings is decades of arc welding control expertise and an existing service network in Japan and North America.