Siemens Announces New Frontier Partner Program for Startups in 3D Printing & Robotics

Siemens, one of the world’s oldest and most respected companies that invests over $1 billion a year for research in the US, is now embracing 3D printing–and a handful of the impressive startup companies that are currently involved in offering substantial contributions–by inviting them to join the Frontier Partner Program, managed by Siemens Technology to Business (TTB).

As Siemens, a global company founded over 165 years ago, further explores what is, in perspective to their history, a fledgling industry, they are looking toward forging strong partnerships with those who not only have expertise in and their hands on the pulse of the 3D printing industry–as well as robotics–but who can also benefit from Siemens’ valuable offerings with the new partnership program.

The startups can look forward to accessing numerous developmental resources that include a year-long license to the comprehensive suite of Siemens project lifecycle management (PLM) software–to be used for new product development in 3D printing, robotics, and more. Startup partners will also be provided with mentors from Siemens and have access to others who are using the software as well.

Over their many decades as a formidable worldwide business presence with a focus on electrification, automation, and digitization, Siemens long ago developed into a multi-faceted and highly respected company that offers many different services through a wide range of divisions. Siemens has their hands in many different sectors, demonstrated with divisions offering facilities like their digital factory to divisions in energy management, multiple areas of technology, as well as healthcare, infrastructure, and power generation services.

Now, Siemens sees the future as ‘printable,’ and they are inviting others to join them along the way, making use of all the resources and tools they can provide. Announced today at the Atlantic Bold Bets show in Berkeley, CA, where the topic is, appropriately, ‘Tomorrow’s Industrial Entrepreneurship (And How Everything Will Change),’ Siemens is presenting their Frontier Program and has unveiled the list of initial startups that will help pioneer the program, and work with Siemens to lead the way in areas like 3D printing and robotics, bringing innovation to market with products that have real function.

The list of Frontier partners announced today are:

• Authentise – engineering software to securely stream 3D designs directly to printers
• Avante Technology – providing software that repairs and prepares 3D files for printing
• Matterfab – developing a metal 3D printer for industrial use
• MatterMachine – providing a platform enabling scalable bespoke manufacturing
• nTopology –building software to generate optimized 3D lattice structures

These particular startups were chosen due to their involvement in solving substantial industrial challenges with truly utilitarian solutions. The group of innovators have created products and platforms that address issues in reliability, scalability, and user-friendliness in products and applications for wide-scale use. It’s logical that they are now adding a focus on robotics as well, as it is a technology that often walks hand-in-hand with 3D printing and all it encompasses.

“We’re delighted to be part of the Siemens Frontier Partner program to bring our secure delivery tools for additive manufacturing to a greater audience,” said Andre Wegner, Founder and CEO of Authentise. “This is just the start of a long partnership to learn and develop products for a distributed manufacturing future together.”

The Atlantic Bold Bets event is underwritten by Siemens, long a contender in Silicon Valley, where they’ve had a presence since the ‘50s. Still strongly committed to the area and the innovation which springs from the locale, Siemens is working to continue driving a vision there with a focus on encouraging other companies to continue contributing new and creative technologies and industrial software relevant to all the transformations taking place in manufacturing today.

The Frontier Partner program is headed up by Siemens TTB and Siemens’ PLM software organization. Siemens TTB was founded in 1999 with a commitment to connecting thousands of worldwide startups with opportunity. TTB functions as a division of the Siemens Corporate Technology unit, which is made up of 7,400 innovators in science, engineering, and technology–from around the world.

“The Frontier Partner program joins a long line of Siemens Technology to Business programs that partner with startups to add value to our core and future businesses so we can better serve our customers,” said Chenyang Xu, General Manager, Siemens Technology to Business Berkeley. “The startups accepted into this program demonstrate excellence in developing unique and innovative technologies and partnering with Siemens can bring the scale and scope necessary to help their business succeed.”

Siemens Corporate Technology, which encompasses Technology to Business, is responsible for developing the ‘technology and innovation strategy’ for Siemens, as well as overseeing consulting, development, and handling intellectual property protection. Technology to Business is centered in Berkeley and has a keen focus on not only finding startups with great potential but also giving them the tools and impetus to grow into businesses that offer profit and products that serve the real world.

Startups interested in the Frontier Partner program are encouraged to apply here. Discuss your thoughts on all Siemens is doing to encourage new startups and businesses engaged in 3D printing and robotics in the New Frontier Partner Program forum thread over at 3DPB.com.