Stratasys Forms Vulcan Labs

Stratasys Ltd. announces a new spin-off designed to advance innovation of powder-bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing. It’s called Vulcan Labs. Vulcan’s solutions are engineered to meet the complex demands of end-use production applications, according to Stratasys. The company’s primary focus, according to Stratasys, is advancing the quality, repeatability and efficiency of PBF technology – initially focusing on metals.

Originating from the 2014 acquisition of the production-oriented service bureau Harvest Technologies, Vulcan Labs is actively collaborating with application partners to advance technology accessibility and meet the stringent requirements of production-ready applications. Built as a standalone entity, Vulcan Labs will aim for advancing the rapid introduction of enhanced PBF-based solutions.

The company’s management team includes industry pioneer David K. Leigh. An original founder and CEO of Harvest Technologies, Leigh is considered a market leader with deep additive manufacturing expertise specifically aligned with end-use parts applications in industries including aerospace, defense, automotive, oil & gas and more.

Vulcan Labs’ solutions are currently being developed to include the following:

• optimized build environments and multi-laser scan strategies;
• closed-loop melt pool quality control;
• detailed Data Logging and Integration to the factory floor;
• automated powder handling and in-situ powder quality characterization; and
• automated calibration and build set-up capabilities.

“We’re extremely excited to continue our long-standing collaboration with Stratasys that began back in 2014. Together, we’ll continue to explore unique solutions that strengthen the production ecosystem across additive manufacturing,” says David K. Leigh, CEO of Vulcan Labs, Inc. “Our team will bring a unique perspective to solving many of the issues from an end-user perspective.”

“Vulcan’s best-in-class team has both the experience and technical know-how necessary to bring PBF into real-world production – a vision perfectly aligned and complementary to our other activities in this space, including Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and our investment in LPW,” says Stratasys CEO Ilan Levin. “To provide Vulcan with the best path to achieve its vision, we decided to form a new and independent entity, with Stratasys as an equity stakeholder.”

In the coming months, Vulcan will engage with partners and customers to evaluate and further develop Vulcan’s solutions. Parties interested in joint development opportunities are encouraged to contact Vulcan Labs.

For more info, visit Stratasys and Vulcan Labs.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.