MakerBot and Ultimaker have announced plans to combine forces in an effort to “accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing.” The new company will be focused on professional level desktop 3D printers, software and materials.
No name has been announced for the new combo, though some Twitter users are hoping for Ultimakerbot.
The joint company will be fueled with an investment of $62.4 million to develop new hardware, materials and software. NPM Capital, which backs Ultimaker, will invest $15.4 million and own 54.4% of the combined company. MakerBot’s backer Stratasys will provide the rest of the cash yet only own 45.6% of the enterprise.
The press release hints the new company is aimed primarily at industrial level 3D printing, despite each company’s huge influence over individual makers and 3D printer enthusiasts.
MakerBot is well known for its MakerBot Replicator, a CoreXY machine widely used in educational settings. For many people, their first experience with a 3D printer was a classroom MakerBot.
In 2008, MakerBot created the first online file library, Thingiverse, currently the largest file repository in the world. The site is free to use, but has seemed negated in recent years. A poorly handled data breach in 2021 made many users flee to newer sites such as Thangs.com and the recently rebranded Printables.com.
Ultimaker is known as both the manufacturer of professional grade desktop printers and Ultimaker Cura, a popular slicing software available for free download and well-loved by hobbyists who use it with many of the best 3D printers.
The new company will be led by Nadav Goshen, current MakerBot CEO, and Jürgen von Hollen, current Ultimaker CEO, who will act as Co-CEOs. It will maintain their current headquarters in both New York (MakerBot) and the Netherlands (Ultimaker).