2023-09-09 06:57:41
CEAD has officially opened the new, significantly larger housing in Delft. This happened in the presence of many partners, customers and relations of the manufacturer of large format 3D printers. Techleap ambassador Prince Constantijn was also present at the opening. What does he think of the Dutch position in the world of large format 3D printing?
The figurehead of the Dutch tech starters was impressed by what Lucas Janssen and Maarten Logtenberg have built up so far. In a conversation with the two founders, he admitted that he usually does not go to opening parties. “That is not my job. I only go if the company does something special.”
No matter how superior a technological solution is, you have to look at the entire process for added value
Prince Constantijn, Ambassador Techleap
The Netherlands does not yet have any market leaders in 3D
And the two entrepreneurs managed to convince Prince Constantijn of this. But not with the invitation to the opening in which PERMIT The Netherlands is considered a leader in the field of large format 3D printing, with companies such as Vertigo. MX3D and Ramlab and CEAD themselves when it comes to thermoplastics. Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau is not easily tempted to say that we in the Netherlands are a leader in something. He is skeptical regarding that, he says. “If you are a leader, you must have followers and be recognized in the market.” To date, none of the Dutch 3D printing companies has succeeded in becoming a global market leader.
CEAD looks at the entire process
The reason why he came to the opening of CEAD is because he is not only impressed by the technology, but above all he respects the impressive growth trajectory that CEAD has undergone. “They financed that themselves. The entrepreneurial aspect and the fact that they have created a new market themselves convinced me.” In addition, Prince Constantijn pointed out that CEAD has explicitly looked at the entire process. No matter how technologically superior a solution is, to really offer added value, as an engineering team you have to think through the entire process.
Automation and local production drive growth of root format 3D printing
Focus is on the application
According to Lucas Janssen, founder together with Maarten Logtenberg of first 3D printer manufacturer Leap Frog and then CEAD, it is precisely the latter that the manufacturer of the Flexbot AM continually does. “Engineers like to focus on the product, the machine. For us, the greatest attention is paid to the application.” Because every new technology you introduce must overcome barriers. According to him, large format 3D printing, which CEAD has been working on since 2018, is the solution that suits companies that often only need a dozen pieces of a product per year and therefore cannot automate their production process, “That is really where we excel, small series.” This makes it easier for customers to reshore, a trend that he currently sees emerging. Automation and local production are the two aspects that boost CEAD’s growth.
CEAD had cleared a lot of space for the opening party for partners and knowledge institutions with which it collaborates.
The new CEAD factory offers plenty of space for both R&D work and the production of the Flexbot AM systems. The industrial hall is located close to the TU Delft campus, something that they want to keep that way in the future. Lucas Jansen called the proximity of the vocational education and higher education ecosystem essential for the development of a company like CEAD.
Photo: the management team of CEAD, Lucas Janssen (CEO), Charléne van Wingerden (CCO) in Maarten Logtenberg (CTO) opens the new CEAD premises with fireworks.
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