ZARE production facility Italy
Sandvik has announced that 3D printing service provider BEAMIT has acquired 100% of fellow additive manufacturing bureau ZARE.
The agreement was reached earlier this month and will see BEAMIT and ZARE continue to operate under their respective brand names, though activities will be consolidated under the BEAMIT Group, per a press release. Through this transaction, the companies believe they now make up one of the largest 3D printing services in Europe.
Across five facilities in a 40km area between Parma and Reggio Emilia in Italy, the merged organisation has more than 100 employees, polymer and metal 3D printing systems, and CNC machining tools for post-processing. With the support of Sandvik, who acquired 30% of BEAMIT last year with the right to increase its control, there is also metal material expertise and through ZARE’s investment in PRES-X, access to advanced post-processing capabilities including high pressure heat treatments, depowdering and roughness surface smoothening. They also have ‘critical’ quality certifications aligned to the aerospace, defence and energy industries.
“The extended organisation, including ZARE and PRES-X, is created to serve our customers with a true 360-degree service span,” commented Mauro Antolotti, founder and Chairman of BEAMIT. “It also contributes with greater capacity and financial strength, while securing total reliability for current and new AM customers. Adding Sandvik’s world-leading materials expertise, we can really change the game together in this high-growth area.”
“We are impressed by the synergies offered by the BEAMIT Group and Sandvik,” added Andrea Pasquali, General Manager of ZARE. “Integrated additive manufacturing, from metal powder to high-end components, is finally concrete. We are writing history.”
With Sandvik’s control in BEAMIT set to grow in the future, the acquisition of ZARE reinforces its commitment to the additive manufacturing industry. Since acquiring a 30% stake in BEAMIT in July 2019, the company has moved to inaugurate a metal 3D printing powder plant in Sweden, which has gone on to receive AS9100D and ISO 13485:2016 certifications, and also continued metal powder development efforts with ExOne and Renishaw. This latest development, per the company, will enable Sandvik to better serve its customer base with an increased technical know-how and 3D printing capacity.
“The AM sector is developing fast and there is a need for AM-specialist partners with the advanced skills and resources required to help industrial customers develop and launch their AM programmes,” said Kristian Egeberg, President of Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. “The new AM-constellation consisting of Sandvik and the BEAMIT Group is extremely strong and will provide our customers with the opportunity to access the complementary and combined power of several leading players, covering the entire AM value chain.”
