Elnik Relocates and Expands as Leading Furnace Maker Prepares for The Rise of Sinter-based AM
9/25/25, 2:45 PM
ELNIK Systems is a specialist manufacturer of debinding and sintering furnaces whose technology has been widely used by the Metal Injection Molding industry for more than thirty years. The rise of sinter-based Additive Manufacturing processes such as Binder Jetting has created an upsurge in demand for the company’s products and, as a result, the company outgrew its original home in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, and recently completed a major expansion and relocation to Pineville, a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina.
In explaining the decision making process behind the move, Stefan Joens, president of Elnik Systems, told PIM International, “Elnik achieved considerable growth from 2018-2022, almost doubling our annual equipment output. We simply ran out of space in our building. We needed to make a decision between either relocating to a new facility elsewhere in our home state of New Jersey, which would require many of the team members to move closer to a new base, or finding a completely new home that would provide additional opportunities for both our team and the company.
“Relocating out of a high-cost state that is not manufacturing friendly to a lower-cost state that makes a big effort to support manufacturing was a great motivator. As a former financial planner, I also recognised the improvement in our team’s lives that would come with the move. So, collectively, we made the decision to find a new home for our future. That home is Charlotte, North Carolina.”
What relocation means for the company and its customers
The company’s new facility is more than double the size of its former home. Whilst the move has transformed operations, continuity was achieved thanks to so many team members taking the decision to relocate. Joens stated, “We increased our building space from 20,000 ft2 to 50,000 ft2 [1,850 m2 to 4,650 m2], and the new building is also double the height of our old building. We were fortunate enough to relocate twenty-one of our forty teammates, and we retained eight onboard in New Jersey working remotely. Since our relocation, we have also hired nine people in North Carolina. We are at thirty-eight teammates now, and still hiring for a few roles.”
Bruce Dionne, VP of Operations, stated, “The new facility has been designed to place Elnik in the best position to meet the challenging demands of industry growth. Production efficiency and safety considerations were paramount in the facility design, and every aspect of the production process was carefully considered so that the new facility provided solutions to the challenges that we experienced in the old facility. I am very excited about the future in this space. It allows us to fully implement lean manufacturing principles and scale up or down to meet our customers’ needs efficiently and agilely.”
The extra space now available for operations has allowed the company to handle incoming and outgoing shipments with the greatest of ease and allows it to manage workflows in a far more efficient manner. “In the old building, having to prepare days in advance for the shipment of a large furnace would cost us days of downtime in the shop. The walkways and lanes being much bigger also add a major upgrade to safely move machines and equipment. The training room in the new building is something that the team feels very good about and is glad to have the space,” stated Kyle Rech, Shop Foreman at Elnik Systems.
Joens stated, “The move to this new facility will allow us to continue to improve our operations in order to support our expanding customer base. We onboarded three new pieces of equipment to allow us to do more of our fabrication in-house, helping control our schedule. We’re also developing additional equipment for our product offering, which will allow us to push innovation and create opportunities for the industry.
“Additionally, with our new large training room, we plan to start holding seminars and workshops with our customers, industry partners and potential technology starters. The move puts Elnik in the best position to support its customers throughout the world.”
Nick Cifaratta, Engineering Manager at Elnik Systems, stated, “The things I reflect on most contrasting our new facility to old are the atmosphere, the opportunities, and the possibilities. The atmosphere in the new shop is very different from the New Jersey shop, mainly in the sense that our new shop displays our commitment to excellence and quality so much more effectively. In the old shop, the welding area, the machine shop, the electrical department – really, everywhere – was so densely packed. While everyone had the same commitment to excellence and quality there as we do here, the layout, cleanliness, and general appearance of the shop in North Carolina demonstrates these core values much more clearly.”
Growth driven by the rise of sinter-based AM
Over the last thirty years, Elnik Systems grew in line with the rise of the MIM industry. More recently, however, there has been a surge of interest in sinter-based AM. Commenting on whether this move would have been possible without the boost that AM has brought, Joens stated, “The metal AM industry has been a big part of our growth since 2017. We’ve built solid relationships with technology partners, supporting their knowledge and customer base, and that has afforded us a great start. The growth of sinter-based metal AM sparked the need for more space. The relocation out of state was driven by a number of factors, but the ability to control more of our production processes in house was critical.”
Whilst sinter-based AM processes such as Binder Jetting are dominating the AM industry’s headlines, as well as conference presentations and activity in the wider research community, there are few signs that serious volume production is underway. Commenting on the status of the sinter-based AM industry, Joens stated, “The future of this industry is extremely bright but, like all new technologies, there were technical challenges that had to be overcome. The MIM industry had a similar start: over hype and excitement with a few companies leading the way, then some disillusionment, followed by success and eventual the growth of a new industry – the Gartner Hype Cycle all over again.”
