Xaar, a developer of digital inkjet technology, has announced that Stratasys, a 3D printing technology provider, has increased its stake in Xaar 3D Holdings from 15% to 45% in order to accelerate the development of additive manufacturing solutions. The companies’ goal is to develop High Speed Sintering (HSS) additive manufacturing solutions that Stratasys will bring to market, a press release stated.
Stratasys, the manufacturer behind the FDM and PolyJet 3D printers, says its technologies can be used to “create prototypes, manufacturing tools and production parts for industries including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, consumer products and education”. Its increased shares in Xaar 3D reveals a shared plan to develop this portfolio of additive manufacturing solutions with a focus on HSS.
HSS is an inkjet-based 3D printing technology developed by Professor Neil Hopkinson while at Loughborough University. According to Xaar, Hopkinson will be heavily involved in the development project: “Neil leads all the technology developments in Xaar 3D and lives and breathes the technology. He is 100% focussed on working with the team at Xaar 3D to bring the technology to market and to have a strong pipeline of innovative solutions for the future.”
Hopkinson explains that he expects the technology to provide direct solutions for the fashion and textiles industries: “We are seeing additive manufacturing solutions being applied in various areas of fashion. We expect our technologies to provide solutions in this space. One of the exciting things about fashion and textiles is the inherent creativity in those industries, which means there are always ways of utilising our technologies that have not yet been thought of but which the industry may develop.”
As 3D technologies proliferate, the fashion industry has seen increased adoption of the technologies for design purposes. According to WTiN Intelligence: Textile 4.0, more designers in the fashion industry are “looking at how to use [3D printing technology] as an innovative replacement to printing and conventional embroidery processes [and] to change [the appearance of textiles], add a unique 3D feature to it or to enhance its surface”.
On the investment, Doug Edwards, chief executive officer (CEO) of Xaar plc, says: “Xaar 3D has great potential and we look forward to continuing to work with Stratasys to develop its full potential in this deeper relationship. I am pleased that this transaction will create good value for Xaar shareholders and unlocks the ability for more significant value in due course.”
Omer Krieger of EVP Products adds that the company sees benefits to Stratasys’ increased investment in Xaar 3D’s ‘innovative HSS-based solutions’, citing the ‘significant progress’ made by Xaar 3D in the past year.
Xaar also adds that the extra investment will allow the company to accelerate its activities in bringing these ‘focussed systems’, based on HSS concepts, to market.
