Robotic additive manufacturing company Caracol, which has headquarters in Milan, Italy and Austin, Texas, has become the newest member of America Makes. The announcement, made during IMTS 2026, will strengthen Caracol’s position in the U.S. manufacturing market and give it greater access to “projects, key decision-makers, industry insights, and AM resources”.

America Makes is a public-private membership organization specifically dedicated to the advancement of additive manufacturing. Founded in 2012, the organization now comprises over 350 members, including public organizations like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE). In the private sphere, America Makes counts various AM leaders and innovators among its members, such as EOS, Stratasys, 3D Systems, Materialise, AML3D, and now Caracol. Other members include AM adopter segment leaders like Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace, Rolls-Royce Corporation, and Lockheed Martin.

As a member of America Makes, Caracol will not only itself benefit from the ability to participate in open project calls and influential advisory groups, but AM adopters in the U.S. market will have greater access to the company’s innovative solutions and expertise. Presently, the company offers two AM technologies: the Heron AM, a robotic composite LFAM platform; and Vipra AM, a WAAM-based platform for fabricating large-scale metal parts.

For Caracol, the membership opportunity is an exciting one, as the company stated on its social media pages: “We’ve joined America Makes, the national additive manufacturing innovation institute, helping shape where U.S. advanced manufacturing goes next. That means supporting stronger domestic supply chains, roadmaps built around what American manufacturers actually need, and a partner doubling down on U.S. production.”

Notably, Caracol has been exhibiting its technology at IMTS 2026 this week in Chicago. Not, as Michael Molitch-Hou points out, in the additive manufacturing pavilion, but in the automation-focused section. There, the Heron AM platform has been live printing components and Caracol has been demonstrating the technology’s viability within a microfactory model that combines robotic AM, CNC machining, and intelligent process controls. It has also been showcasing various real-world components, including satellite tanks, marine propellers, oil and gas neck flanges, carbon fiber lamination motorsport molds, and more. You can find Caracol’s booth at IMTS in the North Building, Level 3, stand 237020.