{"id":58647,"date":"2024-07-11T16:58:07","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T14:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=58647"},"modified":"2024-07-12T09:10:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T07:10:38","slug":"formlabs-announces-major-move-with-micronics-acquisition-110720246","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/formlabs-announces-major-move-with-micronics-acquisition-110720246\/","title":{"rendered":"Formlabs Make Major Move With Micronics Acquisition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The additive manufacturing<\/a> industry certainly does not seem to be taking a summer vacation! Not long after the surprising news about Desktop Metal and Nano Dimension<\/a>, now we have yet another unexpected announcement: Formlabs will be acquiring Micronics.<\/p>\n

At this point, you have probably heard about the startup, or at least the significant buzz that has been surrounding it. Early last month, Micronics<\/a> made waves with the official launch on Kickstarter of its Micron SLS 3D printing solution that cost less than $3000. For this news to come so quickly after opening the Kickstarter is astounding to say the least. Especially given that the company had already surmounted the initial $100,000 goal with over 400 backers and $1,357,939 raised before its cancellation after the acquisition announcement. But what exactly will this mean?<\/p>\n

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SLS is known for creating engineering-grade parts, such as these done by Formlabs<\/p><\/div>\n

Formlabs and Micronics Shine a Light on Accessible SLS<\/span><\/p>

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You may remember, that it has not been so long that Formlabs itself broke into the SLS market. Originally known for its vat photopolymerization solutions (the company completed its own Kickstarter for its Form 1 3D printer back in 2013), Formlabs unveiled its first SLS 3D printer<\/a> in 2017. Since then, however, the company has continued to grow in the SLS market, focusing on developing more accessible solutions for selective laser sintering<\/a> with its Fuse 1<\/a> and Fuse 1+ 30W<\/a> (although note that the full ecosystem for these desktop SLS machines will still cost over $30,000).<\/p>\n

It is on the latter point that Formlabs and Micronics seem to have found a certain synergy. Micronics has shown that it is passionate about increasing accessibility to SLS. The process is well-known for its potential in production, even in large series and for isotropic parts<\/a>, but due to its nature, can be prohibitively expensive. The Micron 3D printer from Micronics was set to be the only non-kit SLS 3D printer that cost less than $5000, which would have truly opened up the market to users needing engineering quality at a lower price.<\/p>\n

Now the “accessibility” of any subsequent printers will most likely be less revolutionary than that of the Micron 3D printer. With the Kickstarter canceled, all backers will be fully refunded and receive a $1000 credit for any Formlabs 3D printer for use now or in the future. And it should go without saying that any future machines made with Micronics’ innovative technology will likely not be at the same price point.<\/p>\n

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The current solutions offered by Formlabs<\/p><\/div>\n

In any case, it is safe to say that with this acquisition, Formlabs has boldly strengthened its own hold on the desktop\/accessible SLS 3D printer market (although the company already claims that its Fuse 1 Series printer account for more than half of powder bed solutions sold). Formlabs further reasons that the acquisition of Micronics will give them access to “engineering excellence” as they continue their shared focus on power and accessible 3D printing.<\/p>\n

For right now, not much is known about what will happen next. However, in Micronics’ video, the co-founders explain that they will both be joining Formlabs. Luke Boppart will be delving into software, while Henry Chan will be leading the SLS team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to join forces with Formlabs, a company we have long admired,\u201d<\/em> concludes Henry Chan, CEO of Micronics. \u201cAfter the outpouring of excitement around our Kickstarter, we\u2019re confident that this move will enable us to bring the best SLS 3D printing experience to users around the world by leveraging the incredible talent and experience at Formlabs. We are excited about this next phase in our mission to make digital fabrication even more accessible, and can\u2019t wait to get started.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n