Voxeljet, a Germany-based provider of high-speed, large-format 3-D printers will locate its first U.S. facility in Canton, Michigan.

The company’s service center is expected to come online in the third quarter of this year and will create 15 to 20 direct high-tech local manufacturing jobs during the first three years of the project. The service center will allow voxeljet to print on-demand parts, molds, cores and models for automotive and other industrial customers based on designs produced using 3-D computer-aided design, or CAD, software.

“The decision to place voxeljet’s first U.S. service center in Michigan is based on the proximity of the site to potential customers in the Midwest region that form a significant part of the U.S. automobile industry and its supply chain,” said Dr. Ingo Ederer, voxeljet’s CEO. “While voxeljet’s customers span a range of industries, the auto industry is currently the heaviest user of our 3-D printing technology. We have extensive experience serving the 3-D printing needs of European automakers and we look forward to serving manufacturers in the U.S.”

“The decision by voxeljet to locate its first U.S. facility in Michigan is good news that underscores our state’s attractiveness to leading-edge, global companies,” Governor Rick Snyder said. “As the global center of automotive technology, research and development with a greatly improved business climate, Michigan is the smart business location to grow a technology business and create high-tech manufacturing jobs.”