“There are companies that are using this technology and making money with it, but their actual number is currently small. Those companies that are successful either have a proven background in processing powder metal parts, including sintering, or have taken the time to learn the science, work with training and development partners like our sister company, DSH Technologies, and implement what they have learned.
“The processes work, but there are factors that have caused hesitation among newcomers. Inflation is still high in 2024, and working through distribution channels has caused some equipment pricing to be inflated. There was also an ‘overpromise/underdeliver’ start to the technology’s launch. Of course, the entire AM market is heavily funded by investment money which demands returns. Sinter-based AM, being one of the more challenging groups of AM processes from a technology perspective, doesn’t necessarily suit a fast return approach. That said, the technology does present new manufacturing approaches that will open doors we didn’t even know existed. MIM partsmakers are now very successful with their technology, but it took time to get MIM to become a known, proven manufacturing process – and even now it doesn’t have the full visibility that it deserves. Sinter-based AM will follow the same path, but the timing can be accelerated if companies dedicate time to learning the science and work with companies that are willing to help.”
Commenting on how he sees the timescale for the rise of Binder Jetting, and where we’ll see the biggest successes, Joens stated, “As previously mentioned, the process will most likely follow the MIM industry growth pattern, but faster. There are more resources to draw upon to help become successful. I also believe that the successes of the technology will follow that of the MIM industry, where, broadly speaking, each world region is now known for its specific applications. For example, the European MIM industry has been historically strong in automotive and luxury goods applications, North America has had a strong medical device and firearms focus, and Asia found success in consumer electronics applications such as smartphones.
“People and companies tend to work in the spheres that are familiar to them. Still, until users of the technology understand how to promote and sell the value add of sinter-based AM vs other proven technologies, it will struggle.”
Innovations in materials for sinter-based AM
Joens stated that there have been some great recent successes in sintering aluminium which, he believes, will entice new markets to open their doors to the use of this technology. “Copper is also a unique material that, when the processing requirements are followed properly, will excite the electronics world as it enables the production of components that require good electrical conductivity and heat transfer with designs that are not possible through existing technologies,” explained Joens.
“I strongly believe that each material type, including stainless steels, low alloy steels, and titanium, will offer considerable design freedoms that other technologies have lacked the ability to provide in the past – so long as the processing requirements are properly followed.”
Sinter-based AM process selection
Binder Jetting, on the back of companies such as Desktop Metal, HP, and Digital Metal (now Markforged) is the most visible of the sinter-based AM technologies. There are, however, a diverse range of other sinter-based AM processes, from Headmade’s ColdMetalFusion (CMF) to those developed by companies such as Incus, Tritone and XJet.
Commenting on this diverse technology landscape, Joens stated, “This complex landscape highlights one of the challenges that we face: all these companies and their technologies have pros and cons, but one single technology isn’t capable of making every part that you may need. For example, BJT technology is challenged by some design limitations due to the potential to trap powder. Other sinter-based AM processes eliminate this issue and provide better opportunities for certain design concepts, but they may not be able to meet the throughput potential of BJT.”
Joens added, “Vat Polymerisation-based process used by Incus, and XJet’s Material Jetting process, are, on the other hand, opening doors for applications where there is a high requirement for surface finish and fine detail that other technologies struggle to match. The CMF process is also very unique and has a ton of potential. Having an isotropic shrink rate, similar to MIM, means that there are fewer variables to consider when making parts. However, like other newer technologies before higher volumes are available, raw material costs are still a tough conversation point, especially when comparing to known part making technologies. But this will improve and allow CMF to be a more adopted technological process.”
The issue of cost comparisons with other technologies, believes Joens, is still one of the biggest challenges when evaluating sinter-based AM. “When comparing sinter-based AM to an established manufacturing method, it is hard to justify the cost since existing technologies have worked through the cost model challenges. Sinter-based AM therefore needs to promote its ability to reduce total cost based on inventory reduction, part consolidation or, most importantly, being able to make a part with functions and features that are not possible by any other manufacturing process. As with any manufacturing technology, there is no one-size-fits-all method.”
Industry support through DSH Technologies
DSH Technologies supports businesses with consultancy services, technical support and toll debinding/sintering as they start on their MIM or sinter-based AM journey. Commenting on how the demands from customers have changed with the arrival of sinter-based AM, Joens stated, “We have supported the metal powder part-making industry’s adoption of MIM for more than twenty-five years. With sinter-based AM, many of the problems are the same; it’s all science at the end of the day. Engineers designing parts need to understand the part life cycle. Chemistry (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc), metallography/mechanical properties (hardness, grain size, tensile strength, surface finishes, etc) are all the same analysis points being used once the parts have been sintered.
