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Stratasys, a leading 3D printer manufacturer, has partnered with Germany-based venture builder nFrontier to jointly propel innovation using emerging technologies like additive manufacturing.
As part of the agreement, Stratasys has become the first Founding Partner of nFrontier’s new Emerging Technologies Center (EmTeCe) in Berlin, the company’s core operational facility. The EmTeCe aims to become one of Europe’s leading emerging technology innovation facilities, an R&D center of sorts where creative hardware and software applications will be developed for clients.
”We are very proud to welcome Stratasys as the first EmTeCe Founding Partner and are looking forward to exploring the potential of these manufacturing technologies within our innovation projects,” said Daniel Buening, CEO of nFrontier. “This commitment also shows Stratasys’ visionary mindset shaping the future of impact-driven product innovation enabled by technology convergence.“
Integrating the ‘Emerging Eight Technologies’
According to nFrontier, the EmTeCe will integrate the ‘Eight Emerging Technologies’ under one roof: additive manufacturing, extended reality, artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics, generative design, drones, and quantum computing. It will serve as a forward-thinking lab environment for pioneering teams to co-develop previously unseen technical products and services, helping both SMEs and large corporate clients with their tech product development ventures.
To enable such developments, the facility will feature high-tech equipment and infrastructure provided by partners such as Stratasys. In this particular case, Stratasys will supply a set of its own 3D printers using three of the company’s core proprietary technologies – FDM, PolyJet, and P3 Programmable Photopolymerization.
Ultimately, the EmTeCe will strive to become a key international institution for digital design and product development, as well as a pillar of the German capital’s tech scene.
Andreas Langfeld, EMEA President of Stratasys, adds, “We believe that our contribution to the EmTeCE will serve as a perfect launching pad to successfully introducing leading-edge product innovations. We share a common vision for the convergence of digital design and manufacturing, creating sustainable growth and better products.”
A background in 3D printing
Looking at nFrontier’s leadership team, there’s a strong background in 3D printing. The three co-founders of the company previously held executive positions at BigRep, a Berlin-based manufacturer of large-format 3D printing systems. Dr Stephan Beyer served as BigRep’s CEO, Daniel Buening held the Chief Innovation Officer position, and Pervin Adiyaman was running corporate administration, turning the once-startup into a global 3D printer provider.
Moving forward with nFrontier, Buening will serve as CEO, Beyer will hold Chief Ventures Officer, and Adiyaman will proceed as Chief Administrative Officer.
Buening said, “Our mission goes beyond finding the best way forward for our clients. We also consider the dynamic social, ecological, and economic changes forcing us to cross borders into unchartered territory. At the core of our services is a smartly designed, proprietary operating model we call A to L, designed to facilitate product development and business models with a lasting impact and added value.”
Stratasys 3D printing technology
How nFrontier chooses to use its new 3D printers remains to be seen, but Stratasys’ additive manufacturing technology has proven itself to be extremely versatile over the last three decades. Earlier this year, Alstom, a France-based rolling stock manufacturer, leveraged Stratasys F370 3D printers to streamline spare part production for the transport sector. The company was able to slash lead times by 95% and save Algeria’s Sétif Tramways thousands in manufacturing costs, reducing downtime in the city’s 14-mile transport network.
Elsewhere, Senior Aerospace BWT, a UK-based manufacturer of air distribution systems for the aerospace sector, installed two Stratasys Fortus 450mc 3D printers at its Cheshire production site to enable in-house manufacturing of interior aircraft parts for its customers.
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Featured image shows a Stratasys 3D printer at nFrontier’s EmTeCe. Photo via nFrontier.
