BASF invest $25 million in Materialise

BASF is investing $25 million (£19.2 million) into Materialise, a supplier of 3D printing technologies, to expand its cooperation with the Belgium company, which is headquartered in Leuven.

Working together within the framework of an open business model the two partners say they want to improve materials and software for various 3D printing technologies, bringing them more rapidly to market.

The agreement allows for systematic, wider scale testing and further optimisation by BASF of its materials on the machines and within the infrastructure of Materialise.

The partners intend to accelerate the development of innovative applications and new materials, focusing on applications in the consumer goods, automotive and aviation industries.

“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”, said 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.”