3D printer builders Ultimaker and MakerBot set to merge

Two of the world’s best-known builders of filament-style desktop 3D printers and related products have agreed to merge.

MakerBot and Ultimaker announced May 12 that they will join forces—a merger, they say, that will provide users a comprehensive AM ecosystem of hardware, software, and materials and accelerate global adoption of additive manufacturing.

The new entity will be backed by MakerBot’s owner, Stratasys, and Ultimaker backer NPM Capital. A cash investment of $62.4 million will be made to fuel innovation and expansion into new markets.

The new company will be led by MakerBot CEO Nadav Goshen and Ultimaker CEO Jürgen von Hollen. They will act as co-CEOs, with Goshen managing operations and R&D and von Hollen overseeing commercial functions.

The new company will maintain offices in New York, where MakerBot is headquartered, and The Netherlands, home to Ultimaker.