“One of the biggest challenges the AM industry suffers from is that too many people consider the debinding and sintering process steps as ‘post-processing.’ They are not – they are critical ‘in-process’ steps, just like they are with MIM. Many of the same variables of MIM part making apply to sinter-based AM technology.”
Bryan Sherman, Chief Metallurgist and project manager at DSH Technologies, stated, “With the recent rapid growth in powder-based Additive Manufacturing, we have seen a similar increase in the need for process education and process development. Many of the people getting involved in this rapid growth have never heard of debinding or sintering. It is in these cases we can really shine at DSH through our educational and process development work. When given the opportunity to get one-on-one with customers and really teach them about the science behind what is happening in the various process steps, we can help customers build the fundamental base of understanding that is much needed for new entrants into sinter-based AM.”
Responding to the question of what advice would he give to anyone considering setting up a sinter-based AM production line who has never been involved in sintering before, Sherman stated, “Don’t try to figure it all out by yourself. Ask for help and recognise that the investment in that help will reduce the total cost over time. We are big believers in failures as a lesson – but it’s great to reduce the potential for failure and learn from people who have made them already. Be open to working together with neutral companies like DSH Technologies.
“The single most important piece of advice we can give to new sinter-based AM participants is to take the time to understand the fundamental science that drives a successful process. Without that, it is very difficult to understand what actions and reactions are correlated and to answer the ‘why’ when a process failure occurs,” concluded Sherman.
Whilst Elnik is US-based, it has an operation in Germany to support the onboarding of European customers. Joens explained, “Elnik is headquartered in the US and has been for fifty-five years. In 2017, we decided to open Elnik Systems GmbH, a European branch, to better support our customer base there. This facility is located in the Black Forest area of Southern Germany. At this facility, we have two local field service technicians, spare parts for all our equipment, a MIM3045 debind/sinter furnace with all the bells and whistles, as well as a CD 3045 debind oven.”
“These pieces of equipment allow local companies to experiment with our technology and we offer small-batch production processing as well. Based on our continued growth in Europe and the desire to serve that customer base better, we realised the need to have a local facility and team.”
The state of the MIM industry
Despite appearing to be in the shadows of sinter-based AM, there is still huge potential in the MIM industry. Commenting on how he sees the current state of MIM, Joens stated, “There is still plenty of growth in the MIM industry, but there are changes happening. In recent years I have seen many companies bringing the technology in-house instead of buying parts from external – and primarily overseas – suppliers. This was due to quality, lead times, and a renewed focus on supply chain security and a desire to reshore manufacturing.”
“Technologies such as Binder Jetting have caused people to take a step back and ask if they are doing all they can to save money and take control of the process. The AM industry has helped to shine a light on MIM and, in some cases, has helped companies expand into new markets.”
With regards to the overall awareness of MIM, Joens believes that progress has been made over the last twenty years, most recently as a result of the attention that sinter-based AM processes have received. “MIM is a small manufacturing technology that has had a big impact on the world. MIM missed its ‘marketing potential’ in the early years, and I feel still falls short of the visibility that it deserves. Binder Jetting, in contrast, had amazing visibility early on, but then so much of it became tainted by hype.
“What MIM and sinter-based AM both need in order to succeed is more awareness of the actual parts being made with the technologies. When engineers who design parts are aware of the full range of manufacturing processes, success begins. It’s amazing how many automotive company engineers have no idea what MIM even is! We need to promote established applications more, and for that we have to find ways to address the NDA [Non Disclosure Agreement] culture and make allowances for part promotion without giving away Intellectual Property. It’s not an easy discussion or solution, but it’s needed in order for part makers to have an eye on potential.”
Commenting on technology trends in the MIM industry, Joens stated, “The way first stage debinding is approached appears to be changing. Parts makers debinding with solvents are trying to move away from flammable solvents. I see the US market being a big leader in this push. In catalytic debinding, there is also a push to move towards oxalic acid debinding instead of using nitric acid. The reduction in operational risk will be a big win for part-makers.
“Furnace technology use still remains company specific: some users like small batch furnaces to have control over production flow; some users enjoy large batch furnaces to help reduce part costs, whilst others have experience working with continuous furnaces over batch. While each furnace type provides its unique advantages, I believe company operational philosophies will continue to rule for years to come.
“We have also noted the integration of sinter-based AM into MIM houses for a number of different reasons. These can be to help onboard new customers through small-batch part production that is unsuitable for MIM cost structures; to open doors to new part concepts related to consolidation of various parts or additional part functionality; and to improve the part-making process for MIM itself with innovations in mould design and the reduction in cost or time to make a mould by using inserts to standard mould tools.”
