3D printing materials and service solutions provider Forward AM recently celebrated the opening of its new Additive Manufacturing Technical Center (AMTC) located in Shanghai. The new facility was established in partnership with Chinese 3D printing design and service company Xuberance. Forward AM also received venture capital investment funding from its parent company, BASF, to help accelerate its growth in the Asia-Pacific region while also expanding BASF’s additive manufacturing interests in the country.
The company erected a new Chinese plant located in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province back in November 2019. The smart Verbund site was BASF’s largest investment with around $10 billion going into the project. This is currently the third-largest BASF site in the world. The new AMTC facility will be home to solutions and materials for the AM market in China as well as the rest of Asia.
“The establishment of the new AMTC in Shanghai marks an important step for us, as we are now able to offer customers in Asia-Pacific a perfectly integrated service—from consultancy, through our high-performance materials, to direct component printing and great design services for successful 3D printing,” shared François Minec, managing director of BASF 3D Printing Solutions. “We are confident the AMTC will become a key hub for Additive Manufacturing in this region, strengthening our capability to co-innovate with our customers.”
According to Forward AM, the AMTC will introduce new value-added technical services to customers alongside Xuberance. Xuberance’s cooperation will further enable application development and services in 3D printing for local customers as well as those in the Asia-Pacific region. Forward AM will be providing a range of high-performance 3D printing solutions and deep engineering expertise. Meanwhile, Xuberance will be offering its knowledge in 3D printing services and design solutions.
The Shanghai-based company has been in operation since 2008 and currently specializes in innovative 3D printing design ranging from small objects to large installations such as 3D-printed wedding dresses and architecture. According to the company, it was “the first professional 3D printing design company in China” at the time.
“For us, Forward AM’s cutting-edge materials and comprehensive industry expertise, especially in simulation and surface finishing, ideally complement our expertise in services and design offerings. We are proud to jointly develop integrated and innovative solutions for Additive Manufacturing, tailored to customer needs in Asia-Pacific,” said Leirah Wang, managing director at Xuberance.
The two companies are expecting the establishment of the AMTC to enable more joint innovation collaborations with their customer base in the region, particularly with global equipment manufacturers. There are currently over 20 3D printers and major 3D printing technologies in the facility, including selective laser sintering (SLS), photopolymer 3D printing, and fused filament fabrication.
Forward AM has been expanding its presence in the 3D printing industry and recently worked with various companies such as materials manufacturers and service bureau Sculpteo, as well as other service bureaus Materialise and Shapeways.
The AMTC is located at the Shanghai Lingang Songjiang Science Park, which houses several AM companies with the objective of leveraging synergies among local partners and customers.
For more information, visit Forward AM’s official website.