The service company Protolabs, which took over Dutch Hubs in January this year, announced the opening of a new production facility that will allow for a 60% increase in productivity. The factory, located in the Bavarian city of Putzbrunn, Germany, will employ 450 people to provide 3D printing services using the most modern additive methods. The recipients of the services will be primarily customers from Europe and Great Britain.
Protolabs offers injection molding, CNC machining and 3D printing services for prototyping and low-volume production customers. In the case of the latter, the company’s offer is based on its portfolio of printing machines in the SLA and PolyJet technologies (light-curing resins), SLS and MJF (polyamide powders) and SLM (3D metal printing).
When the company first announced its intention to launch a new plant in Europe in May 2020, it was expected that existing production departments from the nearby Feldkirchen plant would be relocated, along with 25 additional machines. Protolabs predicted that it would increase production capacity by up to + 50%, but now that the production complex goes into operation, this estimate has been increased to + 60%.
60 industrial 3D printers have been installed in the new factory, which allow us to offer 3D printing services from metals and plastics using a number of additive technologies. In the case of the plans presented last year, the plant is also equipped with a CNC machining center, as well as a 5-axis milling machine and dyeing systems, capable of high-quality part finishing.
Source: www.protolabs.co.uk