Arburg acquires RepRap and expands in the additive manufacturing

The entrepreneurial families Hehl und Keinath have taken over the German RepRap, based in Feldkirchen. The partners consider additive manufacturing to be an important complementary production method for plastics processing which holds significant promise for the future.

Due to the successful market entry with the Arburg Freeformer in 2013, the Arburg officials feel confirmed in this assessment. The majority of the applications that use this open system for the processing of commercially available plastic granulates can currently be found in advanced settings such as those encountered in medical engineering and where prescribed material requirements have to be met.

German RepRap develops and produces 3D systems based on FFF technology (Fused Filament Fabrication). In 2016, the company added the innovative and globally unique Liquid Additive Manufacturing technology (LAM) to its portfolio, which allows for materials such as Liquid Silicon Rubber (LSR) to be processed. The new x500pro, which processes engineering plastics such as polycarbonate (PC), complements the innovative product range of German RepRap.

According to the will of the new owners, the company will continue to operate as a separate startup company at its location in Feldkirchen. The change of ownership will not mean any operational changes for German RepRap’s 23 employees. Founder and Managing Director Florian Bautz will continue to run the business in the same way. German RepRap will continue to manage its sales, application engineering, production and administration activities independently. After the takeover, Arburg will work in close collaboration with German RepRap, drawing on its wide-ranging resources to offer support when asked to do so.