APES Expands Additive Manufactured Electronics Offerings with KRONOS Mechatronics Partnership at RAPID + TCT

DETROIT, April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Printed Electronic Solutions (APES) today announced a strategic partnership with KRONOS Mechatronics based out of Nürnberg, Germany. Through this new collaboration, APES will offer KRONOS' industry leading additively manufacturing electronics (AME) systems – Helios and Hyperion – as part of its product portfolio, positioning APES to serve customers across the full spectrum of digital manufacturing from R&D prototyping to large-scale production manufacturing.

APES will also support the next generation of 3D AME CAD/CAM software platform Aion 5X developed by KRONOS, supporting multiple machine architectures including the Helios and Hyperion systems. APES plans on integrating Aion 5X as a software option for the recently announced Matrix6D production system. This will provide a unified and seamless CAD/CAM solution for multiple AME platforms offered by KRONOS and APES, an industry first, that can support AME product design, simulation, and tool path generation across both R&D rapid prototyping and production bound applications. The Aion 5X CAD/CAM software is a key strategy and 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," said 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. We're excited to work with KRONOS to give our customers a unified platform strategy encompassing the full lifecycle of AME product development and manufacturing."

Advanced Platforms, Industry Leading Capabilities
"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 – it's the operating system for smarter, faster, next-gen additively manufactured electronics." 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 industry leading robust 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 extensive materials compatibility – ranging from nanoparticle inks to high-viscosity pastes – the systems support complex, multi-material 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 well-suited for additive prototyping, application development, and low-volume manufacturing of printed electronics.

Software Continuity with Aion 5X
"Aion 5X is the leading OS, Helios and Hyperion are the engines – together, they power the future of additive electronics." (Jörg Dickerboom – CEO, KRONOS Mechatronics)

KRONOS' Aion 5X software will play a key role in both companies roadmaps. The 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 for smoother prints.

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," said 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."

A Unified Vision for Additively Manufactured Electronics
The partnership underscores APES's broader commitment to enabling adaptive, modular additive manufacturing environments. The company's Matrix6D platform – debuting at RAPID + TCT – reimagines production as a software-defined grid of configurable tool stations and mobile build platforms. By integrating KRONOS' systems and software, APES can now support the full product lifecycle, from first prototypes to production of tens of thousands of units per year.

"Our goal is to give customers a complete digital factory strategy," said 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."

For more information, or to schedule a meeting at RAPID + TCT, contact [email protected] or visit booth 1325.

About Advanced Printed Electronic Solutions (APES)
APES is a technology company focused on next-generation manufacturing solutions at the intersection of additive electronics, precision robotics, and adaptive software. With a background in application engineering and deep partnerships in advanced R&D, APES develops scalable solutions and additively manufactured electronics applications for customers that turn additive manufacturing from a prototyping tool into a true production platform.

About KRONOS Mechatronics
KRONOS Mechatronics is a systems specialist in 3D printed electronics and additive manufacturing, offering cutting-edge 5 axis printing machinery, innovative CAD/CAM and control software solutions, and product application services ranging from Proof-of-Concept (PoC) studies to electronics manufacturing services (EMS).

Contact:
Richard Neill, APES CEO. 646-640-6869

SOURCE Advanced Printed Electronic Solutions