Croom Medical Builds €18M Orthopaedic Centre with Multi-Material 3D Printing

Ireland's AM Leader Doubles Down on 3D Printed Implants

Croom Medical has broken ground on a 38,000-square-foot R&D and industrialisation centre of excellence that will feature multi-material additive manufacturing equipment — the largest single investment in the company's 42-year history.

The Advanced Centre of Orthopaedic Technologies (ACOT), based in Croom, Co. Limerick, represents an €18 million ($21.3m) commitment to scaling additive manufacturing for medical implants. The facility will house research, development, and full-cycle production of orthopedic implants.

TALOS and Biofuse: The Tech Behind the Investment

In recent years, Croom Medical has established itself as a leading user of additive manufacturing in orthopaedics. The company's flagship technology platforms include:

• TALOS — A process for 3D printed tantalum components using advanced Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF). Tantalum's biocompatibility and osseointegration properties make it ideal for orthopaedic implants.
• Biofuse — A L-PBF produced porous lattice technology that allows fine-tuning of pore size, porosity, and mechanical properties to match patient bone characteristics.

These platforms enable the production of complex implant geometries that conventional machining cannot achieve, including porous structures for better bone integration.

Workforce Tripled Since 2021

The investment reflects Croom Medical's rapid growth trajectory. Since 2021, the company's workforce has tripled to over 170 professionals, including an award-winning R&D team. The new facility will support continued expansion while maintaining the company's FDA-registered and ISO 13485 certified manufacturing capabilities.

Why This Matters

For the medical device industry, this investment signals that additive manufacturing has moved beyond prototyping into full-scale production. Croom Medical's ability to produce both solid and porous implant regions in a single build eliminates secondary coating steps, reducing cost and lead time while improving patient outcomes.

The ACOT facility is expected to be operational in 2027, positioning Ireland as a hub for advanced orthopaedic manufacturing.