Nexa3D and Henkel to Jointly Develop Turnkey Additive Manufacturing Systems

3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D announced the opening of its first full scale additive manufacturing customer center; NEXTFACTORY in Ventura CA, in partnership with Henkel. Co-located within the Nexa3D global headquarters, NEXTFACTORY provides current and potential customers with direct access to every aspect of the additive polymer manufacturing (AM) process, from design decision support and optimization to full scale additive manufacturing operations including integrated post processing technologies, material formulation customization, color matching and a variety of finishing options. Both companies plan to invite additional automation, process and software innovation partners to join NEXTFACTORY.

The center will serve as a full capability production scaling facility for customer looking to fast track their production scale up process development, material selection and optimization and production line design and procurement. 

Nexa3D and Henkel teamed up to meet the accelerated demand for additively manufactured parts and assemblies in several key industries, including mobility, footwear, industrial and health products. Working together, Henkel and Nexa3D plan to deliver the full customer value of additive manufacturing by opening the aperture on functional materials, tailoring material properties, and providing color matching and finishing options that suite customer specific requirements. 

“The center is designed to help customers across the entire additive process and accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing in their business, regardless of where they are on their journey,” said Simon Mawson, senior vice president and global head of 3D printing at Henkel. “Customers will benefit from hands-on training and the ability to pilot their own production requirements, enabling them to realize the full potential of additive manufacturing and leverage the combined functional materials, validated workflows and 3D printing expertise that Henkel and Nexa3D have to offer.”

As well as supporting customers, Nexa3D and Henkel plan to use the center to accelerate the adoption of additive production at scale for footwear, mobility, industrial and healthcare applications, by demonstrating to businesses how they can create an end-to-end solution using AM technologies.

To further support customers, Nexa3D and Henkel plan to open two more centers, one in North America and one in Europe, by the end of 2022.