BTX Chief Revenue Officer Jamie Goettler, EOS CEO Marie Langer, i3D MFG CEO Erin Mastroni, EOS North America President Glynn Fletcher [Source: EOS]
EOS has scored a massive sale of 3D printers to a large customer.
Normally we don’t report on specific sales deals, as that’s a normal happening. However, this particular deal does warrant some attention simply due to the enormous size of the agreement.
The buyer in this case is i3D MFG, an Oregon-based service bureau that focuses on metal 3D printing for industry. They provide metal parts for a wide range of industries, including military, aerospace, oil & gas, automotive and more.
i3D MFG correctly positioned themselves in the metal market over ten years ago, and were able to catch the massive increase in production of 3D printed metal parts over that period. It seems they are continuing to grow as interest in metal parts increases.
i3D MFG signed a letter of intent with EOS to acquire not one, but TWELVE of the company’s huge EOS M 400-4 systems. This system includes four 0.4kW lasers for fast production, and provides a large 400 x 400 x 400 mm build volume. It’s EOS’ largest standard machine.
The addition of twelve new systems will bring i3D MFG’s EOS fleet to 36 devices. That is an enormous amount of metal production capacity. EOS said the devices will be delivered to i3D MFG in during 2024-26.
It’s more than just capacity; because it is challenging to swap materials on LPBF metal 3D printers, they are often permanently dedicated to a specific material. By having many devices on the shop floor, it’s quite possible that i3D MFG could offer a wider range of materials for customers.
EOS North America President Glynn Fletcher said:
“This order is one of the largest single metal AM investments ever in North America. The fact that i3D is fully committed to EOS technology is extremely gratifying. i3D’s extraordinary team, led by Erin, has driven dynamic, ambitious growth. The reliability of EOS systems and services has been integral to their progress. There is an amazing collaborative bond between our two companies. Strong, supportive relationships at every level have helped create the path to today’s announcement.”
There are two kinds of 3D printer companies: those that sell a huge number of machines at low cost; and those that sell far fewer machines, but at much greater cost. EOS is one of the latter, and sales events such as this one are quite rare.
We don’t know the terms of the deal, but this particular EOS machine is likely to be priced in the US$1-2M range. That suggests the deal’s total value could be as high as US$25M.
Finally, this purchase confirms continued growth in production metal 3D printing, unlike some other types of 3D printing where business has stalled. It seems that metal equipment has been somewhat more successful in penetrating the huge manufacturing market, and EOS is benefiting greatly.
Via EOS
