Materialise to Invest Several Million in Expanding Wroclaw, Poland Facility

The 3D printing industry today is one chock full of innovation amidst numerous and dynamic collaborations, partnerships, and expansions. Materialise could certainly be said to play a large role, from working with other countries such as Taiwan in customizing software to continually offering new features for users as well as partnering to create components like those needed for next-generation spacecraft. We’ve followed the company as they’ve worked on innovations in nearly every industry it would seem, working not only to propel the realm of 3D printing further, but also offering great strides in the medical field as we‘ve seen with their Cardiovascular HeartPrint medical models, just to name one example in a long list.

Now, it’s no surprise to hear that the Belgium-headquartered company will be expanding their facility in Wroclaw—the largest city in western Poland, and one experiencing growth in the business sector as well. This isn’t a project we should see dragging out either, as Materialise expects the plant to be in operation by May 2017. Poland’s Miastoprojekt Wroclaw, a 60-year-old company specializing in such construction for many different sectors, is working as the general contractor for the project, expected to end up costing the leader in 3D printing software and solutions around several million.

The construction and expansion are part of a move precipitated by Materialise’s purchase of e-Prototypy, a company known as a leader in Poland (founded in 2008) for rapid prototyping and 3D printing, specializing in laser sintering, 3D scanning, and reverse engineering. Materialise will now be adding 50 new jobs as a result of their investment, and with new space for a larger team, obviously.

The facility in Wroclaw will offer 3D printers, an area for post-production, and also a research and development center. Right now it houses 140 3D printers, but that number will be increased as Materialise works to fulfill a greater demand for orders in both 3D printing and prototyping services. The Poland facility will also mean better opportunity for communication between their teams who are responsible for manufacturing and software development, as well as strengthening their position as a laser sintering center and pushing advancements further overall.

According to Piotr Adamczewski, director of Materialise, this too will help the company maintain their position as a global market leader and to continue investing in the future to expand its knowledge in the booming 3D printing industry.  Materialise is certainly in good company as others in the industry continue to expand as well, making room for more additive manufacturing activity, as in the cases of 3D Systems, Renishaw, Alcoa, and more.

Founded 25 years ago, Materialise is known for their efforts in 3D software and 3D printing, along with their many successful collaborations. They are heavily in involved in sectors such as biomedical research, automotive, electrical, aviation, household and more. More information about the company’s operations in Poland can be found here. Discuss further in the Materialise to Expand 3D Printing Facility forum over at 3DPB.com.

[Source: PlastEurope]