3D Systems has announced the acquisitions of polymer extrusion 3D printing companies Titan Additive and Kumovis to expand its play in the industrial and medical markets.
With both deals expected to close in April 2022, 3D Systems believes the pellet-based technology of Titan will allow it to address new applications in the foundries, transportation, aerospace and general manufacturing sectors, while Kumovis’ offering will strengthen its addressable market for personalised healthcare applications. It follows 3D Systems' acquisitions of Allevi and Additive Works in May 2021 and its $180m buy out of Oqton last autumn.
Titan Robotics offers hybrid tool head configurations (pellet extrusion, filament extrusion and a spindle tool head for precision finishing) that are designed to give customers increased flexibility when choosing the best combined format to suit their application needs. Combining this capability with build chambers measuring 30 x 30 x 45 inches and 50 x 50 x 72 inches, and print speeds up to 30,000mm per minute, Titan is able to facilitate the manufacture of ‘large, industrial parts.’ In recent years, Titan has continued to build out its hardware portfolio, announcing a new system at last year's AMUG, while also aligning with Jabil - also a 3D Systems partner - for the supply of pellet extrusion materials.
By acquiring Titan, 3D Systems is confident it now has a larger play in sand casting, tooling, jigs and fixtures, and end-use parts applications like air ducts, brackets and structural components.
“With the addition of Titan Robotics’ unique extrusion technology, we will be able to address our customers’ needs for large build volumes, superior performance and improved productivity at a significantly lower cost,” commented 3D Systems President and CEO Dr Jeffrey Graves. “Through the innovative modular approach of their printers, and the ability to use both pellet and filament product forms in an open architecture with widely available production polymer systems, we believe the adoption rate of industrial 3D printing will continue to accelerate. By combining the engineering and applications expertise of Titan Robotics with the global reach of 3D Systems’ sales, service and application teams, we are well-positioned to support our customers across the full range of our markets.”
“The team at Titan Robotics is thrilled to become part of the world-class organisation 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,” added Titan Additive CEO Rahul Kasat. “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.”
Kumovis, meanwhile, offers extrusion technology specifically developed for the precision printing of medical-grade and high-performance polymers like PEEK. Materials like PEEK are often deployed for human implants and surgical instrumentation applications, with Kumovis’ technology promising medical parts that are delivered faster and achieve better patient outcomes. Kumovis' technology was made available in August 2019 and since then the company has gone on to partner with Hyperganic, raise €3.6m in a Series A round and appoint medtech leader Vincent Gardès as its chairman.
By integrating Kumovis into 3D Systems’ already healthy medical activities in Colorado and Leuven, 3D Systems expects to expand its offering to include PEEK implant manufacturing and bone plates for trauma procedures, while building on its capacity to produce spinal cages.
“As a pioneer in personalised healthcare solutions, 3D Systems is continuously searching for opportunities to expand our application offerings that will advance healthcare delivery,” offered Dr Graves. “The addition of the Kumovis team – their expertise and technology – will be highly synergistic to our medical business model. Our proven ability to deliver regulatory-approved, implantable 3D printed medical devices, personalised to improve patient outcomes, to surgeons around the world through our exceptional channel partners, will help ensure that the Kumovis PEEK-based offerings can be brought to market quickly and effectively. Moreover, 3D Systems’ expanding point of care initiatives will be greatly enhanced through the inclusion of Kumovis’ unique ‘integrated clean room’ printing technology, allowing hospitals and other end-users to tailor products on-demand, to meet specific patient requirements in the quickest and most resource-efficient manner.”
Kumovis co-founder and co-CEO Stefan Leonhardt added: “In addition, by joining forces with 3D Systems, we will be able to combine their outstanding solutions with our unique PEEK printing technology to offer efficient, validated end-to-end workflows to produce personalised implants and improve patient outcomes. We look forward to increasing the focus on our core competencies to help accelerate the development of the next generation of implants and transform medical device manufacturing.”
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