3D Systems Buys The Sugar Lab
3D printing giant 3D Systems announced they have completed purchase of The Sugar Lab, a small startup dedicated to exploring a new way of 3D printing directly in sugar. Their machines allow direct deposit of sugar, building complex objects with ornate geometries. The sugar is printed using the same deposition technology as current FDM, applying one layer at a time. The sugar is held together using a binder that is edible and meets food safety standards.
3D Systems has pursued a strategy of innovation by acquisition, and this is another piece of intellectual property they have added to their stable. The founders of The Sugar Lab have a patent on producing food through 3d printing with the use of edible binders, which was granted earlier this year. This patent is general enough that 3D Systems will be able to be a gatekeeper to 3D printable food systems for the near future. The patent and innovation behind the idea fueled this acquisition.