At the time of writing, the Northern Netherlands is experiencing a considerable backlog in the development and building of knowledge about disruptive production technology Additive Manufacturing (3D printing). Where many initiatives and cooperation clusters with a focus on Additive Manufacturing are set up and thrive successfully in the Brainport region of Eindhoven, the north of the Netherlands is lagging behind in this knowledge development. Many SMEs have questions about applicability within their own specific sector, but have no idea where regional knowledge and guidance can be obtained. Additive Manufacturing has the potential to offer new insights and open new doors to all manufacturing companies in the north. There are valuable opportunities for regional manufacturing companies, both for high-tech OEMs and traditional machining companies. These techniques offer, among other things, the possibility to manufacture previously non-producible products, to discover new business cases, to tap into new markets and to produce and transport energy more neutrally. Study shows that SMEs wish to see and experience the advantage of the techniques before actual adoption takes place. The aim and vision of the testing ground is to become the experimentation environment for 3D printing in the North of the Netherlands. On the basis of this test garden project, a high degree of accessibility to knowledge and equipment is ensured, allowing industry in the north of the Netherlands to get acquainted with these techniques and thus be able to experience what this means for its own company. The objective of the test garden project is therefore: Creating acceptance and awareness of the possibilities of Additive Manufacturing (AM) in order to stimulate innovation and economic growth of Northern SMEs.