GLOBOTICS INDUSTRIES SA

Their core work

Swiss technology SME specialising in hybrid manufacturing machines that combine additive (3D printing) and subtractive (CNC machining) processes on a single platform. Across three consecutive H2020 Factories-of-the-Future projects they acted as an industrial partner developing reconfigurable, all-in-one machines capable of producing complex metal parts in one setup. Their work sits at the intersection of machine design, robotics, and integrated CAx software chains aimed at distributed, lifetime-serviceable production.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The three projects form a tight thematic arc from 2015 to 2019, all centred on hybrid additive+subtractive machines, so the evolution is one of deepening rather than pivoting. BOREALIS and Symbionica (starting 2015) emphasised flexible, reconfigurable hardware for complex metal parts, while 4D hybrid (2017-2019) added software-side concepts — plug-and-produce CNC and a closed-loop CAx chain — together with an 'all-in-one' distributed manufacturing framing. The trajectory moves from machine flexibility toward software-integrated, autonomously configurable production systems.

Moving from hardware-centric flexibility toward software-integrated, plug-and-produce machines suited to distributed, on-demand metal manufacturing.

How they like to work

Consistent industrial partner rather than coordinator — all three H2020 projects were in a participant role within large manufacturing consortia totalling 33 unique partners across 12 countries. The recurring thematic focus (hybrid AM+SM machines) across three back-to-back RIA projects suggests a specialist supplier embedded in a stable Factories-of-the-Future network. Partners can expect deep technical focus on machine and process integration rather than management of whole consortia.

Collaborated with 33 unique partners across 12 countries through three overlapping manufacturing consortia, a typical RIA footprint. Based in Bellinzona, Switzerland, with a European industrial-research network built around hybrid machine development.

What sets them apart

It is unusual for a small private company to appear as industrial partner in three consecutive H2020 projects on the very same niche — hybrid additive+subtractive machines. That repeat presence signals genuine domain depth and trusted standing in European Factories-of-the-Future consortia. For a consortium needing an industrial voice on flexible metal-AM machine design or for a business looking for a machine-tool integrator beyond the large OEMs, GLOBOTICS is a credible Swiss specialist.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 4D hybrid
  Most recent and technically broadest project — introduced plug-and-produce CNC, all-in-one machines and closed-loop CAx chain, marking their shift toward software-integrated production.
• BOREALIS
  Foundational project establishing their '3A energy-class' flexible machine concept for combined additive and subtractive manufacturing.
• Symbionica
  Longest-running of the three (2015-2018) and focused squarely on reconfigurable machine architectures for next-generation production.