Siemens has continued to pursue its strategy to industrialise 3D printing, taking out an 85 per cent stake in UK-based metal turbomachinery specialist Materials Solutions.
Siemens announced in a statement that it took a majority stake in the Worcester company, for an undisclosed sum. Materials Solutions’ founder Carl Brancher holds the remaining share.
Siemens Venture Capital acquired a 14 per cent stake in the business a year ago.
Brancher’s business has over 20 specialist engineers and significant expertise in process development and production. Its supplier list includes Rolls-Royce, Snecma and others, and its quality management system is AS9100 certified.
“The company’s strength is to turn models into high quality components in record time. Clearly Materials Solutions fits perfectly within our vision for growth and application of advanced technologies within our power and gas portfolio,” CEO of Siemens’ power and gas business Willi Meixner said.
Materials Solutions’ website describes its specialty as in creating turbomachinery parts, “particularly high temperature applications for gas turbines where accuracy, surface finish and the highest materials quality is important.”
The acquisition continues Siemens’ strategy of digitalising for manufacture, it said, and follows the opening in February of its Finspang, Sweden metal additive manufacture production facility.