Materialise N.V., an additive manufacturing company based in Leuven, Belgium, has acquired United Kindgom-based OrthoView Holdings Ltd., which makes 2-D digital pre-operative planning and templating solutions for orthopedic surgeons. The cash deal is valued at a cash payment of $13.7 million, and a possible additional earn out payment of up to $580,000. At completion, OrthoView had an estimated $1.9 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand and no financial debt. The transaction, which was signed and closed simultaneously, is expected to be accretive to earnings per share within 12 months.

“With a complementary product portfolio and a robust sales reach, OrthoView is an ideal fit for Materialise,” said Materialise founder and CEO Fried Vancraen. “Its X-ray based, pre-operative planning software is used in 2000 hospitals worldwide and is connected to many picture archiving communications systems (PACS). Our combined expertise and sales force will allow us to offer, through various channels, a complete range of services and solutions to surgeons and hospitals; with 2-D as well as 3-D planning tools for almost any type of medical images and with the possibility to offer corresponding 3-D printed surgical guides and models.”

“Surgeons and PACS partners have always seen 3-D planning as a natural addition to the OrthoView product portfolio, but building up that kind of expertise requires years of development and a huge investment,” said John Chambers, the company’s co-founder and CEO. “With Materialise already at the forefront of this technology, our team can quickly expand the solutions we offer to surgeons worldwide.”

Chambers, who will continue his career within the Materialise group, also sees potential to increase the global reach of OrthoView’s current product portfolio as a result of the transaction.

On Sept. 22, Materialise announced the successful completion of the first total knee surgery that was preplanned by means of the Materialise X-ray knee guide solution. The new technology allows for the preplanning of knee replacement surgeries as well as the 3-D printing of related surgical guides, solely on the basis of 2-D X-ray images.

Pexco’s Spectrum Plastics Division Expands with New Injection Molding Technology
Pexco Medical, a division of Atlanta, Ga.-based Pexco LLC, has purchased—through its Spectrum Plastics operation in Minneapolis, Minn.—a new 55-ton Roboshot injection molding machine to develop new medical tools and advance its biomaterial processing capability.

According to Pexco officials, the press features advanced scientific molding techniques and capabilities, and will be solely dedicated to new mold trials and development. The machine also will expedite research and development and new product technology, and allow for faster mold de-bug times, officials noted. It is capable of running heated and cooled molds.

The new system also offers two different screw and barrel configurations to optimize shot size with part size; a dedicated moisture analyzer, a sprue picker and master unit frame; two new material dryers; a dedicated hot water unit that can heat molds to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; air ejection capabilities; and a dedicated pressure-monitoring system.

“We are investing in equipment to support our customers’ needs for future development of biomaterials and other medical plastics products,” said Pexco General Manager Doug Johnson of the Minneapolis-based operation.

The Spectrum Plastics group specializes in complex engineering resins, especially those suited to medical products—particularly implantable surgical devices and fixtures. It employs approximately 160 people in a 105,000-square-foot facility, featuring two medical-grade clean rooms, approximately 40 injection molding presses from 12 to 600 tons, and in-house engineering and product development capabilities, including assembly and packaging services.

Pexco has several manufacturing plants across the United States and Mexico, and specializes in the design and fabrication of specialty plastics products.