With the rapid expansion of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology, In’Tech Industries Inc. is expanding its 3D printing and additive manufacturing services accordingly with the acquisition of Vista Technologies LLC’s (VistaTek) Additive Manufacturing division. In’Tech is a service provider of stereo lithography and rapid prototyping that currently has three 3D Systems iPro 9000 SLA production printers, five 3D systems iPro 8000 SLA production printers, six 3D systems Viper Si2 SLA systems, one Objet Connex500 3D printer, two Objet connex350 3D printers, one Objet Eden500 3D printer, one Objet Eden 333 3D printer and one Stratasys Titan 3D production system.

The two companies, both located in Minnesota, have worked together for several years. Randy Stevens, operations manager for In’Tech, told PlasticsToday that VistaTek approached In’Tech with an offer to sell VistaTek’s additive manufacturing division. In’Tech will relocate VistaTek’s additive manufacturing division to its 64,000-sq-ft facility in Ramsey, MN, where six VistaTek 3D printing specialists will join the In’Tech team. “It’s been our experience that it’s difficult to recruit the talent needed for the very specialized expertise needed for the additive manufacturing business,” said Stevens. 

Equipment from VistaTek will be moved into In’Tech’s climate-controlled RP&AM Center and includes five Objet 3D printers and one Stratasys 3D production system. The move makes In’Tech one of the largest independently owned additive manufacturing centers in North America, according to the company.
   
Stevens noted in an interview with PlasticsToday that In’Tech was seeing greater demand for its rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing and the company was considering expanding its services in that area. “By making this acquisition that includes equipment and the talent, we are able to get up to speed, and grow these technology platforms,” he said. In’Tech also acquired VistaTek’s customer base for additive manufacturing services.
   
n’Tech was founded in 1967 as a mold manufacturing company, and expanded into injection molding in 1990. The company implemented rapid prototyping services in 2001. Today, In’Tech has 32 injection molding machines, 31 ranging in size from 30 to 40 tons, and one 200-ton machine. The company serves customers in the medical, automotive, aerospace, and healthcare/hearing products markets. The company employs 116, including the new employees coming from VistaTek.

“Since opening our Rapid Prototyping Center in 2001, we have responded to increased demand for quick-turn prototype parts and production using highly skilled personnel and the most innovative technologies and materials available to the industry,” Stevens commented. “We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of 3D printing and additive manufacturing capabilities to better serve our customers’ product development and rapid manufacturing needs.”

According to information supplied by In’Tech, the acquisition will advance In’Tech’s rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing capacity and present industrial designers and manufacturing engineers with a wider selection of additive materials and processes. Objet’s Digital Materials offer an  unprecedented range of 100+ materials with diverse mechanical and physical properties and FDM is highly regarded for producing end-use parts with engineering-grade thermoplastics ranging from ABS to ULTEM.

Dan Mishek, VistaTek’s managing director, commenting in a prepared statement, said, “We are confident In’Tech will meet and exceed the same level of quality and service that our rapid prototype customers have come to know and expect. In’Tech is an impressive operation and has earned a solid reputation within our industry for consistently delivering precision plastic prototypes and production parts, and we are pleased to place our friends and customers into In’Tech’s very capable hands.”

VistaTek established its presence in the marketplace with a strong focus on rapid prototype business. The In’Tech acquisition of VistaTek’s Additive Manufacturing Division will allow VistaTek to respond to growth in its moldmaking and injection molding divisions—areas that have quadrupled in size over the past two years. VistaTek will remain under the management of co-owners and siblings Allen Mishek, Dan Mishek, and Jennifer Sutherland, who will work to increase custom injection molding opportunities and capture rapid tooling market share across many industries and regions in the United States and Canada.