AddUp makes a strategic move into the healthcare sector.
The French company AddUp, a seven-year-old joint venture between Michelin and Fives, could be making a significant move into the healthcare sector. AddUp addresses the additive manufacturing needs of various companies by marketing four different 3D printers; two use the LPBF process, and the others employ DED technology.
While the company has been marketing their massive metal 3D printing equipment to manufacturers for several years, they could be branching into new profitable market segments.
Forming the AddUp Medical Advisory Board
AddUp, Inc. recently announced the establishment of the AddUp Medical Advisory Board. The board’s mission is to provide AddUp with a non-biased and holistic view of the medical industry, specifically in relation to the development and utilization of metal 3D printing technologies as a means of serving the medical community.
The new advisory board includes three individuals with considerable experience in that market segment. The announcement originated from the company’s Cincinnati-based North American subsidiary HQ, AddUp, Inc.
Healthcare: A Profitable Segment for Additive Manufacturing
Since launching in North America, AddUp has been expanding the usage of their equipment, and this move could be quite strategic for the company. Healthcare and medical devices are among the few highly profitable segments in the additive manufacturing space.
That’s because, like aerospace and some automotive environments, the parts used are already quite expensive and specialized. Customers in these segments are already accustomed to paying high prices, so it’s financially feasible for AM solutions to slide in with less resistance.
Successful Predecessors in the Healthcare Industry
Several other 3D printer manufacturers have already made similar moves. Notable examples include Formlabs, which targeted the dental industry several years ago, and 3D Systems, which has long focused on the healthcare market in various ways.
Stratasys has also begun working deeply in healthcare, mostly by leveraging their full-color PolyJet 3D printing technology to produce medical models for various applications.
These companies have been quite successful leveraging their technologies in the high-priced healthcare and medical sectors. Now it seems that AddUp could join them and, most likely, succeed as well.
Via AddUp
