Proto Labs Invests in Arburg Machinery as Part of European Growth Strategy

Proto Labs Inc. is investing in six Arburg molding machines in its latest phase of expansion in Europe, in response to growing demand in the region.

The Maple Plain, Minn.-based rapid prototyping and contract manufacturer for 3D printing, CNC machining and injection molding services, said it is buying a further six Arburg golden edition and ‘S’ machines with clamping forces between 50 and 250 metric tons, and is placing a large order of new machining centres.

The company says it is the world’s fastest digital manufacturing source for custom prototypes produces its injection molded parts for its customers across Europe at Proto Labs U.K. in Telford, England.

Proto Labs started its U.K. operation in 2005 and said it is making the investment to meet customer demand across Europe for an extensive variety of thermoplastic and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) parts, in many sectors including aerospace, medical and automotive.

With the investment in machines from Germany’s Arburg GmbH & Co. KG, the company expects to “massively scale capacity” to support the growth and increased requirements of its customers.

Proto Labs currently has 35 Arburg machines installed at its production site in the U.K. The company also installed three Arburg LSR machines in 2013 and has been adding to its molding portfolio with a high number of CNC machines.