Following a strategic review of the Company’s software investment
strategy, 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) today announced that it has signed
a definitive agreement to sell its Geomagic software
portfolio to the Manufacturing Intelligence Division of Hexagon, a
global leader in digital reality solutions, combining sensor,
software, and autonomous technologies, for $123 million. The
transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2025,
following the completion of customary regulatory reviews. The
Geomagic product portfolio is a powerful, proven integrated
software tool kit that includes Design X, Control X, Freeform,
Wrap, and Geomagic for SolidWorks. The Geomagic portfolio has built
a strong user base in, among other things, the market for creating
digital models from physical objects that can then be used to
manufacture the finished component. This process, commonly known as
‘reverse engineering,’ automates the processing of scan data
captured with a 3D scanner to create accurate CAD models. Certain
Geomagic products can also be used to design from scratch or modify
existing models and to accurately measure and inspect parts for
quality control purposes when finished. As a leader in scanning
technologies, Hexagon is ideally positioned to harness the power of
the Geomagic portfolio to offer a more complete scan-to-CAD
workflow, to bridge the physical and digital worlds.
Following the divestiture, 3D Systems will focus on its software
platforms that are core to customer adoption and application of its
3D printing technologies. These specifically include 3D Sprint,
3DXpert, and Oqton Industrial Manufacturing OS, each of which bring
unique value to customers targeting large-scale, production
applications. By concentrating development resources on these
platforms, 3D Systems believes it can accelerate its strategic
software development efforts and augment its product offerings to
empower customers to unlock the full potential of AM. This focus is
particularly important in order to increasingly leverage the
capabilities of AI and machine learning, as these powerful new
tools become more accessible to companies targeting,
high-reliability production environments and other critical
industrial settings. By focusing on these high-ROI,
mission-critical software offerings, the Company will better enable
the widespread adoption of additive manufacturing
significantly enhancing customer and shareholder value.
3DXpert and 3D Sprint are core to the company’s metal and
polymer additive manufacturing solutions respectively. 3DXpert is
renowned as a production-grade additive manufacturing software
solution that combines design for additive manufacturing (DfAM),
build preparation simulation and inspection in a single
environment. This enables shorter design-to-manufacture lead times,
optimized design structure, and reduced manufacturing costs. The
solution automates repetitive tasks and inspection through the
power of AI and machine learning to drive efficiency,
repeatability, and quality. 3D Sprint is exclusive software from 3D
Systems for preparing and optimizing CAD and polygon data and
managing the additive manufacturing process for its polymer 3D
printing technologies. The Company’s software engineers developed
this solution to support file preparation to production in the same
software environment with an easy-to-use interface to maximize
efficiency and avoid costly errors, saving customers both time and
money. Continued innovation alongside experts within 3D Systems’
Application Innovation Group (AIG) and print process team has
enabled a variety of segment-specific workflows to address
challenging applications. By focusing additional investment in
3DXpert and 3D Sprint, the Company will be able to place greater
emphasis on its R&D efforts to deliver enhanced capabilities
that will enable its customers to propel their innovation and
address a broader range of applications.
Integral to 3D Systems’ software strategy is the Company’s Oqton
Industrial Manufacturing OS that helps customers move from
prototyping to a repeatable and high-quality production additive
manufacturing process. Through the power of AI, Manufacturing OS is
intended to manage, optimize, automate, and prepare actions and
data to increase throughput, scale production, and maximize
operational efficiency. In early 2023, 3D Systems and Baker Hughes
began a formal collaboration on this solution. The goal of this
effort is to develop an industrial digital ecosystem that increases
efficiency and facilitates regulatory compliance to transform how
manufacturers bring their products to market in highly regulated
industries such as energy, aerospace, and healthcare.
“The additive manufacturing (AM) industry is rapidly evolving,
and we believe there are significant opportunities to drive
innovation that is critical to the wide-spread adoption of 3D
printing in production environments,” said Dr. Jeffrey Graves,
president & CEO, 3D Systems. “While advanced printing hardware
and engineering materials are essential to the new applications
that are of most interest to our customers, software is equally
important to the mass adoption of the technology. As the company
that commercialized the first 3D printing technology nearly four
decades ago and has the most extensive experience in mass
production of custom components, 3D Systems is well-positioned to
be a leader in moving AM from the lab to the factory floor. The
changes we’re announcing today will sharpen our focus on those
software platforms that are most critical to our customers’ success
in this new-use environment. By streamlining our software
operations, focusing exclusively on our core platforms, and
leveraging the exceptional capabilities that AI is now making
available to us, we will be better positioned to support our
customers' most critical requirements as they move 3D printing into
high-volume production environments.”
Dr. Graves concluded, “For those thousands of loyal Geomagic
customers who have been essential to our growth, we believe that
Hexagon is an ideal strategic owner for these assets and that the
future will be bright under their stewardship. For 3D Systems’
stakeholders, this transaction leaves the Company very
well-positioned for the future, with the broadest technology base
in the industry, the scale needed to support our customers in
production environments, and a fortified balance sheet to continue
driving our industry leading innovation.”
Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements
made in this release that are not statements of historical or
current facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of the company to be materially
different from historical results or from any future results or
projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. In many cases, forward-looking statements can be
identified by terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "may,"
"will," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates" or "plans" or the
negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.
Forward-looking statements are based upon management’s beliefs,
assumptions, and current expectations and may include comments as
to the company’s beliefs and expectations as to future events and
trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to
uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the
company. The factors described under the headings "Forward-Looking
Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the company’s periodic filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as other
factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from those
reflected or predicted in forward-looking statements. Although
management believes that the expectations reflected in the
forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking
statements are not, and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of
future performance or results, nor will they necessarily prove to
be accurate indications of the times at which such performance or
results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included
are made only as of the date of the statement. 3D Systems
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements made by management or on its behalf, whether as a result
of future developments, subsequent events or circumstances or
otherwise, except as required by law.
About 3D Systems More than 35 years ago, 3D
Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing
industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions
partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every
interaction - empowering our customers to create products and
business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique
offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each
application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our
application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform
how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions
address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and
industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace &
defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the
company is available at www.3dsystems.com.
Investor Contact:
investor.relations@3dsystems.comMedia
Contact: press@3dsystems.com
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