| Item | 3D Printing Companies | Year Established |
| 1 | Ultimaker | 2011 |
| 2 | Shapeways | 2007 |
| 3 | Oceanz 3D printing | 2010 |
| 4 | ColorFabb | 2013 |
| 5 | 3D4Makers | 2014 |
| 6 | 10XL | 2016 |
| 7 | Beamler | 2016 |
| 8 | Leapfrog 3D printers | 2012 |
| 9 | Additive industries | 2012 |
| 10 | VormVrij 3D | 2014 |
I. Introduction
3D printing can be defined as the process that is used in the manufacturing of a solid item with three dimensions by using a design that is generated by a computer. This process has helped to improve the designing process, advancement of products as well as the manufacturing process. It also plays a big role in the production of customized end products. With the continuous innovations in technology, many companies have embraced the 3D printing process. 3D printing has advantages such as speedy production which helps to ensure that minimal time is used in the production process, easier to make changes in the design, is cost-efficient, ensures minimal or zero wastage of materials, and is friendly to the environment among others. The Netherlands is one of the countries in which many companies use the 3D printing process in their production and below is a list combining the top 10 companies in The Netherlands specializing in this sector.
II. Ultimaker
Ultimaker is a company in the 3D printing sector that was founded in 2011. Over the years, it has grown to become the number one company in the market in the desktop 3D printing sector. It has come up with an accessible and simple solution used to produce 3D printers as well as the software and raw materials to be used in the production process which gives architects and manufacturers a chance to easily come up with new technological innovations. Ultimaker serves a global market having branches in not only the Netherlands but also New York, Singapore, and Boston as well as factories used for production in the US and Europe. The company has more than 4000 workers who are reliable and have expertise which helps them ensure that their customers get high-quality services and products. Some of the company’s products include Ultimaker S3 and S5, Ultimaker 2+ series, Ultimaker Original+ and Ultimaker 3 series. The company has also come up with a high-quality printing software known as Cura. It serves industries such as the architecture industry, automotive, healthcare, high-quality mold manufacturing industry, and education among others.
Key Advantages: Pioneer in desktop 3D printers, worldwide customer base
Address: Watermolenweg 2, 4191 PN Geldermalsen, Netherlands
Website: https://ultimaker.com/
Contact: +31 (0) 88 383 4000
Founded: 2011
III. Shapeways
Shapeways is a 3D printing company that was founded in 2007. It ensures that its customers get to experience manufacturing of high quality through innovation, automation as well and digitization. It also has its own purpose-built software, usage of a wide variety of raw materials, and an international supply chain which help to ensure that there are little or no barriers in the manufacturing process and that there is on-time delivery of products. Over the years, the company has been able to manufacture over 21 million parts using a total of 11 varying technologies and 90 kinds of materials and finishes supplied to a total of 160 countries. With its main headquarters in New York, Shapeways also has a branch in the Netherlands among other countries across the world. It is certified by ISO 9001, IATF 16949 and ITAR. Shapeways serves industries such as the medical, consumer, aerospace, jewelry, and architecture industries among others.
Key Advantages: Offers a purpose-built software for product creation
Address: Kanaaldijk-zuid 3a 5613 LE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Website: https://www.shapeways.com/
Contact: +31 88 220 3800
Founded: 2007
IV. Oceanz 3D printing
Oceanz 3D Printing was founded in 2010 and has grown to be the leading company in the additive manufacturing sector in the Netherlands. It focuses on ensuring that its customers have a smooth production process by offering their services from the idea to the actual production of a product. It helps in the choosing of the right materials and techniques to use and this also helps to ensure long-lasting and reliable partnerships. Oceanz uses a wide variety of raw materials in the 3D printing process such as Polyamide, which is among the most commonly used, as rubber, metal, and plaster among others. The company also has an innovative spirit and always strives to come up with new techniques and innovations. Oceanz is a 3D printing supplier as well and ensures short and reliable delivery times for end products to its customers.
Key Advantages: Specializes in professional 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing
Address: Morsestraat 32, 6716 AH Ede, Netherlands
Website: https://www.oceanz.eu/
Contact: +31 318 769 077
Founded: 2010
V. ColorFabb
Colorfabb was founded by Ruud Rouleaux in 2013. He had extensive expertise in the plastic industry sector, additives, and colorants which made it convenient for him to venture into 3D printing technology. Over its years of operation, it has advanced to become very popular in the 3D printing industry and provides high-quality filaments as well as exceptional dedication to its customers. It has a reliable team with expertise which makes sure that the preferences of its customers are satisfied and that the services and products provided are of high quality. ColorFabb also has a state-of-the-art production factory located in Belfeld and sits on 4100 m2 of land. It is also a global company and provides its end products to a variety of countries across the world. Some of the sectors that are served by this company include the aerospace industry, automotive, medical, dental, and defense as well as the art and design industries among others.
Key Advantages: Provides high-quality filaments for 3D printing
Address: Bremweg 7, 5951 DK Belfeld, Netherlands
Website: https://colorfabb.com/
Contact: +31 77 466 0466
Founded: 2013
VI. 3D4Makers
3D4Makers is a self-owned company that was founded in 2014 and was formed from a company that mainly focused on the sale of plastic raw materials. The founders were a father and son who decided to come up with their own filament extruder as a result of the increasing interest in the 3D printing technology, their expertise in plastics as well as the previous company’s network. 3D4Makers have a special way of manufacturing filaments which ensures that the filament does not come into contact with water as this might result in printing complications or decrease the quality of the products. The filament is directly packaged into a vacuum bag after production. This helps to ensure that there is better impact resistance, durability, printing process as well and strength. The company keeps on coming up with new innovations and with its experience, it has come up with materials such as PEKK, PEEK, PEI, and PCL among others. It has high-precision equipment which it uses to ensure high-quality 3D printing services.
