MATERIALISE AT 100% DESIGN 2003, EARLS COURT 2, LONDON, 25-28 SEPTEMBER 2003

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MATERIALISE AT 100% DESIGN 2003, EARLS COURT 2, LONDON, 25-28 SEPTEMBER 2003
25 September 2003 - Materialise NV

Materialise will exhibit in London, UK at the occasion of 100% Design, 25-28 September. This fair is internationally recognised as one of the world's most influential design events, alongside Milan, Cologne and New York.

100% Design - UK's leading commercial contemporary interior design exhibition - is the only show of its kind which combines dynamic young designer-makers with world-renowned manufacturers, creating an innovative and vibrant showcase for the best and the latest contemporary interiors products.

It is here that Materialise is launching its new label of lighting products. Materialise combines art and technology by using a high-tech background to produce exceptional lampshades. The exclusive lamps are created through prototyping techniques - stereolithography and selective laser sintering - that offer an almost unlimited freedom of design. Their aim with this new technology is to unleash a new era of mass customised design by Rapid Manufacturing.

The first collection to be presented in London has been designed by Janne Kyttanen and Jiri Evenhuis at 'Freedom Of Creation' (FOC). This young and innovative Dutch Design company was founded two years ago - sponsored by Materialise.

Their lamp creations are 3 dimensional printed lighting designs built at Materialise through the techniques of stereolithography and selective laser sintering. For those unfamiliar with rapid prototyping technologies, it is easy to depict this technology by comparing it with the familiar inkjet printing. Instead of building up a text it is actually constructing a 3D object by adding one slice on top of the other in a vessel of liquid polymer (for stereolithography) or powder (for selective laser sintering) that hardens when struck by a laser beam. With the software developed by Materialise and with the 3 dimensional printing technology it has become possible to create hollow structures and organic structures unreachable in any other production method.

Since Materialise brought this new idea of Rapid Manufacturing out into the open there have been nothing but enthusiastic responses.

Venka de Rooij, Creative Director at Dutch by Design - the online outlet specialist in Dutch design interior accessories - approached Materialise: 'We are really excited about the Lotus lamp's amazing effects when projecting its play of light. That is why we would like to add it to our online selection.' www.dutchbydesign.co.uk is currently offering 'Lotus' and 'Twister' in their lighting range.

Materialise has been short-listed for the Best Newcomer Award at this year's 100% Design / Blueprint Awards 2003. The other award categories will be Best Contribution & Best Product. The winning company for each category will receive ?2,500 towards the cost of a stand at 100% Design 2004 and a free full page colour advertisement in Blueprint. The final judging process of this award will take place on-site at 100% Design and will be judged by a panel of five design specialists on Friday 27 September.

http://www.materialise.com

About: Materialise NV
Begun as a joint venture with the University of Leuven-Belgium, Materialise was one of the first European rapid prototyping service bureaus. It has since grown into a European supplier of plastic prototype solutions, and today is a worldwide leader in the rapid prototyping industry. Materialise offers a broad range of rapid prototyping, tooling and digital CAD software. In addition, Materialise prototypes and software have established a reputation in medicine and dentistry, with clinicians the world over using them in the most complex surgical cases. Its design products division concentrates on the development of rapid manufacturing. The company is privately owned with several subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and the USA, and employs over 300 people in its 4 divisions.

* Materialise Industrial Services to "materialise" technical prototypes and small series through the most advanced prototyping and tooling techniques.
* Materialise Software to develop the technical software applications that allow a more efficient use of the rapid prototyping techniques.
* Materialise Medical to create medical models using these prototyping techniques and to develop medical software packages that are used by clinicians worldwide to assist them in the most complex cases of surgery.
* Materialise.MGX to manufacture design products for the end-user market. MGX is the youngest division and it draws on the knowledge and expertise of the prototyping division.

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