Materialise
Provides 3D printing software solutions and additive manufacturing services for industrial and medical applications, enabling flexible volume manufacturing and mass personalization.
- CEO / Founder
- Kim Francois
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Active
- Total Funding
- Undisclosed
- Latest Round
- Strategic Investment
- Key Investors
- Materialise NV (Nasdaq: MTLS, parent)
Technology & Products
Key Products
Magics 3D printing software; 3-matic medical design software; Build Processors for various AM systems; Mimics medical imaging software; Streamics manufacturing execution system
Technological Advantage
Proprietary software algorithms for support generation and build preparation that reduce post-processing time by 40-60% compared to manual methods; FDA-cleared medical software platform enabling clinical adoption of 3D printed implants and surgical guides
Patent position
Materialise filed 0 patent families in 2022–2024 versus 5 in 2019–2021; filings fell 100%, compared with a 9% fall in tracked AM filings in the same patent offices. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 0 families filed 2022–2024, 5 in 2019–2021 (-100%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -9%
- Filed in
- CN 36%EP 36%WO 27%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- Autodesk 593D Systems 300Stratasys 494
11 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces time-to-market for complex 3D printed parts by 30-50% through integrated software workflow solutions, while enabling mass customization in medical applications with FDA-cleared software platforms.
How They Differentiate
Specialized focus on AM-specific software versus general CAD tools; 30+ years of domain expertise in medical 3D printing with regulatory clearances; Largest dedicated AM software development team in industry
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Aerospace, automotive, healthcare, consumer goods manufacturers and service bureaus
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Automotive; Medical/Healthcare; Consumer Goods; Art and Design
Competitors
Autodesk; 3D Systems; Stratasys
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Operates 140+ 3D printing machines in manufacturing facilities; Over 30 experts in Shanghai competence center; Active in China since 2005 with formal subsidiary established in 2014
Major Milestones
1990: Materialise NV founded in Belgium; 2005: Entered China market; 2014: Established Shanghai subsidiary; 2017: Partnership with Shanghai Yuerui as first Chinese printing partner; 2024: Member of Leading Minds Consortium for AM standards
Notable Customers
Adidas; BMW; Airbus; Johnson & Johnson; Stryker; Siemens Healthineers; Mayo Clinic
Recent coverage of Materialise
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 11
- Granted
- 3
- Families
- 11
Leading domains: process (11), material (8), equipment (7)
Filings by year: 2021: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2
- HEATING TECHNIQUES FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING116963858 · CN
- Optimized three-dimensional printing using manufactured upholder107303728 · CN
- LABEL DESIGN FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES3863784 · EP
- HEATING TECHNIQUES FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING04288231 · EP
- SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PREDICTING OVERHEATING FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USING SIMULATION2020197855 · WO