10-14-2022: Sugar Lab bought itself out from 3D Systems
The company once again attempted to conquer the confectionery industry with 3D-printed sugar sweets
On October 14, 2022, Sugar Lab, the company that developed 3D sugar printing technology in 2013, announced that it had bought back its technology from 3D Systems and intended to once again attempt success in the confectionery market. Although the acquisition occurred in May 2022, the news was officially published on TechCrunch in October. Interestingly, Sugar Lab bought the technology from 3D Systems—the very company it had sold it to nine years earlier.
Sugar Lab gained international attention in May 2013 when it showcased its 3D sugar printing technology, using a process similar to CJP (Color Jet Printing)—full-color 3D printing with gypsium, where a powdered material is bonded layer by layer using a binder. Shortly after its debut, the startup was acquired by 3D Systems, which at that time was acquiring nearly every innovative company in the additive manufacturing space (without necessarily knowing what to do with them…?).
Despite high promises and even higher expectations from the confectionery industry, the project was shelved in 2015 following leadership changes at 3D Systems and remained a technological curiosity. However, this changed over the years. As reported by TechCrunch, the original co-founders—Kyle von Hasseln and Meagan Bozeman—decided to repurchase their technology from 3D Systems to reactivate the company and sell their proprietary Currant 3D printers, which print sugar-based confections.
The company originally came about when Kyle von Hasseln hacked an old Z Corporation 3D printer (acquired by 3D Systems in 2012) to print cupcake decorations. The results were promising enough that von Hasseln founded Sugar Lab—a company calling itself a "digital bakery," focusing on food-safe 3D printing.
The newly re-established company successfully reacquired the technology from 3D Systems and began raising funds to bring its products to market. Sugar Lab claimed that its 3D printers could produce complex, full-color edible products, with the ability to scale the technology for mass production. The printers could work with several ingredients, including dried fruits, vegetables, spices, and plant proteins. Sugar Lab now holds one of the first NSF-certified 3D food printing solutions for commercial-scale production.
Source: www.techcrunch.com