According to the most recent Additive Manufacturing Research (AMR) report on the AM dental market, the size of that market could nearly double by 2033, indicating that the 3D printing industry still has significant room to run in a segment that’s arguably the most comprehensive, mature AM adopter thus far. One of the latest 3D printing industry acquisitions reinforces the case made by that AMR study: LA-based dental market leader SprintRay has acquired the EnvisionTEC dental portfolio, following the bankruptcy of EnvisionTEC’s previous parent company, Desktop Metal.
This also follows the announcement by an affiliate of VC/private equity firm Anzu Partners that it had acquired the foreign subsidiaries of EnvisionTEC (along with those of ExOne and AIDRO). SprintRay’s acquisition of the EnvisionTEC dental assets brings together two of the most longstanding brands in the AM market for dental: the former was founded in 2014, the latter in 2002.
Desktop Metal acquired EnvisionTEC in early 2021, in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $300 million. Notably, NanoDimension’s closing price for Desktop Metal in early 2025 was $179 million — barely more than half what Desktop paid for EnvisionTEC. SprintRay’s purchase price for EnvisionTEC’s dental assets hasn’t been disclosed.
An established company that’s already familiar with the digital light processing (DLP) technology at the heart of EnvisionTEC’s business model, SprintRay should have a fairly easy time integrating the EnvisionTEC assets into its corporate structure. According to SprintRay, one of the key focal points of the transition will be the qualification of SprintRay materials on EnvisionTEC machines, and vice versa.
In a press release about SprintRay’s acquisition of EnvisionTEC’s dental assets, the co-founder and CEO of SprintRay, Amir Mansouri, PhD, said, “SprintRay’s acquisition of EnvisionTEC’s dental portfolio ensures existing customers continue to have the tools and support they rely on, while also strengthening our position in dental labs. Our mission to transform dentistry through accessible, reliable 3D printing technology hasn’t wavered. This strategic move reinforces that commitment.”
SprintRay’s acquisition comes at the same time as Pac-Dent, another California-based company in the dental 3D printing space, announced that it will be acquiring Ackuretta Technologies, which manufactures a full range of dental products including chairside 3D printers. While these are just two examples, it does seem noteworthy that the two deals happened in such close proximity to one another.
Moreover, it is especially noteworthy insofar as the acquisitions represent exactly the sort of horizontal consolidation that many AM industry insiders have long argued would be a necessary precursor to the industry’s next growth cycle. Along those lines, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for more acquisitions in the near future that may fit the same general pattern.
Further, in that same context, the SprintRay/EnvisionTEC deal is a reminder that bankruptcies aren’t bad for everyone. This one was bad for Desktop Metal, but clearly good for Anzu Partners and SprintRay. And, beyond the whole “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” angle, the evolution of an industry requires losing companies to fail so that winning companies can rise to the forefront.
One thing no one can say about the AM industry is that it’s not resilient. EnvisionTEC endured getting wrapped up in one of the most mismanaged unicorns in recent memory, and its new home should give it as good a chance to thrive as it’s ever had.
Images courtesy of EnvisionTEC
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