BASF $25m Materialsie
BASF is to invest $25m into Materialise, expanding the companies’ cooperation in the optimisation of materials and software for 3D printing.
In particular, the partners are focusing on applications for the consumer goods, aviation and automotive sectors, and are pooling together their respective resources to bring them to market. The agreement between the two is set to enable wider scale testing and optimisation of BASF’s materials on the machines in Materialise’s facilities.
It’s the joining together of one of the oldest 3D printing companies about, and a relative newcomer, but two firms that are experts in their respective fields. BASF stands as one of the largest chemical companies in the world, and having long been involved with the 3D printing sector, last year launched its own additive-focused division. It has since began launching commercially available materials, and aligning with a number of key players in the market. Today’s news of investment in Materialise is the latest of those partnerships, and if both parties are to be believed, is set to have a significant impact on industry’s adoption of additive manufacturing.
“Our two companies’ business areas complement each other very well and our cooperation will put us in an even better position to find and develop new business opportunities,” said Volker Hammes, Managing Director of BASF 3D Printing Solutions. “With its 3D printer facilities in Leuven and innovative software solutions, Materialise has an outstanding infrastructure. Together, we can exploit our strengths even better to advance the 3D printing sector through the development of new products and technologies together with our partners and our customers.”
“To increase the adoption of 3D printing as a complementary manufacturing technology for final products, our industrial customers increasingly demand more control, more choice and ultimately lower cost,” added Fried Vancraen, Materialise CEO. “We are confident that this collaboration with a leading manufacturer of materials will help to accelerate the adoption of 3D printing in existing vertical markets and create significant business opportunities in new markets.”
