As milestones go within the 3D printing industry, this is a really nice one to highlight for Belgian headquartered Materialise, a company that can truly be considered one of the earliest pioneers of 3D printing technology. With a 24 year history, the company has just taken on its 1000th employee. The position has been filled by Rebecca Thoppil, who has joined Materialise’s US team at its Plymouth, Michigan based facility, as a clinical engineer for the company’s cranio-maxillofacial team. Rebecca received a master’s in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in December 2013, and completed a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit prior to that.
When asked about how she felt about joining the Materialise team, Rebecca responded, “Ever since high school I had always dreamed of working in the biomedical engineering field, and I am overjoyed that joining Materialise enabled this dream to become a reality. Not only do I get to be a part of an industry that I love and respect, which makes a difference in the lives of so many people, but I get a chance to do this through the application of cutting-edge, innovative technologies.”
Materialise has always been a stand-out company for me above and beyond its focus on 3D printing because it is a company that unflinchingly operates in line with its founders principles of making the world a better and a healthier place. Said founder and CEO Fried Vancraen, epitomises this philosophy when he commented on this milestone for the company: “I am very proud to see how the company has grown since our humble yet ambitious beginnings 24 years ago. Of course, this growth would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all those who have worked for Materialise since we began. Materialise is blessed with a dynamic team that consists to a great extent of people who have built their careers mainly at the company, including many key managers who have been with us since our inception. I welcome Rebecca to the Materialise family and promise that we will do our very best to provide her with a motivating environment and ample opportunities to grow and learn as it is thanks to our employees, both new and old, that Materialise can continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.”
Materialise was founded in 1990 as the first 3D Printing Service Bureau in the BENELUX region. Since then, it has grown to become not only a leading provider of sophisticated 3D Printing services, but also the leading developer of additive manufacturing software. Materialise’s customers are active in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer products. There have been a few rumours about the company going public, but they seem to have quietened down more recently. It will be interesting to see whether the company’s next milestone is its 25th anniversary or an IPO.
