Additive manufacturing specialist Materialise (Leuven / Belgium; www.materialise.com) has opened a new building at its headquarters in Leuven, and officially put a new factory into operation at its site in Bielany Wrocławskie / Poland, near Wrocław. With the expansion, production capacities are to be increased through the instalment of additional 3D printers as well as with the creation of jobs.

In Leuven, the building complex includes an additional 5,500 m² of office space. Furthermore, co-creation and partner rooms are established to foster partnerships with customers across industries.

Materialise is a developer of software for additive manufacturing processes but also operates large 3D printing facilities. With more than 170 machines across Europe, covering all major 3D printing technologies, the company sees itself as one of the world's largest suppliers of additive manufacturing technologies. In light of the growing demand for certified serial production, the early adaption of new technologies such as HP's "Multi Jet Fusion" and the growth of associated brands, such as the "RapidFit" modular system, Materialise said the additional capacities are expected to expand its product range and services.

The branch in Bielany Wrocławskie will mainly be used to expand the production. Providing space for more than 80 additional selective laser sintering (SLS) printers, the plant is, according to Materialise, the largest of its kind in Poland. "The new plant gives us the space we need to expand our capacities and become the largest 3D printing company in Poland," said Piotr Adamczewski, managing director at Materialise Poland. This enables the company to grow and provide customers with a wide range of technologies available anywhere in the world.

One year ago, the rapid-tooling specialist had announced the new production facility in Poland (see Plasteurope.com of 07.10.2016). A company spokesperson told Plasteurope.com that the size of the acquired and current machine fleet cannot be disclosed due to internal policy.