BASF New Business GmbH, a subsidiary of the German chemical company BASF SE, announced the acquisition of one of the world’s leading 3D printing service provider, Sculpteo. The acquisition is a strategic step towards expanding its position as a leading service provider in the additive manufacturing sector.
The acquisition agreement was officially signed on 14th November, 2019 and is pending regulatory approval by the relevant authorities.
The acquisition of the French BASF is taking rapid steps to be a world leader in 3D printing solutions as it focuses on establishing and expanding the business under the Forward AM brand with advanced materials, system solutions, components and services in the field of 3D printing.
Sculpteo – The French 3D Printing Service Provider
Sculpteo was founded by Eric Carreel and Clément Moreau a decade ago in 2009. The Paris and San Francisco based 3D printing service provider was one of the global leader in digital manufacturing. It provided professional online 3D printing and laser cutting services for on-demand production of prototypes, individual products as well as short-run manufacturing. Sculpteo provides access to a wide range of materials, finishes, and techniques, as well as superior optimization tools for file analysis and repair.
With the acquisition, Sculpteo will enable BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF New Business GmbH, to market and establish new industrial 3D printing materials more quickly. Sculpteo’s management team fully supports the acquisition and will remain in place to provide customers and partners with this expanded service spectrum.
Speaking about the acquisition, Clément Moreau, CEO and Co-Founder of Sculpteo said, “Combining the strengths of both companies will provide Sculpteo’s existing customers with access to a more extensive portfolio of 3D printing materials. We are excited to join the BASF team and thus benefit from BASF’s outstanding R&D to provide our customers with innovative solutions.”
Clément Moreau will stay with Sculpteo as its CEO.
For around a decade already, Sculpteo has operated an online platform with integrated production for the manufacturing of prototypes, individual objects, and serial production components with a range of different additive manufacturing technologies. Customers in various industrial sectors around the world use the Sculpteo service to produce new components rapidly and reliably.
BASF will develop the existing Sculpteo 3D printing platform further into a global network. For customers and partners, BASF 3D Printing Solutions will thus be able to offer an additional channel for marketing their services and expanding their own customer bases.
Dr. Dietmar Bender, Managing Director BASF 3D Printing Solutions, explains, “Through the acquisition of Sculpteo, we can provide customers and partners with even faster access to our innovative 3D printing solutions. In addition, our customers will benefit from an extended range of services. Together with Sculpteo, we are pursuing our goal of establishing additive manufacturing as a proven technology for industrial mass production.”
Beyond this, the Sculpteo Design Studio and BASF’s technical experts will collaborate to be able to support customers in their 3D printing projects from the early planning phase right through to the final printed part. This will enable BASF to offer its customers end-to-end industrial 3D printing solutions.
About Manufactur3D Magazine: Manufactur3D is an online magazine on 3D Printing. Visit our Global News page for more updates on Global 3D Printing News. To stay up-to-date about the latest happenings in the 3D printing world, like us on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn.
