Stratasys has announced the acquisition of RP Support (RPS), adding the UK-based company’s offering of stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing systems to its product portfolio.
The company has said the takeover of RPS gives it a ‘full suite of solutions across the product life cycle’ and expects the acquisition to be ‘slightly accretive’ to revenue and non-GAAP per-share earnings by the end of 2021.
Though Stratasys announced its entry into the stereolithography market in April 2019 through the launch of V650 Flex, which is said to feature a 500 x 500 x 580 mm build volume and be supported by an open materials architecture, the company has moved to acquire RPS and its SLA offering. RPS has launched two series of its NEO SLA machine; one of which is the NEO 800, with an 800 x 800 x 600 mm build volume, and the other is the NEO 450 with a 450 x 450 x 400 mm build volume. Both systems are open to third party resins, giving users access to properties like chemical resistance, heat tolerance, flexibility and durability, and are backed up by the Titanium control software.
The NEO systems are suitable for application in prototyping, tooling, investment casting patterns, anatomical modelling and the printing of clear aligner moulds, many of the same applications the V650 Flex was touted for back in April 2019. Bringing the NEO platforms under its umbrella, Stratasys says it intends to leverage its global go-to-market infrastructure – the same network that attracted Origin to agree to a $100m deal late last year – to ‘bring the RPS Neo line to an expanded set of applications in the global market,’ while also integrating its GrabCAD Print workflow software into future versions of the product.
“As businesses accelerate their embrace and adoption of additive manufacturing, our goal is providing our global customers with the world’s best and most complete polymer 3D printing portfolio,” commented Stratasys CEO Yoav Zeif. “We believe the Neo products are superior relative to other solutions currently available in the market due to an open choice in resins, low service requirements and reliable and accurate builds with simple day-to-day operation. With access to our strong global channels and our innovative GrabCAD software, we will bring RPS’ innovative products to many more manufacturing organisations.”
“We developed the Neo line to raise the industry standard for the next generation large-frame industrial stereolithography 3D printers,” offered RPS Director David Storey. “I’m looking forward to continuing to develop this best-in-class technology with the Stratasys team as we bring our products to a broadened global audience.”
