Tag Archives: Stratasys

Top 3D Printing News Last Week: MakerBot Acquired, Modibot Kickstarter

3D printing news

3D Printing News

A roundup of the top 3D printing news from June 17 to June 23:

Tuesday, June 18

Wednesday, June 19

Saturday, June 22

Sunday, June 23

 

Full Analysis of the Stratasys and MakerBot 3D Printing Acquisition

Stratasys MakerBot Acquisition

Full Analysis of Stratasys and MakerBot Deal

On June 19, desktop 3D printer company MakerBot was acquired by Stratasys for $403 million. The next day, executives from Stratasys and MakerBot hosted a conference call with analysts to discuss the transaction. Seeking Alpha published a full transcript of the call and we provide our analysis on the deal below.

Executives on the call included:

  • Shane Glenn – VP Investor Relations
  • S. Scott Crump – Chairman of the Board
  • David Reis – Chief Executive Officer
  • Bre Pettis – CEO and Co-Founder of MakerBot
  • Erez Simha – Chief Operations Officer, Israel and Chief Financial Officer

Stratasys Definitive Move into Desktop 3D Printer Market

Stratasys has long been a leader in the additive manufacturing industry. In December they completed a merger with Israel-based Objet to create a $3 billion 3D printer company. Now, with the addition of MakerBot, Stratasys is definitively embracing the desktop 3D printer market.

The executives commented that desktop 3D printing is the next industrial revolution.

It has been widely reported that MakerBot has major customers in organization like GE, NASA and Lockheed Martin, and continue to sell its desktop 3D printers to other Major Fortune 500 companies as well as small entrepreneurial startups and individuals.

Desktop 3D printing usage among design and engineering professional is growing rapidly. Stratasys and MakerBot estimate that between 35,000 to 40,000 desktop 3D printers were sold in 2012. This number is estimated to double in 2013, as consumers increasingly adopt desktop 3D printers for broad range of applications.

In acquiring MakerBot, Stratasys has expanded its scope, selling 3D printers priced from $2,000 to more than $600,000 for all purposes. The MakerBot products allow for more accessibility and affordability of 3D printers that will enable more rapid growth.

MakerBot Company Profile

MakerBot, headquartered in Brooklyn, is the market leader in desktop 3D printing, selling more than 22,000 3D printers since 2009. The company has 274 employees.

MakerBot generated revenues of $15.7 million in 2012, and grew rapidly to $11.5 million in Q1 2013. The company sells two 3D printers: the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, and the MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer. Retail prices range from $2,200 to $2,800. The majority of sales are placed on the MakerBot website. 60% of customers are based in North America, and 40% international.

The 3D printers are assembled in Brooklyn at a 55,000 square foot production facility in the Sunset Park neighborhood.

MakerBot hosts a web community called Thingiverse, where users can upload 3D printable files. There are more than 90,000 3D product files online and the site has more than 500,000 unique visitors and 1 million downloads each month.

Bre Pettis’ View

MakerBot CEO shared his perspective on the deal:

Our company shares a vision about how to lead the market’s growth and development and it’s all about creating a great user experience. We are very proud of what we have built at MakerBot, but we’ve only just begun. That’s why we are so attracted by the opportunity to join with Stratasys.

Our mission remains the same. Merging with Stratasys offers us an opportunity to continue to build our business and pursue our vision under the MakerBot brand. The last couple of years have been incredibly inspiring and exciting for us. We have an aggressive model for growth. Partnering with Stratasys will allow us to supercharge that mission to empower individuals to make things using a MakerBot and allow us to bring 3D technology to more people.

Deal Structure

Stratasys will issue 4.76 million shares of its stock, worth $403 million, in exchange for 100% of the outstanding capital stock of MakerBot.

In addition, MakerBot stakeholders will also be eligible for performance-based earn-outs of up $201 million through the end of 2014.

 

Read the full transcript at Seeking Alpha.

MakerBot Acquired by Stratasys for $403 Million

MakerBot Store Grand Opening

3D Printing Company MakerBot Acquired by Stratasys

MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis has reason to be smiling. His firm was just acquired for $403 million by Stratasys.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, privately-held MakerBot will trade its stock for new stock issue of publicly-traded Stratasys in a transaction that expands the growth of the desktop 3D printer market.

The Wall Street Journal also released details about MakerBot’s sales of 3D printers.

MakerBot has sold more than 22,000 3D printers since it was founded in 2009 and in the recent first quarter it generated total revenue of $11.5 million. The company’s products are increasingly used by so-called prosumers, including engineers, designers, architects, manufacturers who buy high-tech products or equipment, and consumers for personal applications.

This is Stratasys’ second large deal in the last year. In December, Stratasys merged with Objet to create a $3 billion juggernaut.

We’ve reached out to MakerBot for comment.

Register for Inside 3D Printing Chicago: July 10-11 – Discount Available

Inside 3D Printing Chicago

Inside 3D Printing Chicago

Inside 3D Printing Conference attracted 3,000 attendees and top exhibitors like MakerBot and 3D Systems to its inaugural event in New York. Now, after months of exponential growth and tremendous 3D printing coverage in the news, the conference will head to Chicago this July 10-11.

The topic has piqued the interest and involvement of government officials like Congressman Bill Foster of the 11th Congressional District of Illinois who will discuss digital manufacturing and its connection to policy, education, and jobs at the event.

Inside 3D Printing Chicago Guitar

Greg Diamond of 3D Systems plays a 3D printed guitar in the exhibit hall of Inside 3D Printing Conference in New York City.

Industry players, innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors will meet in Chicago to discuss the impact of 3D printing on various fields. Speakers include Scott Crump, Founder and Chairman of the Board at Stratasys, Ralph L. Resnick, President & Executive Director of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing & Machining (NCDMM), and Cydni Tetro, Entrepreneur in Residence for Disney.

The event will even feature the designer and architect who created style icon Dita von Teese’s famous 3D printed dress to discuss 3D printing’s influence on fashion and art.

Sessions include Industrial Scale Additive Manufacturing Technologies, 3D Printing and the Future (or Demise) of Intellectual Property, and The Printed Athlete: How 3D Printing is Changing the Nature of Sports. View the full program here.

Inside 3D Printing Chicago Cody Wilson

Cody Wilson, Founder and Director of Defense Distributed, discusses 3D printed guns during his session at the Inside 3D Printing Conference in New York City.

PERK: You’ll save 15% off your Gold Passport to the event with code ON3D. Register today.

 

Inside 3D Printing Conference Is Next Week – Discount Available

Inside 3D Printing Conference

Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo kicks off next week, April 22-23, in New York City. This is the first conference of its kind in the region and several of the industry’s heavy hitters will be present.

Attendees will hear presentations on 3D printing’s impact on daily life, education, food, engineering, design, architecture, manufacturing, firearms, fashion, and business, while networking with professionals from 3D Systems, Shapeways, MakerBot, Solidoodle, and more. View the full agenda here.

Speakers include Hod Lipson of Cornell University who co-authored Fabricated: The World of 3D Printing, Hugh Evans III of T. Rowe Price Associates, Brett Lyons of Boeing, Gonzalo Martinez of Autodesk, Jennifer Ritter of Estee Lauder, and Ofer Shochet of Stratasys. View the full speaker list here.

The conference’s two full days of tutorials and seminars will provide attendees with a blueprint for how to invest and utilize 3D printing in coming years, while the exhibit hall will showcase the latest 3D printers and services.

Use On 3D Printing’s exclusive discount code: PRINT for 15% off a full-conference pass. Avoid on-site prices and register by April 21.