TRUMPF is exiting the additive manufacturing business.
The German machine tool and laser technology company has signed an agreement with private equity fund Lenbach Equity Opportunities III. GmbH & Co. KG (“LEO III Fund”), advised by the DUBAG Group, to sell its metal 3D printing segment as it turns its focus to its industrial core businesses instead.
The new group, which will include TRUMPF’s Laser Metal Fusion (LMF) and Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) technologies, will now operate out of Schio, Italy. According to a press release, all existing employees assigned to its additive manufacturing business in Schio Ditzingen, Germany, and Plymouth, US will be transferred as part of the new business, which is expected to undergo a rebrand following completion.
Matthias Himmelsbach, Managing Director Additive Manufacturing at TRUMPF, said: “We welcome the LEO III Fund, advised by the DUBAG Group, as the new owner of our Additive Manufacturing business. With the DUBAG Group, we have found a partner with whom we can further develop our product and consulting portfolio in a focused way, leverage growth opportunities, and successfully lead the business into a sustainable future.”
The new company aims to become a international solution for metal 3D printing, with a focus on customers in the aerospace and medical industries, and specialized contract manufacturers. The company says it will operate ‘beyond the mere delivery of machines’ by offering ‘application consulting, process development, automation solutions, and integration concepts covering the entire value chain’.
Sebastian Stalter, Director at the DUBAG Group, said: “We are very proud to have earned the trust of a family-owned high-tech company like TRUMPF and to have been selected as a partner in a competitive M&A process. We look forward to working together with the management and employees in Schio, Ditzingen, and Plymouth. Together, we aim to establish a leading, innovative solution provider in the field of metallic 3D printing.”
TRUMPF was an early entrant into the metal additive manufacturing industry following the launch of its TrumaForm Direct Metal Deposition in 2000. While it didn't fully take off at the time due to metal AM still being in its nascency, in 2014 the company announced its re-entry to the market as a joint-venture with Italian laser company Sisma. The following year, TRUMPF unveiled its LMF and laser metal deposition (LMD) technologies. Since then, the company has continued to update its TruPrint 3D printer line-up with enhanced material capabilities - from precious to amorphous metals - and productivity gains, which have supported applications in the aerospace, healthcare and more.
