Align Technology has completed the 79 million EUR acquisition of Austrian polymer 3D printing company Cubicure.
The deal was initially announced in September and closed earlier this week on January 2nd.
Align Technology has moved to acquire Cubicure as it looks to ‘support and scale’ its ‘strategic innovation roadmap’. For around two decades, Align has utilised 3D printing technology to produce the moulds for its Invisalign clear aligner products but in recent years has been exploring the direct printing of products. The integration of Cubicure is believed to be related to these efforts.
In its latest press release, Align states that Cubicure will help to scale its printing, materials and manufacturing capabilities for its 3D printed product portfolio, which now includes the Invisalign Palatal Expander system, Align’s first direct 3D printed orthodontic device. The company also suggests that Cubicure’s patented Hot Lithography technology ‘facilitates the unprecedented’ additive manufacturing of resilient components with ‘an astonishing first of its kind material quality performance.’
Align Technology CEO and President Joe Hogan goes on to say: “The acquisition of Cubicure brings a talented team and unique cutting-edge technology into Align and will enable us to scale our 3D printing operations to eventually direct print millions of custom appliances per day. Direct 3D printing enables Align to create 3D printed solutions without the added step of first creating a mould, making 3D printing more sustainable and efficient. I am excited to take this important step in our relationship with Cubicure, which began several years ago as a joint development program.”
“Align has invested billions of dollars on innovation over the past 27 years, including next-generation 3D printing technologies to process high-performance polymers,” added Srini Kaza, Align Senior Vice President, Poduct Research & Development. “We’ve been working with Cubicure for years and I am thrilled that they are now officially employees of Align and members of our R&D organisation. We're at the beginning of this next wave of direct 3D printing additive manufacturing and I believe we're poised to transform the orthodontic industry again with our unprecedented ability to direct print devices.”
