BigRep: listed, delisted, sold on

BigRep's 2024 public listing via a SPAC deal has been a subject of scrutiny as the brand's holding company delisted, selling the shares of the additive manufacturing business to three other businesses - one of whom is Hage Holding GmbH, the parent company of another 3D printing brand that BigRep has previously acquired.

The situation is best read as an ownership reset rather than a clean technology verdict. The allowed facts are narrow: BigRep's holding company delisted and sold the shares of the additive manufacturing business to other businesses. What changes for customers, machines, and installed-base support is not spelled out.

Ricoh and Würth: two different ways to step back

Ricoh sold its healthcare-focused 3D printing business to Myrava, Inc., described as a company focused on providing access to personalised medical devices and healthcare innovations across the United States.

Würth chose a harder stop.

Würth has been another big brand to step back from additive manufacturing, but rather than sell its additive business, the company wound it down, laying off its entire AM team, leaving a range of customers in the lurch, and only distributing a brief statement to confirm those developments.

For manufacturing professionals, the distinction matters. A sale can preserve a route to service and applications knowledge. A wind-down with the team laid off leaves a different problem: continuity.

3DEO: the risk inside proprietary scale-up

3DEO filed for insolvency and its IP assets are up for sale.

In our previous Deep Dives report, we focused on contract manufacturers developing and scaling with proprietary additive manufacturing technologies, detailing the opportunities they are chasing, and the effort it takes to get there.

3DEO's insolvency this summer was a timely reminder of the risk that cannot be ignored when pursuing the reward.

That is the engineering reality behind the finance headline: proprietary processes can create defensible value, but scale-up still has to survive capital intensity, qualification burden, and demand timing.

Capital has not left the field

The same cycle includes users raising money and preparing for public markets. Venus Aerospace and SWISSto12 raised tens of millions of dollars in funding. Ursa Major announced its move to list publicly.

Around the core AM story, adjacent capability keeps moving. Valiant Products has expanded its advanced metal additive manufacturing capabilities. The ASTM Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence hosts ICAM, a forum for technical conversations on additive and advanced manufacturing technologies. Solukon’s SPR-Pathfinder® PRO is depowdering software for the most complex LPBF parts. A new scanner combines 0.02 mm single-frame accuracy, Wi-Fi 6 wireless operation, and marker-free optical tracking.