Altana, Covestro exit 3D printing

Altana and Covestro have separately made exits from the 3D printing market, in each case selling to a specialist in the field. The former has sold its stake in 3D printing systems manufacturer DP Polar to 3D Systems, while the latter is to sell its Additive Manufacturing business to Stratasys.

Altana had invested in DP Polar, a start-up, in 2017. During the past five years, the two developed the world’s first 3D printing systems with a continuously rotating print platform, the AMpolar machine generation for material jetting. CTO Dr Petra Severi said this was the right time for DP Polar “to move ahead to a new growth stage with an industry partner”.

However, Altana will remain in the field with its Cubic Ink 3D printing product families. It has also in recent years acquired the 3D printing materials of TLS Technik and Aluminium Materials Technologies. Terms of the current sale were not disclosed. T

he Additive Manufacturing business, which provide materials for common polymer 3D printing processes, was sold for €43 million plus a potential earn-out of up to €37 million. This includes R&D facilities, offices and employees in Europe, the US and China. The company described the sale as part of its ongoing portfolio optimisation.

“Additive manufacturing is a growing, but also highly competitive market,” said CFO Dr Thomas Töpfer. “We are convinced that Stratasys offers the optimal conditions to support the further growth of our former Additive Manufacturing business in this field.” The transaction should close in Q1 2023.