RAMSEY, MINN. (Sept. 25, 1:10 p.m. ET) — InTech Industries Inc. has acquired the rapid prototyping division of Vista Technologies LLC in a move that will allow InTech to build its business in additive manufacturing, while VistaTek focuses on expanding its mold making and injection molding operations.
Six employees will move with VistaTek’s equipment and business from Vadnais Heights, Minn., to InTech in nearby Ramsey, Minn, the companies announced Sept. 24.
VistaTek’s rapid prototyping group had five Objet 3D printers and one Stratasys 3D printer. Those units will joint 14 3D printers already in operation at InTech’s manufacturing center in Ramsey.
The acquisition – for an undisclosed price – will boost InTech’s capabilities with Objet materials, allowing the company to offer additive manufacturing using more than 100 materials.
VistaTek, meanwhile, will be able to focus on tooling and injection molding, an area that had seen business quadruple in recent years, said Managing Director Dan Mishek in a telephone interview.
The company has 25 employees in tooling and molding now, and Mishek said it expects to double that number within two to three years. It will immediately begin investing in new equipment including additional CNC equipment, and hire additional mold designers and other specialists to keep up with increasing business.
VistaTek retains close ties to rapid prototyping, including skills developed for quick delivery of prototype tools and bridge tools in addition to standard production tools, Mishek said. Its injection molding unit has low volume, high volume and assembly operations.
