A $100 million business deal allowing a leading 3-D printing pioneer to widen its technological offering, is causing a stir in the additive manufacturing (AM) world.
Stratasys, represented in the UK by Derbyshire-based platinum partner
SYS Systems, has signed an agreement to acquire 3-D printing start-up
Origin Inc.
It will enable Stratasys to expand its leadership through innovation in the fast-growing mass production of parts segment with a next-generation photopolymer platform.
Stratasys expects Origin’s proprietary Programmable PhotoPolymerisation (P3) technology to be an important growth engine for the company, adding up to $200 million incremental annual revenue within five years.
It will help fortify Stratasys’ ground-breaking work in polymers and 3-D printing production applications in industries such as medical, tooling and select industrial, defence and consumer goods segments.
Stratasys CEO Yoav Zeif said: “Our customers are looking for AM solutions that enable use of industrial-grade resins for mass production parts with process and quality control.
“We believe Origin’s software-driven Origin One system is the best in the industry by combining high throughput with incredible accuracy. When combined with Origin’s extensive materials ecosystem and our industry-leading go-to-market capabilities, we believe we will be able to capture a wide range of in-demand production applications on a global scale.
“Together with our intended entry into powder bed fusion technology, the acquisition of Origin reflects another step in fulfilling our objective to lead in polymer additive manufacturing by offering comprehensive, best-in-class technologies and solutions to create a fully digital additive value chain, designed for Industry 4.0 integration.”
According to Stratasys market analysis, manufacturing applications show the most potential for significant growth in the 3-D printing industry, reaching approximately $25 billion by 2025.
Stratasys anticipates that production-oriented resin-based solutions can address a significant part of the total market for polymer additive manufacturing. In fact, it is estimated that resin polymer-based additive systems will grow at a 20% annual rate from 2020 to 2025.
Origin’s P3 technology, an advancement on Digital Light Processing (DLP) principles, cures liquid photopolymer resin with light. The company’s first manufacturing-grade 3-D printer, Origin One, precisely controls light, heat and force, among other parameters, via closed-loop feedback software.
This new technology enables customers to build parts with industry-leading accuracy, consistency, size and detail, while using a wide range of commercial-grade, durable resins.
Origin CEO and co-founder Christopher Prucha said: “We founded Origin to create a whole new AM platform that enables mass production of end-use parts with incredible accuracy, consistency and throughput along with a wide range of available materials.
“Stratasys is the best company for us to join to achieve our vision, giving us an unparalleled opportunity to significantly expand market reach and enable us to bring our P3 technology to a larger audience.”
A global leader in 3-D printing through its FDM and PolyJet technologies, Stratasys machines are used to create prototypes, manufacturing tools and production parts for a multitude of industries.
Its systems have helped manufacturers reduce product development time, cost and time to market, as well as reduce or eliminate tooling costs and improve product quality.