Fastech CEO Alan Pearce: Demand for DED Is Outweighing the Fear

Fastech, an advanced manufacturing services provider specialising in DED and wire-arc additive manufacturing technology, is seeing customer demand overtake the hesitation that has historically surrounded directed energy deposition. That was the central message from CEO Alan Pearce, speaking with TCT Group Content Manager Sam Davies on episode 256 of the Additive Insight podcast.

A services business built on DED and WAAM

Fastech operates technology from Gefertec and Meltio, and has built its offering around DED and wire-arc additive manufacturing technology rather than spreading across the broader additive landscape. The company serves sectors including aerospace, energy, and motorsports — industries where the economics of large-format metal deposition tend to make the strongest case.

Pearce explained the motivation behind setting up the Fastech business, and why the company deliberately anchored its services on DED and WAAM from the outset.

'The demand signal is outweighing the fear around DED 3D printing.'

That framing matters. DED adoption has long been slowed by conservative qualification cultures in exactly the sectors Fastech targets. Pearce's read is that the balance has shifted.

Siemens Energy and real-world proof points

Siemens Energy is among Fastech's most notable customers, and the ongoing collaboration between the two companies featured prominently in the discussion. Pearce also touched on several real-world applications Fastech has enabled — the kind of production-adjacent work that turns sceptics into repeat buyers.

What's next

The episode also covers the advantages of Fastech's non-thermal powder production process, the expansion of its materials portfolio, and how the company will navigate its short-term growth plans. For a services provider riding a rising demand signal, materials breadth and powder supply are the obvious levers — and Fastech appears to be pulling both.