Oqton Mos and 3DXpert in Hubb Global Holdings.
3DXpert for Solidworks (Image: 3D systems)
If you talk about software these days, it seems to be a requirement that you use the expression of “artificial intelligence” at least once. (Not too long ago they could have said the same thing about 'blockchain'. How did it develop?)
This certainly applies to the recent announcement of 3D Systems, which led the press release that it would sell the OQton manufacturing operating system (MOS) and the 3DXPERT business by focusing on the proprietary polymer software -3D sprint, in response to “the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in additive production”.
The more brandagnostic software platforms are sold to Hubb Global Holdings, a “strategic investment group” that does not seem to appear on the Internet outside of this special announcement, including on the LinkedIn pages of its obvious principles, Steve Lokam and Kalyan Yenneti.
“This strategic investment aims to expand significantly [Hubb Global Holdings’] Core skills, strengthening the sales and service infrastructure and the introduction of the broader industry, ”says the press release. In view of the obvious lack of information about Hubb Global Holdings, these first two points seem to be inevitable. It remains to be seen whether a broader introduction of the industry is to be seen, but I am not optimistic.
So where the sale from?
It is not the first step of this type of 3D systems this year, whereby the sale of Geomagic to Hexagon will go through at the beginning of this year. The expectation that this recent sale will conclude in the fourth quarter of 2025 suggests that 3D systems withdraw from the strategy to concentrate the more comprehensive introduction of 3D printing technology on the promotion of sales and the share price via a closed ecosystem made of hardware, software, materials and services.
This is more or less the message from CEO Jeffrey Graves: “Our company focuses on the fact that customers can fully use the advantages of additive manufacturing in their production environment,” he said in the press release. “We enable this by providing customers with 3D printing hardware, materials, software and services for customers worldwide 3D printing hardware, software and services. We believe that it is important to continue to invest in F&E in order to advance the innovations in all elements of our solutions -and to promote these investments in which you can have the greatest influence for our customers and shareholders.”
When you read between the lines, it seems that 3D systems could only withdraw from the concentration on polymers from metal additive manufacturing (AM). Whether from a technical or business perspective, this is not a bad bet: Metal on is significantly younger and less standardized than the polymer counter, and 3D systems already have an enormous polymer material portfolio, about three times as large as the metal offers.
As a result, the fate of Oqton Mos and 3DXPERT remains unsafe, especially in the hands of an unknown investment group, whose clients have no obvious experience with metal. It can be seen discouraging how printer-tagnostic software platforms fall by the wayside when the additive industry seemed to come to the setting that success cannot occur from closed ecosystems and an increasing tidal cancellation of all boats.