Cubicure, a company developing a Hot Lithography technology for 3D printing applications, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Align Technology, Inc. Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® System, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero™ intraoral scanners and services, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software.
“Align and Cubicure have worked together for many years and our successful collaboration has contributed to breakthrough technologies and innovation in direct 3D printing,” said Srini Kaza, Align senior vice president of product research and development. “The acquisition of Cubicure will not only strengthen the Align Digital Platform and our core capabilities in direct 3D printing, but their talented team, including visionary founders, engineers, and material scientists, will expand our knowledge and expertise in one of the most strategic areas of innovation over the next decade. I look forward to welcoming the entire Cubicure team to Align and continuing to extend our global leadership in digital orthodontics and 3D printing.”
On another note, it should be noted that Align has been partnering with 3D Systems for the past 25 years on the production of aligners. As part of this partnership, 3D Systems provides hardware, materials, processing, and services for Align. Following this announcement, 3D Systems issued a statement explaining that its ongoing partnership with Align will not be affected by this deal.
“As the pioneer and a global leader in clear aligners with the world’s largest 3D printing operations producing over 1 million custom appliances every day, Align is continuing to innovate and invest in technologies that enable the next generation of direct 3D printed products, thus creating more sustainable and efficient solutions,” said Joe Hogan, Align Technology president and CEO. “Our partnership with Cubicure began several years ago as a joint development program and has evolved over time with the potential for significant innovation in scaling our direct 3D printing processes. The agreement to acquire Cubicure is a natural next step to bring their talented team and unique cutting-edge technology in-house where they will support our long-term growth strategy by enabling us to scale our 3D printing operations to eventually direct print millions of custom appliances per day.”
The acquisition of Cubicure will strengthen Align’s existing intellectual property portfolio and know-how in direct 3D printing of appliances. Integration with Cubicure will also extend and scale Align’s printing, materials, and manufacturing capabilities for our 3D printed product portfolio.
The purchase price for the transaction will be approximately €79 million subject to customary closing adjustments and adjustments for Align’s existing ownership of capital stock of Cubicure. The acquisition is expected to close in Q4 2023 or early 2024.
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