Sigma Additive Solutions has made more moves this week.
The New Mexico-based company specializes in quality control solutions for additive manufacturing. They do so by connecting with the available data from sensors on equipment, and linking that with the production process through sophisticated software, PrintRite3D.
Currently, PrintRite3D can produce reports on “Machine Health” (based on machine internal log files), “Process Health” (based on optical and infrared camera sensors collecting data during printing) and “Part Health” (based on melt pool monitoring from either machine or third party sensors).
This is quite a critical function for additive manufacturing, where consistently-good parts must be continuously produced. Deviations are costly, both in terms of material waste as well as delivery time.
They not only can track the quality of parts being produced, but can also identify issues in the machines doing the producing. They call this “Machine Health”.
Most recently they’ve struck a deal with DyeMansion, producers of post processing gear. DyeMansion’s equipment can not only dye printed parts to precise specifications, but they also produce equipment to smooth surfaces of prints.
The deal with DyeMansion involves integrating that company’s Print-to-Product workflow directly into Sigma Additive’s solutions. Sigma Additive Solutions said:
“The real-time monitoring and data analytics from Sigma’s Machine Health module complement DyeMansion’s systems by offering reduced cost per part, unmatched quality, and high sustainability.”
But that’s not all. Sigma Additive also announced an ominous arrangement with Lake Street Capital Markets. LSCM is an investment bank that helps link institutional investors (like pension funds, etc.) to “innovative companies”.
Why do this? Sigma Additive explains:
“It has retained Lake Street Capital Markets as its financial advisor in connection with the Company’s consideration of a range of strategic alternatives designed to enhance shareholder value, including a possible strategic investment, acquisition, merger, business combination, or similar transaction.”
They go on to insist that this announcement by no means implies an actual transaction will take place. Instead, the suggestion is that they are open for ideas for expansion, one way or another.
This could mean several things:
- Sigma Additive Solutions buys complementary companies to grow
- Sigma Additive Solutions sells itself to a larger entity that’s looking to establish a management ecosystem over additive manufacturing
- Sigma Additive Solutions might partner with larger entities on some form of process standards
Or something else. You get the idea, this is quite open, and it will be up to the board of directors of Sigma Additive Solutions to make a final decision.
I can’t help but think this situation is similar to Oqton. Years ago, Oqton was a scrappy startup that built an integrated workflow system to link the various steps of additive manufacturing together. It is quite a powerful system, but was later acquired by 3D Systems.
I could see Sigma Additive Solutions heading the same route with any of several larger acquirers in the 3D print space.
