CEAD Group, a leading provider of Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Polymaker, a globally recognized developer of advanced 3D printing materials. The collaboration is designed to strengthen customer success by expanding access to validated, high-performance materials optimized for CEAD’s additive manufacturing platforms.
The partnership reflects growing industry demand for reliable material ecosystems that can support increasingly complex large-scale manufacturing applications across sectors including aerospace, construction, automotive, marine, and furniture production.
Expanding Material Options for CEAD Customers
Through the partnership, CEAD customers will gain access to a broader portfolio of tested and validated materials designed to deliver consistent performance on CEAD’s manufacturing systems. By validating materials specifically for its platforms, CEAD aims to reduce adoption barriers and help customers achieve greater reliability, efficiency, and production quality.
Polymaker brings significant expertise in material development and a well-established global distribution network, making it a valuable partner as CEAD continues to expand the capabilities of its LFAM solutions.
According to Lucas Janssen, CEO of CEAD Group, the collaboration reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering robust and innovative solutions that enable customers to maximize the value of large-scale additive manufacturing technologies.
Supporting the Growth of Large-Format Additive Manufacturing
The partnership aligns with Polymaker’s broader mission of simplifying the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies. By combining Polymaker’s material expertise with CEAD’s large-format additive manufacturing systems, both companies aim to make LFAM more accessible, efficient, and dependable for industrial users.
Polymaker has already validated several materials for CEAD systems, including PolyCore™ PETG-1013, PETG-1000, and ABS-5022. The company plans to extend validation efforts across its entire PolyCore material portfolio in the near future, providing customers with an even wider selection of certified materials.
This expanded validation program is expected to enhance confidence among manufacturers seeking scalable and production-ready additive manufacturing solutions.
Driving Innovation Through Technology and Materials
The collaboration highlights the increasing importance of integrated hardware-and-material strategies within additive manufacturing. As industrial applications become more demanding, successful deployments depend not only on machine capabilities but also on the availability of reliable, application-specific materials.
By combining CEAD’s advanced manufacturing technologies with Polymaker’s extensive materials portfolio, the companies aim to unlock new opportunities for innovation and accelerate the adoption of large-format additive manufacturing across multiple industries.
The partnership also supports ongoing efforts to improve process consistency, part quality, and production efficiency—critical factors for organizations transitioning additive manufacturing from prototyping to full-scale production.
Real-World Applications Demonstrated at Formnext
The potential of the collaboration was showcased during Formnext 2024, where CEAD partner Benkert Bänke presented innovative 3D-printed furniture designs created using CEAD’s Flexbot solution and Polymaker materials.
Among the showcased applications were a modular bench and a translucent design table, demonstrating how advanced thermoplastic materials combined with robotic additive manufacturing can enable new possibilities in furniture design and production.
The exhibition highlighted the growing role of large-format additive manufacturing in creating functional, customizable, and sustainable products while reducing material waste and expanding design freedom.
Strategic Significance for the Additive Manufacturing Industry
As the additive manufacturing industry continues to mature, partnerships between hardware providers and material developers are becoming increasingly important. The CEAD–Polymaker collaboration represents a strategic effort to create a more comprehensive and reliable ecosystem for industrial users.
By expanding material validation programs and ensuring compatibility across manufacturing platforms, both companies are helping accelerate the adoption of large-format additive manufacturing technologies worldwide.
The partnership is expected to strengthen customer confidence, support new industrial applications, and contribute to the continued evolution of LFAM as a mainstream manufacturing technology.
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