BASF invests $25M and reinforces collaboration with 3D printing firm Materialise

German chemical giant BASF and Belgian 3D printing company Materialise will be expanding an existing partnership to advance materials and software for the additive manufacturing market. BASF has also announced it will be investing $25 million into Materialise.

Together, BASF and Materialise are working in the context of an open business model to develop and bring to market new 3D printing materials and improved software solutions. The companies say their efforts are geared primarily towards the consumer goods sector and the automotive and aviation industries. Always innovating on the material end, BASF will test and optimize its AM materials using machines operated by Materialise.

“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,” commented Volker Hammes, Managing Director of BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH. “With its 3D printing 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.”

Fried Vancraen, CEO of Materialise, added: “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. 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.”

Crucially, the partnership between BASF and Materialise is focused on the promotion of an open market model, meaning that they are turning away from proprietary solutions in favour of materials and systems that benefit the industry on the whole and promote interoperability and lower costs.

As mentioned, the collaboration will see BASF testing and certifying new materials aimed at the aerospace, automotive and wearables markets using Materialise’s 3D printing facilities. The $25 million invested in Materialise by BASF through a private placement of new shares will reportedly support Materialise in the identification and development of new applications for additive manufacturing.

Finally, Materialise CEO Vancraen adds that the company is extending the possibility to participate in its capital increase through a new public offering with up to $50 million in new shares.