Key Advantages: Known for manufacturing high-quality filaments
Address: Waarderweg 56 2031 BP Haarlem, The Netherlands
Website:https://www.3d4makers.com/
Contact: +31 294 267 590
Founded: 2014
VII. 10XL
10XL is a 3D printing company that was founded in 2016. It mainly focuses on XL cradle-to-cradle 3D printing whereby it uses its large-scale 3D hybrid printer. This company uses bio-based materials and synthetic polymers in its printing processes. For better quality of the base polymer, it adds fillers as well as additives, helps to boost the chemical and UV resistance, and acts as a flame retardant, heat stabilizer, and antimicrobial. Some of the fillers include glass, stone, or bamboo. The parts produced may be molds with high-quality mold manufacturing, prototypes, or functional end products. This company also integrates subtractive and additive manufacturing processes into a single hybrid system. It ensures that its customers are fully satisfied by offering a fast manufacturing process whereby processes are automated and use robots as well as offering 3D consultancy.
Key Advantages: Innovator in large-scale 3D printing
Address: Rivierdijk 637, 3371 EE Hardinxveld-Giessendam,Netherlands
Website: https://10-xl.nl/
Contact: +31 85 043 1147
Founded: 2016
VIII. Beamler
Beamler was founded in 2016 by Willem-Jan Van Loon with the vision of assisting engineers in actualizing their ideas by using additive manufacturing technology. In 2018, Beamler acquired the Printr 3D printing company also based in the Netherlands. It has a large modern database of 3D printing materials which makes it possible for engineers to compare the chemical, electrical as well and mechanical qualities of all the 3D printing materials in the market currently. It also has quoting services that are automated to help engineers have a fast and better understanding of the printing costs of various parts. Beamler uses raw materials of high performance such as aluminum, tungsten, tungsten carbide, silicon, and pure copper as well as technical ceramics.
Key Advantages: Pioneers in delivering 3D printing software solutions
Address:Wijde Kapelsteeg 1 3th floor, 1012 NS Amsterdam, Netherlands
Website: https://www.beamler.com/
Contact:+31 65 789 7508
Founded: 2016
IX. Leapfrog 3D Printers
Leapfrog is a company based in the Netherlands and was formed in 2012. It mainly focuses on the production of 3D printers of high quality that exceed its customer’s expectations. It also ensures that it keeps up with the continuous innovations in technology which help it to come up with new solutions for emerging problems in the 3D printing sector. It serves customers from all over the world and has also diversified its production from small to professional printers which are used in a number of industries such as the automotive industry, aerospace, healthcare, education, and engineering industries among others. Some of the company’s products include the Bolt Pro, which helps the printing process to be fast, precise and use a variety of materials, Xcel, which is the largest 3D printer in the world currently and Xeed which is the most recent and has a heated chamber and dual extruders. it also engages in high-quality CNC machining for its tooling.
Key Advantages: Offers a wide range of high-quality 3D printers
Address: H. Kamerlingh Onnesweg 10 2408 AW Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands
Website: https://www.lpfrg.com/
Contact: +31 172 503 625
Founded: 2012
X. Additive Industries
Additive Industries was founded in 2012 and has headquarters in Eindhoven, North Brabant. It specializes in the production of large-frame 3D printing solutions used in metal additive manufacturing. It offers services to its customers from their idea of a product to the actual production of the product. This company has come up with a system known as the MetalFAB1 system which is used by a wide range of industries such as the aerospace industry, automotive, energy, and high-tech industries among others. This system helps to ensure continuous production whereby there is a robot module that is attached to the back end of the system and has the ability to remove finished products and put new build plates. This helps to save on production time as well as lowering the costs used in production.
Key Advantages: Specializes in industrial 3D metal printing
Address: Achtseweg Zuid 155, 5651 GW Eindhoven, Netherlands
Website: https://www.additiveindustries.com/
Contact: +31 40 218 0660
Founded: 2012
XI. VormVrij® 3D
VormVrij 3D is a family-owned company that was founded in 2014. It specializes in the designing and production of 3D clay printers as well as ceramic 3D printing. Some of the products it manufactures include the Brutum and Lutum 5 family as well as accessories. The company went further and came up with a new Clay Extruder for the Brutum which prints continuously and requires little maintenance. The Lutum on the other hand has an assembly system for the base which is updated making it easier to make changes on the hardware. The company also manufactures specialized tools that are needed in some stages of the 3D Clay print production process. It also produces repair parts as well as upgrades for the existing machines. This company works towards ensuring that the needs of its customers are fully met with products and services of high quality.
Key Advantages: Renowned for 3D clay printing and ceramic 3D printing
Address: Dorpsstraat 23 5851 AG, Afferden, The Netherlands
Website: https://vormvrij.nl/
Contact: +31 48 532 4596
Founded: 2014
XII. Conclusion
As seen above, each company has the sector that it is best suited in. When looking for a company to partner with, it is crucial to carry out an in-depth background check about the company so as to ensure that your needs rhyme with the company’s specializations. This helps to ensure that the customers get to have access to high-quality end products and services. Also, with the various innovations in technology, these companies continue to diversify and reach a wider market as more companies that specialize in offering 3D printing services continue to be formed. This helps to ensure that customers get to enjoy great services at favorable costs. This has also contributed to the growth of not only the Netherlands but also other countries across the world being served by these companies. If you want to understand more about the 3D printing process, visit, 3D Printing – TDL for a comprehensive report.
