Chemicals and materials company BASF is expanding its co-operation with the Belgian company Materialise; it is also investing some $25 million in the Leuven-based supplier of 3-D printing technologies, with the aim of the two partners working together to continuously improve materials and software for various 3-D printing technologies and bring them more rapidly to the market.

The companies are focusing on applications in the consumer goods sector, as well as in the automotive and aerospace industries. 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”.

Volker Hammes, managing director of BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, said: “Our two companies’ business areas complement each other very well, and our co-operation will put us in an even better position to find and develop new business opportunities.

“With its 3-D printing facilities in Leuven and innovative software solutions, Materialise has an outstanding infra-structure.

“Together, we can exploit our strengths even better to advance the 3-D printing sector through the development of new products and technologies, together with our partners and our customers.”

Fried Vancraen, Materialise CEO, said: “To increase the adoption of 3-D 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 3-D printing in existing vertical markets and create significant business opportunities in new markets.”