Gary Anderson of 3DPrintingStock.com (who also contributes to Engineering.com and Seeking Alpha) has gone on the record with a bold — if unsubstantiated — prediction. He has stated that “I am predicting here and now, on 9/11/2013, that I believe Stratasys is looking to acquire Swedish 3D metals printing company Arcam AB, along with their patented Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technology.”
We’ve known since June that industrial 3D printing with metal is definitely on Stratasys’ radar, and it is likely to be achieved through M&A activities. When I covered it back then, the reference to Scandinavia was, indeed, Arcam. And so I would not be at all surprised if this came to pass. Gary’s point about the funding round Stratasys announced last week is also pertinent. The circa $400 million the company is looking to raise would most definitely go a long way in purchasing a majority share in any of the independent metal platform manufacturers. I agree with Gary that of these metal companies, Arcam is probably the best fit with Stratasys, and among the independents it is the most original technology base. However, SLM Solutions (Germany), Renishaw (UK) and Optomec (USA), all have impressive technology bases with established supply chains too. The only one I am close to certain it will NOT be, is EOS (Germany), although ……
