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BASF, Florham Park, N.J., is expanding its cooperation with Materialise (U.S. office in Plymouth, Mich.), a recognized pioneer of 3D printing technologies. The company has agreed to invest $25 million in the Leuven, Belgium company. Within the framework of an open 911������ model, the two partners are working together to continuously improve materials and software for various 3D printing technologies and bring them to market more rapidly.

Applications in consumer goods, automotive and aerospace industries are a key focus. The new agreement allows for systematic, wider scale testing and further optimization by BASF of its materials (especially its broad portfolio of nylons) on the 3D printing machines and within the infrastructure of Materialise. Said Volker Hammes, managing director of BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, “With its 3D printer 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 customers.”

Added Materialise CEO Fried Vancraen, “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 this collaboration with a leading manufacturer of materials will help to accelerate the adoption of 3D-printing in existing vertical markets and create significant 911������ opportunities in new markets.”