3D Printing Service ProvidersAcquisitions, Mergers & PartnershipsAM Industry
Prototek, the “jewel” of Italian 3D printing services is expanding
Investments from joining Dedem group built a new 1,300 sqm HQ with a renewed range of machines
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Prototek is one of the pioneers in the Italian 3D printing scene. Founded in 2007, and still operating in CAD design and rapid prototyping in the jewelry and industrial sector, it represents one of the most qualified 3D printing services in Italy. Along with the sister firm Selltek, Prototek recently became part of the Dedem group.
Being part of the same “family”, the company is now also going through a path of great expansion and development, including moving to a new, larger facility in Valenza which will soon see the light. The much larger location will have new machines, services and materials that will be able to count on a more equipped, organized and usable space, to the benefit of all customers.
“Despite the unfavorable historical period, we are trying to carry on a development that began some time ago and which will actually be completed between December and January, when we will finalize the change of location. Our business has always been centered on 3D printing of very small high definition products until 2013, almost completely dedicated to the high-end jewelry industry,” says Andrea Barchi, Head of Prototyping & 3D Production Division at Prototek.
“An important acceleration occurred with the purchase of the first HP Multi Jet Fusion printer, which soon became three with entry into the Dedem group. Jewelry has now become a niche and we specialize in thermoplastics, as well as resins and stereolithography for a wider range of markets”.
This type of productivity requires much larger and more adequate spaces that will now be available in the new facility. “We heavily rely on consultancy – Barchi specifies – we want to help and guide customer migrating certain productions to AM, improving the economics and optimizing parts. We are acquiring really important customers precisely because we offer the possibility to start from consultancy and, in many cases, end up with the production of small and medium batches.”
The new headquarters, also located in Valenza, will be a single-story warehouse of 1,300 square meters. It is a completely renovated pre-existing structure and it will be set up specifically for production activities. It will also function as a showcase of all systems sold by Selltek.
“The new headquarters will be divided into a design area, a project processing/management area and a production area, which will be very large” – continues Andrea – “We are talking about 700 square meters with one area for multijet fusion systems and another where we will install a 3D Systems SLS 6100. We also acquired a Figure 4 from 3D Systems: the idea is to get started with Figure 4 resins, which are high definition but also guarantee a good mechanical performance”.
Prototek is now transversal to multiple production sectors. In addition to jewelry, it works to a significant extent with companies that operate within industrial and therefore require plastic parts with relatively stress-resistant mechanical functionalities, such as device covers of various shapes, sizes and applications. These include external casings containing electronics, such as billboard lighting, to custom production line covers, produced with HP technology.
The significant expansion of the technologies used and the upcoming new headquarters undoubtedly make Prototek one of the most interesting and important realities in the Italian 3D printing scene, opening up, together with Selltek, new and ambitious horizons for AM within Dedem Group in 2021.
An Italian-language version of this article appeared first on 3dpbm’s Italian language portal Replicatore.it.
