Whether or not it is still a restucturing plan, one thing is certain, 3D Systems continues to grow by acquiring 3D printing businesses. The latest companies that have just joined the company’s portfolio are Kumovis and Titan Robotics – the 4th and 5th companies to be acquired ever since 3D Systems announced a restructuration plan.
Each of these companies operates on a different segment, therefore will only complete 3D Systems’ existing services.
Adding pellet-based polymer extrusion 3D printing technology through Titan Robotics…
Titan Robotics which becomes Titan Additive LLC develops large-format, industrial 3D printers. The journey of this company started as a hobby for its founder Clay Guillory, who together with a passionate team, built up extensive ecpertise in pellet-based polymer extrusion 3D printing technology, and hybrid tool head configurations.
In addition to pellet extrusion, those hybrid tool head configurations include filament extrusion, and a spindle tool head for precision finishing. These configurable systems do not only provide further flexibility, they also enable to achieve solutions that can deliver large, industrial parts using heated build platforms and chambers that scale from 30” x 30” x 45” to as large as 50” x 50” x 72” with print speeds up to 30,000 mm per minute.
As a customer’s application focus expands in the future, the modular Titan system can be easily upgraded to accommodate new materials and product configurations to best meet their targeted performance and cost goals.
“The team at Titan Robotics is thrilled to become part of the world-class organization at 3D Systems, as Titan’s leadership team of Clay Guillory, Bill Macy, Maddie Guillory and I are committed to continuing Titan’s mission of changing the traditional manufacturing landscape with production additive manufacturing solutions,” said Rahul Kasat, CEO, Titan Additive LLC. “We are excited by the synergies this acquisition will enable to expand the adoption of industrial 3D printing across a wide variety of manufacturing industries, as pellet-based extrusion and hybrid manufacturing systems become the new standards for production applications.”
Direct pellet-fed 3D printing opens up a wide choice of material options, with hundreds of formulations commercially available ranging from low durometer (soft) to high performance and highly filled resins, such as high loadings of carbon fiber and glass fiber. This allows customers to not only select the ideal material for their application but also to realize potential cost savings of up to 75%. The combination of fast production and short cycle times, and lower costs make these solutions ideal for a variety of applications including:
- Sand casting
- Tooling, including thermoforming, vacuum forming, sheet metal forming, composite tooling, etc.
- Jigs and fixtures for assembly and manufacturing operations
- End-use parts applications such as an alternative to injection molding, or for high-temperature requirements, such as air ducts, underhood, brackets, and structural components.
Titan Robotics was represented by Reynolds Advisory Partners in this transaction.
And healthcare applications with Kumovis…
If there is one segment where we will always see 3D Systems invests, it’s definitely healthcare. Be it 3D bioprinting or medical 3D printing, 3D Systems has big plans for the healthcare industry.
Kumovis turned stealth mode off in 2019 with the release of a Fused Layer Manufacturing-based 3D printing system. The Germany-based start-up develops a solution for precision printing of medical-grade, high-performance polymers such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone).
According to the company, these materials are often preferred for human implants and surgical instrumentation applications. When processed by the Kumovis 3D printing technology, they enable surgeons « to deliver better, faster, and more economical patient outcomes ».
Reality is PEEK is a very desirable material for the production of medical devices because it is lightweight, resistant to thermal and ionizing radiation, and possesses mechanical properties similar to those of human bone.
With this acquisition, 3D Systems ambitions to expand its addressable market for personalized healthcare applications – applications that include for instance craniomaxillofacial surgery, bone plates for traumaand spinal cages.
To date, 3D Systems’ collaborations with carious healtcare professionals led to more than 140,000 patient-specific cases, and the manufacture of two million implants and instruments for 100+ CE-marked and FDA-cleared devices from its FDA registered, ISO 13485-certified facilities in Littleton, Colorado, and Leuven, Belgium.
The Kumovis technologies will now be integrated into these locations as a symbiotic fit in order to provide parts to current and prospective customers. Moving forward, the 3D printing giant will deploy this unique extrusion technology at medical and dental point of care providers to produce both implants and surgical instruments.
Both transactions are expected to close in April 2022.
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