BCN3D has voluntarily filed for bankruptcy according to reports in Spain.
Barcelona-based digital media outlet Crónica Global reported last week that BCN3D had failed to successfully negotiate a restructuring of its debts with creditors.
A bankruptcy administrator has been appointed with the company’s future unclear.
BCN3D launched in 2018, bringing to market a portfolio of extrusion desktop 3D printers to market, while also developing the Viscous Lithography Manufacturing (VLM) technology it would later carve out via the Supernova business. Among BCN3D’s flagship products were the Omega I60 3D printing system and its Epsilon Series, which came with the promise of producing ‘exceptionally strong’ parts at high speeds.
Despite the company’s best efforts, it has been unable to differentiate itself in the competitive desktop 3D printing landscape. Crónica Global reports that its revenues dropped by 25% in 2023 compared to the previous year, with the company recording a net loss of over a million Euros. Over the years, the company raised around 10 million EUR through private investment, with an additional 7 million EUR coming in public subsidies. Last year, the company secured what it described as ‘pivotal investment’ as it launched a new 3D printer production facility.
Though the investment was considered essential, it has not been enough to stave off bankruptcy. Crónica Global reports that at the time of filing, BCN3D had assets valued at around 10 million EUR, with liabilities of 7 million EUR. The company has yet to publicly confirm it has filed for bankruptcy, but has used its social channels in recent days to re-post a Forbes article from 2020 rounding up the investment raised by 3D printing companies during the Covid-19 pandemic and highlight a customer success story.
In light of BCN3D's bankruptcy filing, Supernova has sought to clarify that it is "a completely independent company with no legal ties to BCN3D and is therefore in no way affected by this situation." The company has also claimed that reports of a key partner withdrawing its support are 'entirely unfounded.'
