Innofil3D (Emmen / The Netherlands; www.innofil3d.com), a manufacturer of high-end customised filaments acquired last year by Germany’s BASF (Ludwigshafen; www.basf.com – see Plasteurope.com of 23.08.2017), has agreed on a strategic partnership with Beijing Tiertime (Beijing / China; www.tiertime.com), a fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer manufacturer. As part of the collaboration, the Chinese company will distribute Innofil3D’s filaments in China and the US, and the two companies will work together to develop engineering materials for industrial applications with FFF printing.

Jeroen Wiggers, managing director of Innofil3D, said cooperating with Beijing Tiertime offers significant advantages for the Dutch company in China as it has demonstrated its capabilities in manufacturing reliable 3D printing machines with a strong market penetration. The partnership, he said, will “enable end-customers to capitalise on the full benefits of FFF printing in China and the United States.”

With the introduction of its “UP” series for FFF printing, in 2010, the Chinese manufacturer contributed to the rise of desktop 3D printers in the consumer and education sectors, noted Andrew Qin, sales director of Beijing Tiertime. With desktop FFF 3D printers now being used in industrial applications due to lower investment costs, the company hopes to leverage the BASF group’s “well-developed” Innofil3D materials for supply to the Chinese market. This, he said, “will enable us to respond quickly to an increased demand for premium materials from the professional and industrial sectors.”