TCT
On this episode of Innovators on Innovators, Materialise CEO Fried Vancraen sits down with Quickparts CEO Ziad Abou, just days after the companies announced their partnership.
Vancraen and Abou have been working within the additive manufacturing sector for multiple decades, and have developed relations as suppliers, customers, competitors, and now collaborators.
Last week, Quickparts revealed it was to implement Materialise's CO-AM software platform across its global manufacturing operations. Here, it is hoping to streamline its order-to-cash operations, while also automating processes and securely manage production across multiple manufacturing sites.
Throughout their conversation, the pair outline the significance of this collaboration, while also sharing insights on data security, supply chain and the need for more skilled operators of 3D printing systems.
When speaking about the landscape for additive manufacturing service bureaus, Vancraen says: "I think while we are in some areas competing as a service provider, for instance, we are also very complementary in many areas. Too much 3D printing is seen and presented as one solution fits all. While in reality, for instance, making eyewear as we do it, requires a completely dedicated production chain, if you want to do it up to the reference level that the eyewear industry is used for, you cannot do that in a standard prototyping service bureau in a systematic and scalable way. And eyewear is just one example, because we are active in so many different sectors. And I think that's why multiple service bureaus can co-exist. If they can tune their processes to specific application segments, they can have a healthy future, and a lot of growth, even if there are multiple. It's not that one company will take the entire field in the future."
Learn more about 3D printing with DuraForm PAx Black and DuraForm PAx Natural (SLS) from our episode sponsor 3D Systems.
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