Cubicure GmbH
Align Technology, the manufacturers of Invisalign clear aligners, has announced an agreement to acquire polymer 3D printing firm Cubicure GmbH for 79 million EUR.
The medical device firm believes this acquisition will strengthen its existing intellectual property in the direct 3D printing of appliances. The deal is expected to be complete by Q4 of this year, with the transaction still subject to customary closing conditions and adjustments for Align’s existing ownership of capital stock of Cubicure.
Cubicure manufactures and sells 3D printing equipment based on its patented Hot Lithography technology, which uses a heating and coating mechanism to process highly viscous resins. The company has developed the small-format Caligma and larger-format Cerion machines to support customers in the prototyping and manufacturing of components with tough and temperature-resistant polymers.
Align Technology, meanwhile, is a longstanding user of 3D printing, with technology from the likes of 3D Systems used to produce hundreds of thousands of aligner moulds every day. Since adopting 3D printing, Align is said to have treated millions of patients with its Invisalign clear aligners offering, with 3D printing integral to their development. Now, the company has sought to bring an entire 3D printing company in house to further enhance its application of the technology, with those at the head of the company suggesting a focus on the direct printing of custom appliances.
“Align and Cubicure have worked together for many years and our successful collaboration has contributed to breakthrough technologies and innovation in direct 3D printing,” said Srini Kaza, Align senior vice president of product research and development. “The acquisition of Cubicure will not only strengthen the Align Digital Platform and our core capabilities in direct 3D printing, but their talented team, including visionary founders, engineers, and material scientists, will expand our knowledge and expertise in one of the most strategic areas of innovation over the next decade. I look forward to welcoming the entire Cubicure team to Align and continuing to extend our global leadership in digital orthodontics and 3D printing.”
“As the pioneer and a global leader in clear aligners with the world’s largest 3D printing operations producing over 1 million custom appliances every day, Align is continuing to innovate and invest in technologies that enable the next generation of direct 3D printed products, thus creating more sustainable and efficient solutions,” added Joe Hogan, Align Technology president and CEO. “Our partnership with Cubicure began several years ago as a joint development program and has evolved over time with the potential for significant innovation in scaling our direct 3D printing processes. The agreement to acquire Cubicure is a natural next step to bring their talented team and unique cutting-edge technology in-house where they will support our long-term growth strategy by enabling us to scale our 3D printing operations to eventually direct print millions of custom appliances per day.”
3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) today issued a statement on the company’s ongoing partnership with Align Technology (NASDAQ:ALGN). The statement is in response to significant shareholder inquiries related to Align’s recent announcement that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Cubicure Gmbh.
3D Systems releases statement on partnership with Align
3D Systems, the long-term 3D printing partner of Align, felt compelled to issue a statement as news of Align's acquisition of Cubicure broke. This followed its stock plummeting to around to 5.03 USD on Thursday September 7 - down 50% from where it was at in July. This is the lowest 3D Systems stock has been valued since September 2020.
The 3D Systems statement read:
3D Systems’ 25-year partnership with Align where 3D Systems provides hardware, materials, processing, and services for Align in connection with its highly efficient indirect production of aligners remains strong. Align operates hundreds of 3D Systems’ printers producing over one million parts daily and continues to rely on 3D Systems to support its operations. 3D Systems’ forecasts remain intact and already account for Align’s existing partnership with Cubicure.
“3D Systems continues to be a critical partner for Align,” said Emory Wright, Align Technology executive vice president, Global Operations. “We have worked with them over the past 25 years to transform a prototyping technology to a mass production system. Over those years we have been able to make significant advancements in the accuracy and productivity of the technology and we will continue to work with them to further advance our indirect printing of aligners into the future.”
Cubicure’s R&D efforts on direct 3D printing of aligners have had no impact on 3D Systems. 3D Systems continues to move forward with advanced R&D to further its capabilities for direct printing aligners as that approach is further evaluated as a complement to well-established and highly efficient indirect production.
