Stratasys to Acquire Origin: 3D Print Merger

Stratasys Ltd recently announced it has signed an agreement to acquire 3D printing start-up Origin Inc. The merger enables Stratasys to expand its leadership through innovation in the fast-growing mass production parts segment with a next-generation photopolymer platform.

Stratasys expects Origin’s proprietary Programmable PhotoPolymerization (P3) technology to be an important growth engine for the company, adding up to $200 million incremental annual revenue within five years. The acquisition will help fortify Stratasys’ leadership position in polymers and production applications of 3D printing in industries such as dental, medical, tooling, and select industrial, defense, and consumer goods segments.

Stratasys CEO Yoav Zeif commented:

Our customers are looking for additive manufacturing solutions that enable use of industrial-grade resins for mass production parts with process and quality control. We believe Origin’s software-driven Origin One system is the best in the industry by combining high throughput with incredible accuracy. When combined with Origin’s extensive materials ecosystem and our industry-leading go-to-market capabilities, we believe we will be able to capture a wide range of in-demand production applications on a global scale. Together with our intended entry into powder bed fusion technology, the acquisition of Origin reflects another step in fulfilling our objective to lead in polymer additive manufacturing by offering comprehensive, best-in-class technologies and solutions to create a fully digital additive value chain, designed for Industry 4.0 integration.

Origin’s P3 technology, an advancement on Digital Light Processing (DLP) principles, cures liquid photopolymer resin with light. The company’s first manufacturing-grade 3D printer, Origin One, precisely controls light, heat, and force, among other parameters, via Origin’s closed-loop feedback software. This new technology enables customers to build parts with industry-leading accuracy, consistency, size, and detail while using a wide range of commercial-grade, durable resins.

Origin One systems have been successfully deployed across a variety of industries, including shoe manufacturer ECCO. Jakob Hansen, Vice President of Research and Development at ECCO commented:

We’re pleased to continue our cooperation with the Origin team as an exclusive partner within the area of the footwear industry categorized as Direct Injection Production, now also by leveraging Stratasys’ global infrastructure.

The COVID-19 pandemic further illustrated Origin’s technology fit for production applications, including hundreds of thousands of clinically validated nasopharyngeal swabs, thousands of PPE face shields, and ventilator splitters for hospitals.

Origin CEO and co-founder Christopher Prucha made a final comment of:

Stratasys is the best company for us to join to achieve our vision, giving us an unparalleled opportunity to significantly expand market reach and enable us to bring our P3 technology to a larger audience.