Business

Is Nano Dimension buying Nexa3D?

Recent developments at Nexa3D, including organizational changes and decisions regarding trade show participation, have sparked curiosity about the future of the California-based 3D printing company. Nexa3D’s CEO, Avi Reichental, recently addressed the restructuring in a conversation with 3D Printing Industry, clarifying that the company is not facing insolvency.

With this in mind, it’s worth exploring potential paths forward for Nexa3D. To be clear, no acquisition or sale has been announced, and no evidence suggests such discussions are underway. However, for the sake of analysis, we consider a few possible scenarios: business as usual, a change of ownership, or other strategic moves.

It’s important to stress that the following is purely speculative. Business as usual, while plausible, doesn’t leave much room for analysis in this context. On the other hand, if Nexa3D were exploring strategic alternatives, what might those look like? Could an acquisition by a company like Nano Dimension, Stratasys, or another industry leader be on the table?

Again, this article is not reporting that Nexa3D is for sale or that any acquisition is taking place. Instead, it seeks to explore possibilities in light of recent industry trends and the competitive landscape.

Hypothetical buyers for Nexa3D: Stratasys, Formlabs, and Nano Dimension

Nexa3D’s core offering, the XiP and XiP Pro 3D printers, were promoted as a step change in additive manufacturing. You can read our Nexa3D XiP review here, it certainly impressed our engineering team and a decent number of customers. Also operating in this market segment are Stratasys with the Origin 3D printer series; the most recent Origin Two was announced in September 2024. It’s reasonable to think that Nexa3D will have future versions of the XiP and XiP Pro in the pipeline, perhaps with features found in 3D printers such as Uniformation’s GK3 Ultra 16K, Stratasys may wish to benefit from the work already done.

Stratasys also has a vital asset in the 3D printing industry: its sales channel. Established companies’ sales channels provide a strategic moat that can be hard to traverse for new companies hoping to gain a foothold in the market. Stratasys may see the purchase of Nexa3D as a way to advance the development pathway of the Origin series, or it might see value in Nexa3D as a potential complement to its Origin series.

Formlabs could be another potential buyer for Nexa3D. The Formlabs Form 4 launched in Spring 2024, the pricing and capabilities position it as a direct competitor to the Nexa3D XiP. Formlabs has impressed us with its progression from the early days of desktop 3D printing, to becoming adept with resin platforms and its venture in the SLS 3D printing segment; read our Formlabs Fuse 1 review for more information on that. 

As a side note, readers with long memories will recall Formlabs and Reichental, who, in his role as 3D Systems CEO, crossed paths over an IP dispute regarding the Formnext Form 1. Commencing in 2012, 3D Systems vs Formlabs would be settled in 2014, seemingly in an amicable manner, with both sides benefitting.

Last but not least, there is the possibility of Nano Dimension buying Nexa3D. Already a behemoth in AM M&A with deals for Desktop Metal and Markforged in progress, Nano Dimension is building a 3D printing portfolio covering many of the key technology platforms. Perhaps Nexa3D would be a good fit here. Nano Dimension has already launched a DLP resin 3D printer, the Exa 250vx, at last week’s Formnext, alongside the Ataru 3D printing resin. While the resin has been validated on Nexa3D systems, adding XiP technology could be a way to boost market entry and gain an established installed base. 

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Featured image shows the Nexa3D booth at Formnext 2022. Photo via Nexa3D.

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