EPlus3D

Maker of CREATOR Metal 3D Printer to Be Bought by Lumentum for $5.7B

Metal AM Markets

Share this Article

There have been several important acquisitions in the 3D printing industry, including that of EnvisionTEC by Desktop Metal, Origin by Stratasys, and 3D Hubs by Proto Labs, leading us to speculate on some more to come. Now, It has been confirmed that Lumentum (NASDAQ: LITE), a manufacturer of optical components and subsystems, has entered into an agreement to purchase photonics maker Coherent, Inc. (NASDAQ: COHR), which manufactures the well-received CREATOR 3D printer. The cash-and-stock deal is valued at $5.7 billion and sent Lumentum’s stock up roughly $2/share on Monday, January 25.

Coherent stock had already been trading at a high value since January 19, when the deal was first announced. Stockholder rights law firm Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., as well as WeissLaw LLP, are investigating the merger for what they believe may have been an “unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate merger agreement.”

Coherent joined the 3D printing industry in 2018, when it acquired German company OR Laser. Two years prior, OR Laser had released a comparatively inexpensive, yet rapid powder bed fusion metal 3D printer, the CREATOR. This was followed by a hybrid version that could perform milling every five to 10 layers.

The Coherent Creator. Image courtesy of Coherent.

The system was very well received for its low price and the ability to 3D print 30 percent more quickly than comparable machines. However, Coherent no longer has a page for the machine and its YouTube channel has been nearly scrubbed of its Creator content, indicating definite changes in its additive manufacturing plans. It also appointed a new CEO, former McKinsey & Co. senior adviser and Diebold Nixdorf AG chief Andreas Mattes, in April 2020. Perhaps, as its merger with Lumentum approached, the businesses decided to ditch 3D printing in favor of a pure focus on lasers and other optics.

An older version of the OR Laser twitter account was active up until September 2020, so perhaps all is not lost. Maybe we’re in store for a revamping of its additive division with more printers or a simple rebranding of its existing machines. We’ve reached out to the company for comment.

Share this Article


Recent News

Human Remains Could Be Identified with the Help of Forensic 3D Printing

US Air Force and Japan Building Leader Back Branch Technology’s Construction 3D Printing



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

Featured

Chinese 3D Printed Medicine Company Triastek Lands $20.4M in Pre-C Round

Triastek, the leader in additive manufacturing (AM) for pharmaceuticals based in Nanjing, China, has completed a Pre-C financing round worth $20.4 million dollars. Led by Guoxin International Investment, a Chinese...

3D Printing News Unpeeled: 16 & 20 lasers & Mighty Buildings Gets $52m

Farsoon Technologies and Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) both unveiled large powder bed fusion machines. Farsoon´s FS1521M has 16 fiber lasers and a 1.5 meters by 850mm Z-axis build volume. BLT´s BLT-S800...

$52M in Funding Will Push Mighty Buildings’ 3D Printed Houses into Middle East

Oakland’s Mighty Buildings, a maker of sustainable prefabricated homes produced with additive construction (AC), has received $52 million in its latest funding round. Two firms co-led the series, including Wa’ed...

US Air Force Awards $1.13M for 3D Printed Construction Retrofitting

Branch Technology, the Chattanooga-based additive construction (AC) firm, has been awarded a $1.13 million contract from the US Air Force for its proprietary Cellular Fabrication (C-Fab) technology. The Air Force...