Raising US$590 million in the month, Israeli 3D printing company Nano Dimension will make a major acquisition

Since March 2020, Nano Dimension’s stock price has risen by more than 16 times, and its market value has reached 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Nano Dimension’s market value exceeds that of the established brands3D printingThe market capitalization of the company Stratasys Inc. (Nasdaq: SSYS) (currently US$1.14 billion), while the latter’s revenue between January 2020 and September 2020 was close to US$400 million, and Nano Dimension’s revenue during this period was 1.5 million Dollar.

Zhang Lei of Hillhouse Capital mentioned in the book “Value” that a truly good investment may have limited returns in the short term from a certain dimension, but if the time limit is extended, or from different dimensions and different systems Look, from the dynamic perspective of paradigm shift, its benefits may have been growing rapidly. In this issue, 3D Science Valley and Gu Youlai appreciate the rapid growth of Nano Dimension’s market value. Is it a part of the paradigm shift?

©Nano Dimension

Set off a corner of the paradigm shift

Recently, Nano Dimension has raised another US$250 million on Nasdaq, and has raised US$557 million since September 2020. Raising more than RMB 4.5 billion in just a few months, although from an operational perspective, Nano Dimension’s revenue is almost insignificant compared to its financing, so where does Nano Dimension’s rapid financing refer?

Small body supports huge financing

According to Nano Dimension’s official statement, as with previous rounds of financing announced, Nano Dimension explained that the new capital is necessary for working capital and general business needs, which may include “strategic opportunities”, including the acquisition of companies. Because Nano Dimension’s own business is small, the funds it has raised indicate that it is preparing for large-scale acquisitions.

Six months ago, Nano Dimension hired US investment bank Needham to provide advisory services for its acquisition, especially in the US, so that complementary products or technologies can be added to the electronics field to expand the company’s distribution channels. It is reported that at the technical level, Nano Dimension’s Dragonfly LDM technology further breaks the boundaries of additive manufacturing, enabling it to print insulating substrates next to conductors with very high precision. Perhaps dissatisfied with the market’s valuation, Nano Dimension was delisted from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange earlier this year. Since then, the company’s share price has risen sharply, and then the company’s DragonFly equipment has achieved another technological breakthrough.

According to Nano Dimension CEO Yoav Stern, they currently have two goals. They are focusing on speeding up and promoting the research and development of Nano Dimension; at the same time, they are looking for a target to acquire this kind of market price at an appropriate price. Companies with business synergy.

Progressive technology establishes the only one in the market

So from the technical and application level, does Nano Dimension have the potential for paradigm shift? First, let’s take a look at Nano Dimension’s Dragonfly Pro system. According to the understanding of 3D Science Valley, DragonFly Pro in 2019 3D printingThe system has produced the world’s first pass3D printingPCB side mounting technology. DragonFly’s precision additive manufacturing system can be on the top, bottom and sides of the PCB3D printingAnd soldering components. This manufacturing capability adds valuable space to the PCB. Essentially, it means that design engineers can add components to the side of the circuit board to increase the functionality of the circuit board without increasing the size of the PCB itself.

Applications such as the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 devices require customized and usually compact PCB forms, so it is possible to install side-mounted technology3D printingIt is very beneficial to go to the PCB. Side mounting technology can be used to produce modular antennas, non-standard packages and IoT products. As far as the antenna is concerned, this function can also be used to print a horizontal ground layer in the Z-axis direction to produce a higher performance antenna or multiple antennas with different voltages in a single circuit board. In general, the ability to print side mounting can greatly open Nano Dimension 3D printingInnovative space for electronic device design.

In terms of the market, TTM Technologies, a global leader in the field of printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing, strengthened its relationship with Nano Dimension by purchasing two additional DragonFly Pro systems in April 2019. TTM expanded its relationship with Nano Dimension by owning three Dragonfly Pro systems. Improved its additive manufacturing capabilities for printed electronic products. On this basis, DragonFly LDM printing technology is a breakthrough system launched by Nano Dimension on July 24, 2019. DragonFly LDM relies on the functions of the award-winning DragonFly Pro system and uses the latest proprietary technology to achieve 24/7 uninterrupted operation3D printing. Improvements include a new advanced print head software management algorithm and the ability to automatically clean the print head every few hours.

Designed for Industry 4.0 and IoT manufacturing, it is the industry’s only comprehensive additive manufacturing platform for all-weather 3D printing of electronic circuits. DragonFly LDM is an extension of the successful DragonFly Pro precision system for printing electronic components, including multilayer printed circuit boards (PCB), capacitors, coils, sensors, antennas, etc.

In terms of the market, in August 2019, the British MTC (Manufacturing Technology Center) became the first R&D institution in the UK to purchase the Nano Dimension Dragonfly LDM electronic precision additive manufacturing system. MTC uses cutting-edge unattended digital manufacturing systems to add electronic components such as multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs), antennas and sensors. MTC conducts advanced application development through the DragonFly LDM additive manufacturing system, including complex functions, geometric designs and minimal designs required for smart connected devices and various advanced applications. This shows that British and European R&D institutions are increasingly interested in DragonFly LDM technology, believing that it is a viable way to bring next-generation electronic products and solutions to the market.

According to Aurora Group, Nano Dimension’s partner in China, unlike the traditional PCB factory’s time-consuming and complex production model, Nano Dimension 3D circuit printing is fast, confidential, and can print multiple layers of complex and high-precision The advantages of printing technology can be applied to circuit board prototyping and development purposes.

Nano Dimension’s exclusive nano-scale silver conductive material AgCite and PCB circuit board 3D design software can produce prototypes that mix conductive (metal) and insulating (plastic polymer) ink materials at one time, and accurately print complete and multi-level PCB features. , Including the details of the interconnection of buried holes and plated through holes, and can be completed within a few hours without etching, drilling, plating or destruction.

The technology does have unique and irreplaceable characteristics, and the market space also has sufficient imagination. Then with the huge amount of financing of Nano Dimension, where is the next move for Nano Dimension’s expansion and development? We will continue to pay attention.

(Editor in charge: admin)