Prototek Acquires 3D Printing Company

Prototek Holdings LLC, a North American digital manufacturing provider of CNC machining, sheet metal and industrial 3D printing, has completed its acquisition of ProtoCAM, an industrial 3D printing company located in Allentown, Pa. ProtoCAM will merge into Midwest Prototyping, Prototek’s additive manufacturing arm acquired in July 2021.

“The addition of ProtoCAM is another step toward achieving our ongoing goal of creating a platform able to meet customer demands in an Industrial 4.0 world," said John Pless, Partner at TruArc Partners and a Director of Prototek. “Our vision is a one-stop digital manufacturing solution with superior levels of quality and service. ProtoCAM is well suited to further that vision.”

The addition of ProtoCAM is part of an ongoing expansion of Prototek’s additive manufacturing capabilities and capacity, the company says. The acquisition adds QuickCast technology, creating fast investment casting patterns for quick-turn metal part production, to Midwest’s 3D printing capabilities. The merger also provides an increase in capacity to Midwest’s core 3D printing technologies including HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), Stereolithography (SLA), Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Carbon DLP (Digital Light Processing). The company will continue to operate in all current locations encompassing 10 facilities across the US, with over 300 employees and more than 240,000 square feet of manufacturing workspace.

“Ron and his team at ProtoCAM have been longtime friends to Midwest Prototyping and myself,” said Steve Grundahl, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing, Prototek. “As we set out to create a nationwide network of best-in-class additive manufacturing, ProtoCAM was at the top of our list in the East. We share a remarkably similar culture and customer focus and I can’t imagine a better partner to join us in our effort to build out Prototek’s 3D printing offering.”

Ron Belknap, founder of ProtoCAM, and his management team will continue to oversee day-to-day operations of the Allentown facility. Nate Schumacher, director of strategy and integration at Midwest Prototyping and Ed Graham, Vice President of Additive Manufacturing at ProtoCAM will lead the combination of business operations.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.