Siemens to open £27m 3D-printing factory in Midlands

Firm's 3D printing specialist Materials Solutions to get manufacturing facility

Siemens is to make a £27m investment in a manufacturing facility for its Worcester-based 3D printing specialist Materials Solutions.

The new building, set to open in September, will enable it to increase its fleet of 3D printing machines from 15 to 50 over the next five years.

The location of the new facility will be the Worcester Six Business Park Development and it will serve as a focal point for relations between Materials Solutions and the UK Siemens Digital Factory division.

Siemens acquired an 85 per cent majority stake in Materials Solutions in 2016.

"This significant investment underlines our belief that there is huge potential for innovation and growth within the additive manufacturing sector," said Juergen Maier, CEO of Siemens UK.

"It is also the next step towards achieving our ambition of pioneering the industrialisation of 3D printing and demonstrates how we are leading the way for the fourth industrial revolution."

Maier said if the UK's manufacturing sector is to grow and thrive, the industry must embrace digital technologies and build new industries based on them.

Phil Hatherley, general manager of Materials Solutions, said: "Our Worcester-based team are specialists in using additive manufacturing technology to solve complex engineering challenges for our customers across a range of sectors including aerospace, automotive and power generation.

"Our new facility will give us the space and scope to continue to innovate for these specialist and demanding industries and achieve a shift in the perception of 3D printing from being a technology associated with prototyping to a viable option for the serial production of additively manufactured parts."