Danobatgroup invests in the BCN3D start-up in order to diversify its technological offer

• The industrial group, in partnership with the Mondragon Corporation, has acquired a stake in the equity of the Catalan company through a round of financing.

• BCN3D designs and manufactures 3D printers based on an additive manufacturing technology that allows strong, durable and stable objects to be produced with high accuracy.

• The system developed by the company from Barcelona is aimed at sectors such as electronics, aeronautics, automotive, engineering and product design, among others.

• Among its customers are BMW, Siemens, Samsung, General Electric, Nissan, the American space agency NASA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

With the aim of continuing to diversify its technological offer and explore new innovative solutions to anticipate the demands of the industry, Danobatgroup, together with the Mondragon Corporation, has acquired a stake in the equity in the start-up specialising in additive manufacturing technology BCN3D.

This operation makes the Danobatgroup and Mondragon Corporation the leading companies in the financing round, which has raised a total of 2.8 million euros for the Catalan firm, a figure that places it among the top 10 investments of this kind in Spain so far this year.

The partnership with BCN3D underpins Danobatgroup´s commitment to innovation, which takes the form of surveillance and analysis of technological trends with the aim of identifying new business opportunities, anticipating the challenges of the future and reinforcing its position as a benchmark in R&D applied to machine tools and industrial manufacturing.

In the operation, the Promotion Centre of the Mondragon Corporation is participating through its venture capital fund for investment in start-ups, specifically conceived for supporting partner cooperatives to tackle new challenges, evolve in line with the transformations and enhance their market positioning.

“This operation responds to our strategy of seeking opportunities for diversification in the area of manufacturing technologies framed with a global process for analysing the evolution of additive manufacturing technologies. Within this strategy, we have committed to acquiring an interest in BCN3D, a successful start-up that stands out in its area of specialisation: polymer additive manufacturing processes”, says the group’s innovation director, Nerea Aranguren.

Design and manufacture of 3D printers

More specifically, the Catalan company, created within the scope of the CIM foundation, the additive manufacturing research centre of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, designs and manufactures 3-D desktop printers based on Fusion Deposition Modelling (FDM) or Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology, an additive manufacturing method that deposits thermoplastic material layer by layer to construct parts and components.

The technology used on the BCN3D printers allows strong, durable and dimensionally stable objects to be manufactured with great accuracy for strategic sectors such as automotives, aeronautics, electronics, engineering and product design, among others.

The company has stood out for its social commitment during the covid pandemic with the "3D Printing to Live" initiative, a project that has allowed the Catalan firm to design, produce and distribute reusable protective visors that have been adopted by a wide range of health professionals in more than 50 medical centres throughout Europe.

Among BCN3D’s customers are companies such as BMW, Siemens, Samsung, General Electric, Nissan, the American space agency NASA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Within the framework of this collaboration, also envisaged is a definition of an R&D plan, realised through the IDEKO research centre, the driving force of innovation of the Danobatgroup, to explore the use of FFF technology in metal solutions, and not just polymers.

About DANOBATGROUP

With a track record of 65 years in the field of technologies applied to industrial manufacturing, Danobatgroup has a workforce made up of more than 1300 highly qualified people. The group is an international benchmark in the machine-tool sector and technologies applied to industrial manufacturing.

About the Mondragon Corporation

This is a business group of a cooperative nature, which incorporates about 100 cooperatives that compete on the global market with a business model that pivots around active involvement of people and commitment to common progress. Last year, its turnover was more than 12,000 million euros and it employs more than 80,000 people.

About BCN3D

BCN3D is one of the leading international manufacturers in the design, production and distribution of 3D desktop printers with FFF technology, reaching more than 60 countries. Its main contribution to technological innovation lies in the development of the IDEX double extrusion technology in its Barcelona headquarters in Castelldefels. This technology helps to increase the printing of pieces and reduce costs for many business sectors. Its main clients include Seat, BMW, NASA, Camper and the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu in Barcelona.