APES Expands AM Electronics Offerings at RAPID + TCT

Advanced Printed Electronic Solutions (APES) have announced a strategic partnership with KRONOS Mechatronics based out of Nürnberg, Germany. Through this new collaboration, APES will offer KRONOS' additively manufacturing electronics (AME) systems—Helios and Hyperion—as part of its product portfolio.

APES will support the next generation of 3D AME CAD/CAM software platform Aion 5X developed by KRONOS, supporting multiple machine architectures including Helios and Hyperion systems. APES plans on integrating Aion 5X as a software option for the Matrix6D production system.

This will provide a unified CAD/CAM solution for multiple AME platforms offered by KRONOS and APES that can support AME product design, simulation, and toolpath generation across R&D rapid prototyping and production-bound applications. The Aion 5X CAD/CAM software reinforces APES's mission to offer advanced R&D development tools and systems, as well as flexible, software-defined factory solutions that support mass customization, high-mix production, and rapid iteration.

"As we grow our portfolio to include the KRONOS Helios and Hyperion, along with the APES Matrix6D platforms our goal is to offer customers a complete set of solutions that support them from early R&D prototyping through pilots, to large-scale production," says Rich Neill, CEO of APES. "KRONOS' Helios and Hyperion systems are powerful solutions for additive manufactured electronics R&D prototyping, and they complement Matrix6D's strengths in scaling and orchestration."

Advanced Platforms

"With Helios, Hyperion, and our Aion 5X software platform, we're reshaping the future of functional electronics—from design to control to production. This isn't just machinery—t's the operating system for smarter, faster, next-gen additively manufactured electronics," says Jörg Dickerboom, CEO, KRONOS Mechatronics.

Helios and Hyperion have been updated and relaunched under KRONOS Mechatronics, who acquired assets of Neotech AMT in 2024. Both systems offer 5-axis motion control and support a wide range of print and post-processing technologies including:

• Piezo and ink jetting
• Aerosol-based deposition
• Dispensing
• Fused filament fabrication (FFF) and wire encapsulating additive manufacturing
• Plasma cleaning, UV curing, and CNC milling
• Surface mount device (SMD) pick-and-place integration
• Laser-based tool calibration unit and substrate camera with advanced vison operations

With modular configurations and materials compatibility—ranging from nanoparticle inks to high-viscosity pastes—the systems support complex, multimaterial functional printing for 3D electronics, mechatronics and additively manufactured electronic systems. Helios is optimized for compact prototyping environments, while Hyperion features a larger motion envelope and extended capabilities. Both are suited for additive prototyping, application development, and low-volume manufacturing of printed electronics.

Software Continuity with Aion 5X

KRONOS' Aion 5X software platform supports 5-axis simultaneous and 3+2 indexed printing, enables tool-path simulation with collision detection, and generates G-code via a machine-specific ISO standard post-processor. It also includes integrated CAM checks and look-ahead functions. This same software stack will be used in Matrix6D workflows, providing design continuity across both R&D and production-scale platforms.

"Software is the connective tissue between these tools," says Neill. "By aligning with KRONOS on CAD/CAM software technologies, we're helping customers carry their designs from the lab bench to the factory floor without having to reinvent the process at every step."

Vision for AME

APES' Matrix6D platform—debuting at RAPID + TCT—positions production as a software-defined grid of configurable tool stations and mobile build platforms. By integrating KRONOS' systems and software, APES can support the full product lifecycle.

"Our goal is to give customers a complete digital factory strategy," says Neill. "From R&D and pilot fabrication within Helios or Hyperion, to running orchestrated, complex multi-process job workflows on Matrix6D. We're building a coherent, scalable pathway for AME innovation and adoption while enabling a strategy for cost-efficient large-scale AM production."

APES invites RAPID+TCT attendees to visit booth 1325.

About APES

APES is a technology company focused on next-generation manufacturing solutions at the intersection of additive electronics, precision robotics, and adaptive software.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.