Materialise opens first Additive Manufacturing Aerospace Competence Center at TU Delft Innovation Hub
February 12, 2025
Materialise, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has announced the opening of an Aerospace Competence Center in the Aerospace Innovation Hub in Delft, the Netherlands. Delft was chosen as it is considered a key location for aerospace in Europe, and this marks the first dedicated Additive Manufacturing space within the hub.
“The opening of our new Aerospace Competence Center aligns with our commitment to support the aerospace industry through more than three decades of experience in Additive Manufacturing and software solutions, as well as our pioneering role in producing certified parts,” said Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, CEO of Materialise. “By joining this selective aerospace network, we can strengthen our capabilities, expand partnerships, and enable other aerospace leaders in this hub to accelerate innovation and explore new possibilities with AM.”
The Aerospace Innovation Hub at TU Delft aims to foster innovation by connecting startups, students, academics, government and industry professionals in the heart of TU Delft’s Aerospace Engineering Faculty. Materialise and TU Delft will collaborate on projects where students and researchers can gain hands-on experience with AM while advancing developments in sustainable aviation. Materialise joins Airbus and Collins Aerospace, among others, at the Hub.
“We are proud to welcome Materialise to Delft, a city where innovation and collaboration thrive,” said Vice Mayor Maaike Zwart of the City of Delft. “By joining the Aerospace Innovation Hub, Materialise strengthens our dynamic Aerospace Delta ecosystem and the Innovation District Delft, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in 3D printing and sustainable aviation. I’m truly excited to see the partnerships, ideas, and innovations that will grow from your presence here. Together, we are shaping the future of technology.”
Materialise has delivered over 500,000 additively manufactured aerospace parts, with about 4,000 different types of parts manufactured per year. The company holds a comprehensive set of flight-ready accreditations, including Production Organization Approval (POA) from EASA and EN 9100 certification for flying parts. It serves the entire aerospace value chain, from OEMs to airlines and MROs to supplier tiers.
“At TU Delft, our mission is to create impact for a better society through education, research, life-long learning, and innovation. With the Aerospace Innovation Hub we support this mission by accelerating innovations and bringing them to market. The arrival of Materialise at the Hub marks an exciting step toward deeper collaboration and new opportunities to drive Additive Manufacturing expertise to the growing aerospace community,” said Henri Werij, Dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering TU Delft.
In addition to existing certified aerospace processes, Materialise helps companies develop and qualify new AM applications and materials. The company also maintains a data lake that provides access to performance data from hundreds of aerospace builds, enabling users to make informed decisions based on real-life components.
