Plans revealed for 40,000 sq ft 3D printing facility in Cheshire

Property company Tatton Estate is teaming up with Manchester Metropolitan University to create a new multi-million pound 3D printing facility in Cheshire.

The two organisations will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the development this week at MIPIM, the property and investment conference taking place in Cannes, France.

It is estimated that the project, Cheshire 3D Print Hub (C3D), will deliver an initial £6m investment in the North West.

The facility will comprise 40,000 sq ft of existing buildings on Tatton Estate’s Yarwood Heath Farm, located between Altrincham and Knutsford.

C3D will also offer incubation space for the region’s emerging industrial digital technologies market.

Henry Brooks, managing director of Tatton Group, said: “C3D is a very exciting prospect, regionally, nationally and internationally. It will help contribute to the global imperative for the UK and the North West to increase manufacturing, to create wealth, jobs and social cohesion.

“It will also become an integral part of Cheshire’s international corridor of science and innovation which has some of the most significant science based assets in the North of England, some of which are of global importance.”

He continued: “Sitting at the geographical heart of the UK, Cheshire Gateway already boasts fantastic connectivity to all major cities via train, which will be yet further fed by the HS2 hub stations at Crewe and Manchester Airport, where it is expected to connect to Northern Powerhouse rail, connecting C3D to the global community.”

C3D will operate in conjunction with the university’s existing PrintCity facilities in Manchester.

Prof. Craig Banks, personal chair in electrochemical and nanotechnology at Manchester Metropolitan University, commented: “The long-term ambition of the project is to create an open and inclusive science and technology hub.

“It will enhance our research and innovation infrastructure and capacities to develop excellence and promote business investment, including for SMEs.”

He continued: “The collaboration between Tatton Estate and Manchester Met will also form academic partnerships, using research knowledge to drive commercial growth. SMEs will be supported by postgraduate research projects, with senior academic expertise and could take ideas from concept through to commercialisation.

“As ideas develop, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships could be exploited to accelerate suitable projects as a route to commercialisation.”

Tatton Group is part of a Cheshire and Warrington delegation at MIPIM led by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Also involved are Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire East Council, Warrington Borough Council and 30 private sector partners.