CEAD Group, a Netherlands-based company specializing in large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM), has announced a strategic partnership with Polymaker, the Changshu China-based specialist in 3D printing materials. This collaboration aims to provide CEAD customers with access to a broader selection of verified materials, ensuring optimal performance and reliability for applications using CEAD’s platforms and solutions.
“This collaboration demonstrates CEAD’s commitment to offering our customers advanced and reliable solutions,” said Lucas Janssen, CEO of CEAD Group. “Polymaker’s expertise and global presence make them a perfect strategic partner in our mission to enhance customer success and expand the possibilities of large-scale additive manufacturing.”
CEAD-Polymaker Partnership
This partnership combines CEAD’s advanced technology with Polymaker’s extensive range of materials, creating new opportunities for innovation across various industries. Both companies are committed to advancing LFAM, aiming to make it more accessible and reliable for customers worldwide.
“We are thrilled to partner with CEAD, as it aligns with our mission to ‘Simplify Creation,’” said Xiaofan Luo, CEO of Polymaker. “By combining Polymaker’s high-quality materials with CEAD’s cutting-edge technology, we aim to make large-format additive manufacturing more efficient, reliable, and accessible for creators across industries.”
Luo emphasized the company’s strong commitment to advancing LFAM/FGF technologies. Polymaker has already validated its PolyCore™ PETG-1013, PETG-1000, and ABS-5022 materials on CEAD systems, with plans to extend the validation process to include all PolyCore materials in the near future.
Formnext 2024 Showcase
At Formnext 2024, CEAD’s partner Benkert Bänke, a German-based company specializing in 3D-printed furniture, unveiled two examples of 3D-printed furniture—a modular bench and a translucent design table. These pieces showcased the potential of large-format additive manufacturing in furniture design and demonstrated the integration of Polymaker’s thermoplastic materials with CEAD’s Flexbot solution.
At the expo, CEAD also unveiled an enhancement to its Flexbot robotic-based 3D printer: a new, wider printing option. This upgraded configuration features a vertical 3D print bed, enabling the robotic arm to fabricate parts laterally as it moves along a track. The improvement increases the print width to over four meters, more than doubling the previous two-meter limitation of CEAD’s robotic systems. Additionally, the 3D printing length is virtually limitless, constrained only by the length of the rail system.
“The bigger you go, the more cost-effective 3D printing becomes compared to other technologies. That’s why we are pushing to go bigger and bigger,” explained Maarten Logtenberg, CTO of CEAD, to 3D Printing Industry.
CEAD’s advanced printing technology is similar to Stratasys’ Infinite Build demonstrator, which was introduced in 2016. Unveiled at that year’s IMTS event in Chicago, the large-format FDM 3D printer was later released as the Stratasys H2000.
Much like CEAD’s system, Stratasys‘ model uses a vertical 3D print bed to produce parts laterally, enabling the creation of infinitely long components. Stratasys’ specially engineered screw extruder was said to achieve 10 times faster printing speeds, resulting in about 50% cost savings. Boeing, a major aircraft manufacturer, was involved in the project from the beginning and, along with Airbus, used the system to produce large-scale aerospace parts from thermoplastics. Ford Motor Company also adopted the Infinite Build 3D printer for rapid prototyping and creating custom car parts.
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Featured image shows Partnership between CEAD and Polymaker. Photo via CEAD.
