Stratasys announced an interesting joint marketing partnership in North America with Creaform, which manufactures cutting-edge 3D scanning technology. 3D technology, such as 3D printing, 3D scanning, 3D software, augmented reality and virtual reality, seems to be heading to the same neighborhood. Strategic partnerships and acquisitions seem to be occurring with more frequency this year, and perhaps the most notable partnership is the 3MF Consortium, which was announced at Microsoft’s Build 2015. In February, REAL 2015 was the first-ever conference about reality computing, which embraces the possibilities of the inevitable convergence of 3D technologies.
Stratasys and Creaform are teaming up to produce a professional-grade solution in which the user is able to scan any 3D object and quickly generate 3D files optimized for printing. Developing a direct 3D-scan-to-print process could have an impact on a wide range of industries.
Applications:
- Product design: reverse engineering and prototyping;
- Manufacturing: development of custom dies and molds, and the fabrication of jigs and fixtures;
- Health care: design of prosthetics, orthotics, surgical aids and guides;
- Education: mechanical engineering and design curricula.
“3D printing and 3D scanning go hand-in-hand. This combination is targeted at allowing companies of all types to accelerate their product development processes and ensure that their products truly meet the needs for which they were designed. We believe that Creaform’s Go! SCAN 3D scanners and VXmodel scan-to-print software are the perfect complement to Stratasys 3D printers,” says Marco St-Pierre, vice president of Innovation and Technologies at Creaform. “There is clear and natural synergy between our technologies, audiences and applications, and partnering with the market leader is a tremendous opportunity for us.”
“By partnering with Creaform, Stratasys is able to offer its customers access to a new source of 3D printable content. This is expected to enhance existing solutions and open up new applications in a wide range of industries. We view Creaform to be an excellent addition to our growing partner ecosystem,” says Bruce Bradshaw, vice president of marketing at Stratasys, North America.
The agreement allows both Stratasys and Creaform resellers in North America to promote and sell each other’s components to the end user. The two companies have also agreed to invest in joint go-to-market capabilities, including, but not limited to, marketing and joint channel recruitment.
The companies will be demonstrating the joint solution at the American Society for Engineering Education Conference and Exposition, June 14-17, 2015, in Seattle, Washington.