Materialise Establishes Aerospace Competence Center in Delft to Advance AM in Aviation

Stalwart 3D printing service and software firm Materialise has announced the launch of its Aerospace Competence Center in the Aerospace Innovation Hub @TU Delft, marking a strategic expansion of its additive manufacturing (AM) expertise into one of Europe’s leading aerospace ecosystems. Materialise is the first 3D printing company to establish a dedicated presence within the Delft-based hub, where it will collaborate with industry leaders, researchers, and startups to advance AM applications for aerospace.

The competence center aims to accelerate the adoption of AM within the aerospace sector by leveraging Materialise’s decades of experience in certified AM. With over 500,000 3D-printed aerospace components produced to date—including approximately 4,000 unique part types annually—Materialise has played a key role in demonstrating 3D printing’s potential for aircraft production, maintenance, and supply chain optimization.

Materialise joins a network of prominent aerospace organizations at TU Delft’s Aerospace Innovation Hub, including Airbus and Collins Aerospace. The hub serves as a collaborative space where academia, startups, government, and industry professionals converge to drive technological advancements in aviation and space.

The Aerospace Innovation Hub @TU Delft facilitates collaboration by providing a direct link between startups, researchers, and aerospace professionals. Located within the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft, the hub fosters early-stage innovation, offering mentorship, office space, and access to aerospace talent. It supports initiatives in space technology, sustainable aviation, and drone technology, making it a strategic location for companies like Materialise looking to push the boundaries of aerospace manufacturing.

“The opening of our new Aerospace Competence Center aligns with our commitment to supporting the aerospace industry through more than three decades of expertise in additive manufacturing,” said Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, CEO of Materialise. “By joining this selective aerospace network, we can strengthen our capabilities, expand partnerships, and enable other aerospace leaders in this hub to accelerate innovation and explore new possibilities with AM.”

Materialise’s expertise extends across the entire aerospace value chain, from OEMs and Tier suppliers to airlines and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) providers. The company operates a certified aerospace 3D printing production facility in Belgium, which is EASA Production Organization Approval certified and EN 9100 certified, allowing it to manufacture flight-ready AM parts for OEMs, airlines, and MRO providers.

TU Delft sees the partnership as an opportunity to bridge research and industry, facilitating hands-on AM experience for students while advancing sustainable aviation solutions. “The arrival of Materialise at the hub marks an exciting step toward deeper collaboration and new opportunities to drive additive manufacturing expertise to the growing aerospace community,” said Henri Werij, Dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft.

Materialise’s expansion comes at a time of market transition in the AM sector. According to the 4Q24 Service Bureau Survey from Troy Jensen at Cantor Fitzgerald, aerospace demand saw a decline in late 2024 but is expected to rebound in early 2025, driven by renewed government investment in manufacturing and defense. While the service bureau sector faced weaker-than-expected performance in Q4, industry optimism for 2025 remains strong, with high single-digit to mid-teen growth projections as economic conditions improve.

As one of the industry’s stalwarts with traditionally even performance, Materialise has managed to weather the storm of the past several years. Nevertheless, it will be necessary for the company to continue to keep up with trends. In the case of the new center, it is certainly coupling itself with the continued use of AM aerospace, but one wonders how easily it will be able to do this while maintaining its historical philosophy of avoiding defense when possible. Given the timing of this announcement with the Military AM conference, it seems that it may integrate itself more closely with defense aerospace going forward.

Finding the right customers is obviously important for the success of Materialise, but it is worth noting that AI has quickly changed the game. Industry bubbling suggests that a vanguard of AI startups could not only flip the script on manufacturing software and hardware, but for service bureaus as well. Based on her recent presentation at AM Strategies 2025 in New York, in which she referenced the need to lower barriers using AI, it sounds as though this may be an active part of the company’s roadmap.