3DSystems announced today that they have required Phenix Systems, a leading global provider of Direct Metal Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printers based in Riom, France. While the details of the acquisition have not been closed, 3DSystems is expected to acquire an 80% stake in the company, with a maxmium payout of 13 euros per share – the deal is subject to approval, of course, as 3DSystems is a publicly traded company.
This acquisition represents a big bet on 3D Printing. Phenix Systems’ 3D Printers “can print chemically pure fully dense metal and ceramic parts from very fine powders with the granularity of 6 to 9 microns. Materials include stainless steel, tool steel, super alloys, non-ferrous alloys, precious metals and alumina for a variety of aerospace, automotive and patient specific medical device applications.”
As the 3D Printer technology continues to expand, 3D Printed food, clothes, houses, guns, hardware, medical supplies, and anything else you could imagine will slowly overtake the traditional “build it somewhere and ship it to where you need it” option. Amazon may have capitalized on the digitization of books into eReaders, but 3D Systems is betting on the digitization of everything else.
This isn’t 3DSystems first acquisition in France in the 3D Printing space – in fact, it’s its fourth. 3DSystems acquired CEP and Promteal, two service providers, in 2010, as well as COWEB earlier this year, a Paris startup that “creates consumer customized 3D printed products and collectibles.” It seems that 3DSystems is not only betting big on expansion into Europe, but on the hardware capacities of French startups.
Hat Tip to Cyprien Decouty of Sculpteo for this piece
@LiamBoogar tips 3Dsystems has made its 4th acquisition in France (Phenix Systems) without Montebourg's rant http://t.co/3FrBD9SOqc
— Cyprien Decouty (@cyprienD) June 14, 2013