Additive Manufacturing

Shapeways Strengthens Quality Management to Meet the Stringent Demands of Additive Manufacturing 2.0

Shapeways Strengthens Quality Management
Shapeways Holdings, Inc., a worldwide leader in digital manufacturing powered by proprietary software, is expanding its comprehensive quality assurance capabilities to fulfill the stringent production needs of business clients while also meeting the new demands of additive manufacturing 2.0. This new generation of 3D printing represents a tipping point on the path to widespread adoption, which Shapeways is facilitating with its world-class services and support for a varied range of demanding additive manufacturing applications.

With its end-to-end digital manufacturing platform and extensive network of manufacturing partners, Shapeways is perfectly positioned to assist in creating market momentum for Additive Manufacturing 2.0.Shapeways' expanded quality assurance capabilities are meant to minimize production obstacles while enhancing the speed with which over one million customers globally get high-quality components and products.

"Quality is at the heart of all we do—from refining initial designs to delivering final products and every step in-between, We continually enhance our quality systems, which are designed to ensure that we meet our customers’ exact performance requirements each and every time."

-Aidan O’Sullivan, vice president of operations at Shapeways.

Next-generation Additive Manufacturing Is Powered by World-class Quality
Quality professionals at each Shapeways ISO-9001 manufacturing facility adhere to stringent quality assurance and quality control methods that include everything from prototypes to full-scale production of high-performance, end-use components. In addition, an experienced user-application group aids clients in defining design features and directing material and technology combinations that result in the best potential outcomes for several industrial applications in the aerospace and military, automotive, and healthcare industries.

Additionally, Shapeways meets the rising demand for highly customized items by tailoring its quality management system to various stringent needs. For instance, Shapeways collaborates with an international producer of bespoke knee braces to create two things with distinct activity levels. Shapeways discovered precise file orientations and stress-testing techniques to help assure the most significant levels of product dependability and performance. Additionally, the user-application team advised that Nylon 11 material be used to construct a brace type tailored explicitly for high-impact sporting performance.Additionally, Shapeways collaborates directly with clients such as 67 Designs, a manufacturer of rugged iPad mounts for off-roading, to optimize builds and scale production quantities at prices equivalent to traditional injection molding.

Real-time Monitoring, Testing, and Traceability
Shapeways' multi-step quality control method incorporates real-time monitoring and notifications, as well as comprehensive testing and quality checks to ensure the dependability and uniformity of each product. In addition, tracking updates on all manufacturing and post-processing operations keep customers fully informed of progress. At the same time, total traceability enables rapid root-cause investigation of issues affecting end-to-end manufacturing flows.

When manufacturing high-quality drone components for many Shapeways industrial clients, the quality team subjected each component to strict strength criteria to ensure maximum longevity. Additionally, they worked with drone clients to match the part design and file orientations with the varied needs for drone assembly in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Additionally, Shapeways collaborates closely with its worldwide network of technology and manufacturing partners via dynamic feedback loops to optimize operating efficiency and expedite preventative maintenance. Shapeways will continue to extend its capabilities as it grows operations to meet the ever-increasing needs of Additive Manufacturing 2.0, including the invention of new quality control methods for specific industrial uses.

*Certain statements in this news release are not historical facts and include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995's safe harbor protections.

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