PARIS, Sept. 25, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Materialise NV (NASDAQ:MTLS), a leading provider of Additive Manufacturing software, sophisticated 3D Printing solutions and certified manufacturing services, is collaborating with optical company SEIKO Optical Europe for the SEIKO Xchanger sports eyewear collection. The collection, introduced at the leading optics fair Silmo 2015 in Paris and made in collaboration with Hoet Design Studio and Materialise Engineering Services, is nominated for the Silmo d'Or award for excellence in optical innovation.
With the new SEIKO Xchanger collection of sports eyewear, SEIKO offers sports enthusiasts the ability to combine performance, comfort and aesthetics, through eyewear that features functionality and customizability beyond that of regular frames thanks to the engineering and design freedom of 3D Printing. In order to guarantee the quality and repeatability demanded, the SEIKO Xchanger collection is manufactured on dedicated machines, which will use Materialise's proprietary Additive Manufacturing Control Platform (AMCP) and be tuned specifically for 3D printing eyewear. The AMCP enables full control of the printing process and integrates into Materialise's software platform, which is used for the entire production process from design to finishing, ensuring that each set of frames is traceable through each step of manufacturing.
"True innovation in a fast-developing environment needs collaborations of dedicated teams, striving to push new technologies beyond their boundaries," said Jürgen Bischoff, President & CEO SEIKO Optical Europe. "In our cooperation with Materialise, we found both: high levels of engagement and dedication with the willingness of bringing projects to the next level of success."
Materialise CEO Fried Vancraen noted, "The 3D printing of eyewear is a hot topic, but here at Materialise, we do not want to get involved in manufacturing glasses simply because they can be 3D printed. Our goal is to contribute to the creation of better and more performant glasses, thanks to the advantages offered by this technology, and to deliver true innovation. With SEIKO, we have found a partner in the eyewear industry that shares this belief, and with Hoet, a partner that has already demonstrated the ability to exploit the benefits of 3D printing in the design of cutting-edge frames."
Materialise earlier this year announced its achievement of certifications for the manufacturing of end-use parts, suitable for the aeronautics and aerospace industries. This marks Materialise, with their capacity of more than 120 3D printers and wide variety of available technologies, as one of the most advanced and mature additive manufacturing production facilities in the world. Every day, over 2,000 parts are produced and shipped to customers all over the globe.
For more information, please contact:
Vanessa Palsenbarg
Corporate Communications Specialist, Materialise
Phone: +32 16 39 66 37
Fax: +32 16 39 66 00
Email: Vanessa.Palsenbarg@materialise.be
Twitter: @belgiancanuck or @MaterialiseNV
Visit: www.materialise.com
About Materialise
With its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, and branches worldwide, Materialise is a provider of Additive Manufacturing (AM) software solutions and sophisticated 3D printing services in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design and consumer products. Materialise has been playing an active role in the field of AM since 1990, through its involvement in AM for industrial and medical applications, by providing biomedical and clinical solutions such as medical image processing and surgical simulations and by developing unique solutions for its customers' prototyping, production, and medical needs. For additional information, please visit: www.materialise.com.
About SEIKO Eyewear
SEIKO Optical Europe GmbH (Willich/Germany) is a subsidiary of the Japanese SEIKO OPTICAL PRODUCTS CO. LTD., one of the leading manufacturers of high-tech spectacle lenses and frames worldwide. SEIKO Optical Europe develops, produces and distributes – among others – the spectacle lens brands SEIKO as well as the frame collections SEIKO Titanium and S2. From Willich SEIKO Optical currently serves over 50 countries in Europe, Africa and the Near East. Eight branches support these EMEA markets with an excellent service to the customers' benefit. In Japanese SEIKO means precision. And this is what SEIKO OPTICAL is committed to. It is among the very successful companies of the Group and is renowned for its precise watches and time measuring systems used at international sport events. Particularly among the target groups relevant for ophthalmic optics, the familiarity of the SEIKO brand is as high as 75%. For more information, see www.seiko-eyewear.com.