GE Additive, General Electric’s additive manufacturing division, announced a partnership with Stryker on Wednesday to support the company’s growth in the 3-D printing field.

This agreement, which was announced at GE’s Minds + Machines event in Berlin, will provide Stryker with new additive machines, materials, and services for its global supply chain operations.

GE has maintained a leading position in the additive manufacturing space for a number of years. The company acquired a 75 percent stake in Concept Laser and 76 percent of the shares in Arcam, which are both manufacturers of metal additive machines.

The company also invested $1.5 billion in manufacturing and additive technologies in the past decade, developed additive applications across six GE businesses and received 346 patents in powder metals that are used in the additive process.

Stryker began investing in additive manufacturing in 2001, and has since invested in Concept Laser and Arcam machines. The company also collaborated with top universities in the U.K. to industrialize 3-D printing for the health care industry.

Stryker recently opened a global technology development center with an additive technology manufacturing hub in Ireland.

“We regard Stryker as one of the most experienced practitioners of metal additive, with a range of commercialised medical products,” Mohammad Ehteshami, vice president and general manager of GE Additive, said in a statement. “We will continue to innovate with new additive products, materials, and technologies, which will support their growth.”

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