# Insurance for 3D printing services and additive manufacturing in Germany

> A printed spare part breaks in a client's machine, a powder fire stops the laser sintering system, a client's CAD file ends up online. 3D printing services and additive manufacturing businesses count as manufacturers under the German Product Liability Act, often for parts whose final use they do not even know. This page explains what should be insured in Germany and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-3d-printing-service.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## I only print from client files. Am I still liable?

Often, yes. Whoever makes a part is a manufacturer under § 4 ProdHaftG, including of a component. Defects in material, print parameters or finishing are yours. If the fault lies in the client's design, that can relieve you, but it has to be established first. Public liability with extended product liability pays to defend unjustified claims in the meantime.

## At a glance

- **Liability:** As manufacturer of an end product or component you are liable without fault for injury and property damage caused by defects under § 1 and § 4 of the Product Liability Act (ProdHaftG)
- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance duty; industrial clients usually ask for proof of product liability cover and the sum insured
- **Biggest risk:** Printed parts that fail at the client's site, with follow on costs such as removal and installation in third party equipment
- **Basic cover from:** around 400 euros a year for public and product liability of a small print service, a guide figure from our quoting experience
- **Often forgotten:** The Product Liability Act does not cover damage to business property or pure financial loss; you are liable for that under contract, and the policy has to include it

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Part fails at the client:** A printed bracket breaks, a machine stops; removal, replacement and downtime cost the client many times the price of the part.
- **Unknown end use:** A prototype is fitted, without telling you, into series production or safety relevant parts, for example in vehicles or medical devices.
- **Powder and heat:** Metal and plastic powders, lasers and heated beds bring fire and dust explosion risks into the workshop.
- **Machinery breakdown:** Faulty optics, an operating error or a power surge stops a machine worth six figures.
- **Client data:** Unpublished designs and CAD files are trade secrets. A leak can trigger contractual penalties and claims.
- **Shipping:** Delicate parts break in transit and the client's deadline is missed.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 4, Theft 3, Cyber 4, Downtime 4, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): With extended product liability for removal and installation costs, combination and mixing damage and consequential loss at business clients. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): For industrial printers, laser sintering and metal systems against operating errors, short circuits and technical defects. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Strongly advised): For smaller printers, scanners, computers and finishing equipment, including power surges. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): For equipment, material and stock against fire, burglary and escape of water; declare powder storage and fire load openly. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Pays ongoing costs and lost profit when you cannot print after a fire or machinery breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): For attacks on servers holding client data, recovery and handling data leaks. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Depends on the business): For parts on the way to clients and to trade fairs. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

The premium depends on turnover, the industries you supply and the printing processes. Plastic parts for models and design are cheap to insure, metal parts for vehicles or medical devices much more expensive.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Small plastic print service, turnover up to 250,000 euros, 5 million euros cover | around 400 to 1,000 euros a year |
| Business liability | Industrial metal printing for machine builders, turnover 2 million euros | around 3,000 to 9,000 euros a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Laser sintering system worth 250,000 euros | around 1,500 to 3,500 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | Twenty plastic printers, scanners and computers worth 60,000 euros | around 400 to 900 euros a year |
| Business contents | Equipment and material worth 150,000 euros | around 400 to 1,000 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Business with ten workstations and a client portal | around 600 to 1,600 euros a year |

For comparison: Product liability for a small print service costs about as much a year as one spool of specialist filament a month.

_Guide figures from our quoting experience, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. The sources confirm the legal rules mentioned; we obtain your premium based on processes, clients and turnover._

- [§ 1 Product Liability Act: liability](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__1.html)
- [§ 4 Product Liability Act: manufacturer](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__4.html)
- [§ 10 Product Liability Act: maximum liability](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__10.html)
- [§ 11 Product Liability Act: deductible for property damage](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__11.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Print studio** (Small service with plastic printers for prototypes, models and design): Business liability, Electronic equipment, Business contents. Together: around 800 to 2,000 euros a year
- **Manufacturer** (Business with industrial printers, finishing and series parts): Business liability, Machinery breakdown, Business contents, Business interruption, Cyber insurance. Together: around 5,000 to 14,000 euros a year
- **Metal printing** (Additive manufacturing with metal powder for machine building, vehicles or medical devices): Business liability, Machinery breakdown, Business contents, Business interruption, Cyber insurance, Cargo insurance. Together: tailored, usually from around 12,000 euros a year

## The worst day in the print shop

Six things that really happen in additive manufacturing, all on one Friday. Step through the day and see who pays.

- 07:30: A printed gripper jaw breaks in a client's packaging line. Removal, replacement and one shift of downtime. (€28,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 09:50: Metal powder ignites while the build chamber is being emptied. The system is damaged. (€60,000, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 09:51: Soot and extinguishing powder in the workshop: cleaning, material and stock have to be replaced. (€35,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 12:00: Three weeks without the laser sintering system: orders have to be passed to other suppliers. (€40,000, Paid by: Business interruption)
- 15:30: Ransomware encrypts the file server holding several clients' designs. (€25,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 17:45: A box of delicate prototypes arrives broken at the client's trade fair stand. (€4,000, Paid by: Cargo insurance)

**Damage so far:** €192,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Ask about the end use and record it in the order; safety relevant parts must be declared to the insurer.
- Look for extended product liability with removal and installation costs and combination and mixing damage; without it a policy often pays little for industrial clients.
- Check deliveries to the USA and Canada; many policies exclude or limit these countries.
- Declare powder storage, extraction and fire protection openly, or you risk disputes and reductions after a fire.
- Insure industrial systems against machinery breakdown at replacement value; spare parts and service are expensive.
- Agree liability in writing with your clients, especially who is responsible for the design.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **Product liability in detail:** Norman Nammert, as an independent insurance broker, compares the building blocks of extended product liability that make the difference for 3D printing.
- **Machine, premises and data together:** We align machinery, contents, business interruption and cyber cover so that no gap is left between policies.
- **Free of charge:** We have arranged insurance since 1989. The insurer pays our commission, not your business.

## FAQ

### Am I a manufacturer as a 3D printing service?

Usually yes. Under § 4 ProdHaftG a manufacturer is anyone who has made an end product, a raw material or a component. That applies even if you print from client data.

### Am I liable even without fault?

Under § 1 ProdHaftG yes, for injury and damage to privately used property caused by a product defect. For property damage the injured party bears the first 500 euros under § 11.

### Does the Product Liability Act cover damage at business clients?

No, it does not cover damage to property used for business or financial losses. You are liable for those under contract and tort, and that needs extended product liability cover.

### What does liability cover for a 3D printing service cost?

For small plastic printing businesses around 400 to 1,000 euros a year, for metal printing with industrial clients more like 3,000 to 9,000 euros. These are guide figures from our quoting experience.

### Is a powder fire covered?

Through contents and machinery insurance, if the risk was declared correctly. Business interruption insurance covers the downtime that follows.

### Is there a cap on product liability?

For injuries caused by the same defective product, § 10 ProdHaftG caps liability at 85 million euros. Claims under contract and tort are separate.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-3d-printing-service.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.