3D Systems acquires Additive Works
May 7, 2021
3D Systems, Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA, has signed an agreement to acquire software company Additive Works, headquartered in Bremen, Germany. In a further investment, the company also signed a deal to acquire bioprinting solutions developer Allevi, based in Philadelphia, USA. Building upon the company’s healthcare and software businesses, the targeted investments were said to address rapidly-expanding application opportunities for Additive Manufacturing in medical and high-reliability industrial applications.
“We continue to deliver on our four-phase plan with an increasing focus on investing for accelerated growth and profitability,” stated Dr Jeffrey Graves, 3D Systems’ president and CEO. I’m excited by the expertise, capabilities and technologies we are adding to the 3D Systems portfolio with Allevi and Additive Works. Through these investments, we are enriching our solutions portfolio to address a much broader healthcare market, including the extremely exciting market for regenerative medicine, while accelerating the adoption rate for AM across industrial applications.”
Since its beginning in 2015, Additive Works has focussed upon simulation-based optimisation and automation of the AM print preparation and workflow. Using sophisticated algorithms, Additive Works’ software allows engineers to rapidly determine optimum print set up, such as part orientation and support structures, as well as directly adapt the process set up for effective thermal management and distortion compensation. This highly-automated simulation software –which interfaces with leading CAD systems, such as 3D Systems’ 3DXpert – enables increased productivity by reducing set-up time whilst improving product yield, throughput, and component performance. The result is a fast and reliable manufacturing process, reduced part cost, and improved component performance.
By integrating Additive Works’ simulation knowledge into 3D Systems’ software team, the company aims to enhance its AM software portfolio and innovation capacity, driving accelerated AM adoption across the industrial and healthcare markets that the company serves. This includes Additive Works’ Amphyon for experts as well as the Amphyon plugin for CAD users – both of which will continue to be sold and supported to customers as a standalone offering.
“We’re excited to join 3DSystems and continue our journey,” added Nils Keller, CEO and co-founder of Additive Works. “As a hardware, materials, and software provider across different AM technologies, 3D Systems is a perfect partner for us. This is a big step towards leveraging our simulation technologies, by linking material, process and intelligent software tools in a way it has never been done before.”
Graves concluded, “These investments will bring added value to our customers, open new markets for our technology, and result in accelerated growth and profitability that will allow 3D Systems to thrive in the exciting years ahead.”