INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Würth Additive Group, a Würth Industry North America company and the leader in physical and digital inventory, announced Nov. 18 that it has signed a global agreement with Rapid Shape GmbH, a technology company in the field of generative rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing systems. The agreement expands the group's suite of 3D printing technology offerings, introducing the first resin 3D printer with automated functions to allow lights-out manufacturing processes and supply users with medical precision on an industrial scale. Together, they have created a turnkey industrial-ready solution with Würth special edition i30 and i50 models.
The agreement broadens the Additive Group’s ability to support production-level additive manufacturing through Rapid Shape’s automated functions, including a proprietary Automatic Separation Module, a sharp katana-like blade, that enables direct cutting removal of the printed parts and automatic subsequent part processing. The same reliability, precision, and autonomous production capabilities that the medical field is benefitting from and demands are now available to our industrial customers in their own production facilities.
“Rapid Shape’s platform combines sophisticated workflows that allow it to keep up with the industrial demands of our customers,” said AJ Strandquist, chief executive officer of Würth Additive Group. “They are a perfect fit to support everyday c-parts with their inline system capable of producing hundreds of thousands of parts a year. We are excited to bring this technology to our suppliers and customers to help produce their parts in new ways.”
“The partnership between Würth Additive Group and Rapid Shape is an exceptional example of the entrepreneurial spirit of the Würth Group,” said Dan Hill, chief executive officer for Würth Industry North America, “Since its inception in 2020, the Additive Group has continuously pushed to grow and offer new and innovative additive services to our customers. Rapid Shapes impressive product line and capabilities make it an ideal expansion of our offerings.”
“Some competitors don’t like highlighting their full workflow because it can be inefficient,” says Andreas Schultheiss, chief executive officer of Rapid Shape GmbH. “By integrating a variety of smart systems, we increase production capacity, decrease human handling, and bring user safety to the forefront in resin production. We are thrilled to introduce this technology to Würth Additive Group customers around the world.”
Wurth Additive Group, led by CEO AJ Strandquist, launched in April 2021 to provide expanded industrial 3D printing products and services, including financing and rental options. Würth Industry North America began providing additive solutions to customers in late 2017 with rapid prototyping and printing production tools. It now offers complete digital Kanban solutions by integrating 3D printing technology in its existing vendor-managed inventory programs.
Rapid Shape is a German company that specializes in the development and manufacture of high-end systems for additive printing. Rapid Shape has positioned itself as one of this industry’s leaders through proprietary technology that has set new standards in speed, reliability and precision. Rapid Shape provides solutions for industrial, dental, hearing aid and jewellery markets.
Würth Industry North America (WINA) — No. 11 on Industrial Distribution's 2021 Big 50 List — is a $1 billion division of the Würth Group, the world’s largest fastener distribution company.
