The acquisition of a new facility significantly increases Proto Labs’
additive manufacturing space and overall capacity.
MAPLE PLAIN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 21, 2015--
Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE: PRLB) has acquired a new facility to expand its
3D printing service into a larger and more efficient additive
manufacturing space. The 77,000 sq. ft. 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 remain in the North
Carolina area where Proto Labs’ current additive facilities are located.
In addition to moving its existing equipment into the larger space, the
prototyping and low-volume manufacturer plans to increase its overall 3D
printing capacity with new machines. Anchoring the expansion will be SLS
and DMLS equipment, which produce durable nylon parts and functional
metal parts respectively. As 3D printing continues to grow
industry-wide, Proto Labs’ plans to be well-equipped to accommodate the
ongoing evolution of additive manufacturing.
“Since the launch of 3D printing at Proto Labs, we’ve increased our
material selection and improved our turnaround time to days. We have
also introduced additive services in Europe,” explains Rob Connelly,
Proto Labs’ VP of Additive Manufacturing. “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
fully 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 $4.5 million in the first quarter
of 2015, which is a 79 percent increase compared to FineLine’s first
quarter of 2014.
“We could not be more excited about the progress we’ve made in one short
year with our additive manufacturing service,” says Vicki Holt,
President and CEO at Proto Labs. “With three uniquely different and
complementary offerings, we’re now truly able to help designers and
engineers take a product from the initial stages of prototyping through
low-volume production.”
About Proto Labs, Inc.
Proto Labs is the world's fastest
digital manufacturing source for custom prototypes and low-volume
production parts. The technology-enabled company uses advanced 3D
printing, CNC machining and injection molding technologies to produce
parts within days. The result is an unprecedented speed-to-market value
for product designers and engineers worldwide. Visit protolabs.com
for more information.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150721006014/en/
Source: Proto Labs, Inc.
Proto Labs
Bill Dietrick, 763-479-7664
bill.dietrick@protolabs.com
or
Media
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