Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt Region Shines at Inside 3D Printing Singapore

At last year’s Inside 3D Printing Singapore, HP Inc. exhibited its new 3D printing multi-jet fusion technology and showed off some samples, as well as a series of video demonstrations, mere months before their highly-anticipated public unveiling. And right before the expo began, it was announced that Rising Media and 3DR Holdings had purchased the Inside 3D Printing and RoboUniverse international events. Among the many companies that attended the 2016 I3DP Singapore event were Dremel 3D, SLM Solutions, and UCT Additive Manufacturing Center Singapore.

The 2017 I3DP Conference and Expo Singapore is going on right now at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, and you can check out the full list of exhibitors and sponsors here.

One stop you should definitely make if you’re at I3DP Singapore is Booth C9, where IMG Saxony-Anhalt, the economic development agency for Saxony-Anhalt region, is discussing the many available investment opportunities in the Central German federal state. The agency will discuss at its booth, and give a seminar about, why the Saxony-Anhalt region is one of the most significant locations in all of Europe for additive manufacturing. The region is a key business and science location for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing. In a recent Ernst & Young additive manufacturing study, it was revealed that Germany, and particularly the Saxony-Anhalt region, have “run with that fast and cost effective production technology.”

While 24% of firms in China and South Korea, and a disheartening 16% in the US, use 3D printing, 37% of German companies have experience with the technology. Saxony-Anhalt has a proximity to global machinery and equipment production leaders, a strong material development focus, quickly expanding end user markets, and first rate manufacturers of electronic devices. At I3DP Singapore this week, IMG Saxony-Anhalt will be talking about the many available “sector specific business opportunities.”

Bettina Quäschning, Managing Director of the Investment and Marketing Corporation of Saxony-Anhalt, said, “We are taking advantage of the international presence in Singapore to highlight that Saxony-Anhalt is a very good place to start business in the field of additive manufacturing.”

Quäschning also says the goal is to interest possible investors from Asia and Singapore, to continue growing the economic landscape’s density, as well as promoting the region’s tourist highlights and its good working and living conditions. Saxony-Anhalt is located in the heart of Central Germany’s “chemistry triangle” and has a strong history in pioneering research and development. The IMG Saxony-Anhalt Investment Profile details two companies that stand out as top-notch examples for 3D printing in the region: M3DP and citim AM, Inc.

Beginning as a technologically savvy startup in 1996, citim soon grew to become a leading provider of 3D printed metal parts, specializing in medical technology, automotive components, manufacturing prototypes, and small and specialist series parts for air and space travel. It was acquired by Oerlikon in late 2016, to help the Swiss company strengthen its metal additive manufacturing capabilities. The company’s managing director says citim gains proximity to several research organizations, universities, and technical colleges in the Saxony-Anhalt region, all of which “nourish the company’s growth.”

M3DP (Medical Devices and Prototypes) develops and 3D prints patient-specific medical products, but it really specializes in arterial waveforms based on CT images; the company won the Hugo Junkers Award for research and innovation twice, due to this technology.

Alex Boese, M3DP co-founder, said, “Saxony-Anhalt has all the resources we need to scale up. It enables us to focus on the service itself. Medical data management and security are now our biggest areas of knowledge and expertise. Support from IMG is also important because when you want to scale up in this industry sector, you need a lot of money.”

There are many other 3D printing and additive manufacturing companies in the Saxony-Anhalt region, with plenty of experience working with different materials. Germany in general is rich with innovative additive manufacturing companies: Audi and EOS recently partnered up to work towards a more “holistic approach” to metal-based additive manufacturing, German sportswear manufacturer Adidas launched a smart factory there last month that’s run by robots and 3D printers, and let’s not forget about Concept Laser GmbH, responsible for the LaserCUSING method invented by Frank Herzog, who was recognized by the Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize) in 2015.

If you want to learn more about why your 3D printing company should be investing in the Saxony-Anhalt region, visit IMG Saxony-Anhalt at I3DP Singapore. Of course, one doesn’t have to be in Singapore to hear about opportunities in Germany, but it does add a fun global dimension to business operations – and another stop when you’re at I3DP Singapore this week! Discuss in the Saxony-Anhalt forum at 3DPB.com.