--- title: "MX3D completes EU-backed PIONEER project for hybrid steel AM" url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/mx3d-completes-eu-backed-pioneer-project-for-hybrid-steel-am/ date: 2026-04-07 modified: 2026-04-07 lang: en author: "Tess Boissonneault" description: "PIONEER, a project funded by the EU's Horizon Europe program and spearheaded by a 17-partner consortium, has successfully concluded. The project launched in 2023 with the broad goal of building..." categories: - "3D Printing Processes" - "AM Research" - "Hybrid Manufacturing" - "Metal Additive Manufacturing" tags: - "insights" image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/mx3d-pioneer-1-640x368.jpg word_count: 678 --- # MX3D completes EU-backed PIONEER project for hybrid steel AM PIONEER, a project funded by the EU's Horizon Europe program and spearheaded by a 17-partner consortium, has successfully concluded. The project launched in 2023 with the broad goal of building an open and interoperable digital pipeline for advanced manufacturing for deployment across European industries. Within this framework, a key part of the work has been the application of [MX3D's](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/mx3d/) Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology for the production of load-bearing hybrid steel structures for the civil engineering industry. As the three-year project has shown, it is indeed viable to use WAAM—backed by a fully digital optimized workflow—to enhance the performance of traditional steel parts without driving up material usage. [![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Holland_Brainport_MX3D_CEAD_IMG_0872-340x255.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Holland_Brainport_MX3D_CEAD_IMG_0872-rotated.jpg)The 3D printed bridge in Amsterdam Based in the Netherlands, MX3D specializes in large-format robotic metal AM and is best known for constructing [the first 3D printed canal bridge in Amsterdam](https://www.voxelmatters.com/mx3d-bridge-removed-after-two-year-permit-expires/). The company's WAAM approach, which offers rapid deposition rates and a high level of geometric freedom, uses an electric arc to melt metal wire feedstock and a robotic arm to deposit the metal. The DED process results in fully dense near-net-shape parts that can be finished with CNC machining for tight tolerances. The approach is also suitable for printing structures onto substrates, such as existing steel parts. As part of the PIONEER project, MX3D led a pilot line based on WAAM with the aim of establishing greater efficiency and consistency for the production of load-bearing hybrid steel structures. Working closely with consortium partners, Imperial College London in particular, the company has successfully leveraged multidisciplinary optimization to enhance its robotic AM workflow. Specifically, MX3D says the work in the PIONEER project has "successfully laid the groundwork for certified path-planning strategies, reducing the dependency on physical prototypes and improving efficiency for high-mix/low-volume production systems." The PIONEER pilot line takes a holistic approach to production, considering WAAM design principles from an early stage. This enabled the partners to establish a hybrid design, manufacturing, and approval workflow capable of constructing hybrid steel structures with load-bearing capacity increases without adding significantly more material. In other words, the partners have demonstrated how specially designed WAAM components can effectively reinforce traditional rolled steelwork while keeping material usage to a minimum. [![MX3D completes EU-backed PIONEER project for hybrid steel AM](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/mx3d-pioneer-2-340x219.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/mx3d-pioneer-2.jpg)For example, the PIONEER pilot line successfully produced several structures, including high-performance hybrid joints with a significant capacity gain. In this case, WAAM was used to directly deposit steel onto standard square hollow section (SHS) profiles to create joints that were 300% more load bearing on average with just a 100% material usage increase. In another demonstration, MX3D and partners strengthened steel I-beams with strategic 3D printed reinforcement, resulting in a hybrid structure with a load carrying capacity increase of 35% with only a 5-16% mass increase. One of the biggest successes of the PIONEER WAAM pilot line was the production of 22 3D printed nodes, which were assembled into a 10-meter load-bearing truss. Thanks to the digital workflow and advances in terms of design and validation, each of these nodes was 3D printed successfully the first time around. All these use cases were realized at Imperial College London, which operates one of the most advanced MX3D WAAM systems. There, a team focused on advancing the digitally driven workflow through structural design optimization, and testing and validation of hybrid steel components. The optimization was also supported by England-based software firm LimitState. “The PIONEER project demonstrates that hybrid WAAM is not just an innovative idea, but a structurally viable solution,” commented Pinelopi Kyvelou, Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering at Imperial College London. “By systematically testing components and full-scale systems, we have been able to demonstrate not only performance gains, but also consistency and reliability, both of which are essential for real-world implementation in structural engineering.” Filippo Gilardi, R&D Manager at MX3D, added: “From our side at MX3D, PIONEER showed that WAAM can fit into real production environments for hybrid infrastructure, and that it’s ready to move from pilot projects into broader industrial use, especially as our integrated digital workflows, 3D scanning and smarter toolpath planning have come together in a practical way."