Stratasys appears to be on a roll, spinning off not one but two of its technologies into their own companies. The first of these new spin off companies, Vulcan Labs Inc, is aimed at advancing Powder-Bed Fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing, initially by focusing on metals.
This company stems from Stratasys’ 2014 acquisition of Harvest Technologies, a production-oriented service bureau. It will be led by CEO David K. Leigh, the founder and former CEO of Harvest Technologies, an expert in additive manufacturing for end use parts in demanding applications. The idea is that by separating Vulcan Labs from Stratasys, the company will be better able to promote PBF solutions for specific manufacturing problems.
Vulcan Labs is currently developing a range of solutions, including: Optimized build environments and unique multi-laser scan strategies; Closed loop melt pool quality control; Detailed Data Logging and Integration to the factory floor; Automated powder handling and in-situ powder quality characterization; Automated calibration and build set-up capabilities.
Ilan Levin, CEO of Stratasys, explains: “Vulcan’s best-in-class team has both the experience and technical know-how necessary to bring PBF into real-world production – a vision perfectly aligned and complementary to our other activities in this space, including Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and our investment in LPW.”
He added: “To provide Vulcan with the best path to achieve its vision, we decided to form a new and independent entity, with Stratasys as an equity stakeholder. We are delighted to continue supporting this team and look forward to collaborating with them and their partners to achieve this vision.”
Vulcan Labs will be looking for partners and customers so anyone interested in this should keep an eye on Vulcan-labs.com.
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