Prodways ends sale of jewelry 3D printers amid strategic refocus

French 3D printer producer and repair supplier Prodways Group (PWG) has discontinued gross sales of its small wax and resin 3D printers for the jewellery market. The corporate will now reallocate assets in direction of high-volume, industrial 3D printers which reportedly possess excessive added worth.  

This strategic determination comes after Prodways’ jewellery 3D printers, offered beneath its Solidscape model, carried out poorly in 2023. These 3D printers reportedly skilled weak gross sales, poor turnover, and “important working loss.”    

It’s hoped that this transfer, which displays the corporate’s “progress and profitability technique,” will enhance its monetary outcomes and strengthen its place throughout the world additive manufacturing market. 

In line with Prodways, ceasing Solidscape exercise can have a optimistic structural impression on Prodways’ profitability and monetary outcomes. In Q3 2023, Prodways recorded revenues of €15.9 million, a 7.6% lower YoY from €21.5 million in Q3 2022. This represented a 26% quarterly decline from €21.5 million in Q2 2023.   

The shutdown of bijou 3D printing exercise is anticipated to be finalized by the tip of summer season 2024. The impression on 2023 monetary statements is estimated to be round €15 million in depreciation (non-cash impression). 2024 associated prices are anticipated to symbolize simply over €1 million, primarily within the first half of the yr.

Prodways will publish its full-year 2023 monetary outcomes on 14 February 2024. This can present particulars on the corporate’s different enterprise actions and its monetary outlook for the yr forward.   

Prodways discontinues jewellery 3D printers

Since buying Solidscape in 2018, Prodways has launched a spread of 3D printers for the manufacturing of castable wax and resin jewellery fashions. Optimized for castable valuable metals comparable to gold and platinum, these embody the corporate’s S3Duo, S325, S325+, and MUSE fashions.

The sale of those desktop jewellery 3D printers, that are valued at round €15,000, and related supplies and providers, generated turnover of €5 million in 2023 and a “important working loss.” 

Regardless of continued progress within the jewellery 3D printer market, the weak 2023 efficiency has led Prodways to discover new approaches to extend the sustainability of the Solidscape model. As such, the corporate has discontinued its jewellery merchandise, shifting focus to its “excessive value-added” 3D printers and supplies, together with the MovingLight vary.

Prodways’ MovingLight DLP 3D printers are optimized for the manufacturing of customized dental and medical gadgets, in addition to end-use industrial mildew and casting functions. In line with Prodways, these 3D printers are notable for his or her velocity, accuracy, and wavelength choices. The corporate additionally gives a spread of dismountable and interchangeable construct platforms. These choices allow customers to customise their resin 3D printer to their particular use-case.      

In line with Prodways, progress inside this phase is less complicated to activate and generates larger profitability. The corporate’s robust place inside current markets, such because the medical sector, will reportedly allow it to generate alternatives in new industrial functions, comparable to aeronautics.

Jewellery 3D printing: a rising market?

Regardless of Prodways’ determination to discontinue its jewellery providing, the jewellery 3D printing sector continues to increase. Certainly, a lot of industrial-scale 3D printing corporations have launched new jewellery 3D printers, tapping into the rising jewellery market which is anticipated to exceed $22 billion by 2030. 

Israeli 3D printer producer XJet not too long ago introduced a collaboration with XOLUTIONS, a provider to the high-end trend market. This partnership has seen XOLUTIONS purchase an XJet Carmel 1400M metallic 3D printer to manufacture metallic luxurious trend equipment, together with 3D printed jewellery. XOLUTIONS gives alloys and grasp alloys for jewellery manufacturing by way of its Progold S.p.A subsidiary.

“XJet know-how matches the wants of the luxurious market completely,” commented Progold CEO Damiano Zito. “The floor end and the decision – essential for this market – that’s achieved by NanoParticle Jetting is a step change above what every other AM know-how can ship.” 

In October 2023, US-based 3D printer producer 3D Methods launched its newest jewellery 3D printing merchandise, the MJP 300W 3D printer and VisiJet Wax Jewel Ruby materials. By combining these two choices, 3D Methods claims that wax jewellery sample producers can effectively obtain larger design freedom and improved floor end. 

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Featured picture reveals a closeup of a Prodways 3D printer. Picture through Prodways.