There has been a clear trend in MIM companies taking the lead in the adoption of sinter-based AM technologies. When asked what specific advice would be given to MIM companies that are looking at the technology, Joens stated, “We would recommend that a MIM company is completely clear why they are looking to add sinter-based AM. Is it to develop prototypes that will become MIM parts? If so, that will be one type of AM machine recommendation. If it’s to add new production methods to develop new parts and expand their offerings to customers, that would be a different machine recommendation.”
The human side of the relocation
“Moving a company across a parking lot is challenging – moving it 600 miles to a new home is a major undertaking. The most gratifying part of this entire process for me is looking back, knowing we made the decision as a team and managed the entire process together as a team,” explained Joens. “What made the process successful was the culture we’ve built at Elnik over the years. When faced with challenges, our team continuously steps up and takes action.”
From a manufacturing perspective, Dionne stated, “Losing a few talented senior team members created challenges that needed to be overcome. This challenge was bittersweet in that we lost some manufacturing experience but, in exchange, we met this challenge by rewriting how certain processes are completed, with improved results.”
Claudia Baumgartner, Elnik Systems’ Finance and HR Manager, shared insight into the move and how the process was managed. “The New Jersey facility was the centre of our operations, but we needed to grow and develop new technologies, and increase production, while simultaneously introducing these new technologies to the world. To do this, we needed more space. Pineville is a fabulous area that is developing and growing just as fast as we are. Our new facility is 2.5x bigger, which offers the possibility of expansion, growth and advancement. The most important thing about the move is that we were also able to pack the heart and soul of our company for this new journey.
“Everybody in the company was involved in the process, and everyone had a role in this incredible opportunity. The company’s management was central to the move’s success, providing employees with information, options, and knowledge about the area as they shared the future vision of the company. The final agreement was signed as a group in front of everybody who was part of Elnik.”
Baumgartner continued, “A few people couldn’t make the move, but they agreed to assist and support the rest of the members. We moved over twenty families; that implies new homes, new areas and, in many cases, new schools and new jobs for their partners. Even though everybody’s case was different, we all shared the same goal: to help and make this a great opportunity for our future success. As a result, we helped the person next to us achieve their goals, whether it was learning to operate a new piece of equipment or simply being supportive through all these changes.”
Elnik Systems is, of course, a family business, founded by Stefan Joens’s father, Claus. “Claus has been an incredible role model in the industry, to our team, and to me. I’ve learned so much watching how he handled business challenges over the years that provided me with the grit and strength to even suggest this concept to our team. I remember that, during the presentation to the team, Claus shared how proud he was of what we had accomplished since he retired and that he was extremely excited about the opportunity. He has always been a big believer in the fact that change brings opportunity. While he is sad that the business is now a flight away instead of a drive away, he is incredibly proud that the future of Elnik is strong, and our new home provides a lot of opportunities to support new markets,” stated Stefan Joens.
In conclusion
When considering the success of Elnik Systems to-date, Joens stated, “We work together with our customers to solve their problems with real-world solutions. Our furnace technology lasts for years; our first MIM furnace is still in operation thirty years later and we are still supporting furnaces that were built in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. We have not strayed from this philosophy of ‘workhorse equipment that lasts.’
“Additionally, we are focused solely on industries that debind and sinter parts. For the last twenty-plus years, this has equated to 90% of our throughput. Claus was a strong believer in finding something you enjoy and being the best at it. When it comes to the batch furnace industry for debinding and sintering, we have done just that. We do not offer continuous furnaces, or ceramic furnaces, we make graphite and metal versions of debind and sinter furnaces. And we use them ourselves as well.”
“Started by Claus and Bryan Sherman in 1999, led by Satyajit Banerjee for fourteen years, and now having Bryan Sherman back leading the efforts, our ability to support the technical and science-based process side of this technology is paramount. There are great furnace makers in this world, many of which we hold in high regard. But when it comes to helping customers, it is about more than just keeping the furnace running; supporting customers in the science is where we stand out. And it’s one of the critical steps that Elnik’s customer base is most proud of when looking back on making the decision to work together,” stated Joens. “Elnik’s future will continue to focus on how to best support powder metal part makers with more product offerings and levels of support through improved technology and user experience. We have listened to our customer base a lot over the last five years and are working on some amazing innovations to help improve the part making process.”
“DSH Technologies will continue to offer process services through its equipment in house, but where DSH will really grow will be in process support and engineering. There has been a ‘changing of the guard’ so to speak over the last five years, with many technology experts exiting the industry due to retirement or new opportunities. The next five years are going to see even more of this take place. We believe strongly that our mission needs to be knowledge transfer, science-based solutions based on real-world experiences, and helping to grow the metallurgical knowledge of the next generation.”
Contact
Stefan Joens
President ELNIK Systems