Proto Labs Inc has acquired a new facility to expand its 3D printing service into a larger and more efficient additive manufacturing (AM) space. The new 77,000 ft2 facility will allow the digital manufacturing company to house all of its stereolithography (SL), selective laser sintering (SLS) and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technology under one roof. The new plant is scheduled to become fully operational in the first half of 2016, and will be located in the North Carolina, USA, area where Proto Labs’ current additive facilities are located.
‘Since the launch of 3D printing at Proto Labs, we’ve increased our material selection and improved our turnaround time to days,’ claimed Rob Connelly, Proto Labs’ VP of additive manufacturing. ‘We have also introduced additive services in Europe. Our state-of-the-art facility will be a critical driver in advancing 3D printing for many years to come.’
FineLine Prototyping, Inc. was acquired by Proto Labs in April 2014, and over the past year, its additive manufacturing capabilities have been integrated into Proto Labs, serving now as one of three flagship services alongside injection molding and CNC machining. Proto Labs’ revenue from additive services totaled US$4.5 million in the first quarter of 2015, which is a 79% increase compared to FineLine’s first quarter of 2014.
This story is reprinted from material from Proto Labs, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
