In a decisive move that signals a significant shift in the competitive landscape of advanced manufacturing, ADDMAN has finalized the acquisition of Forecast 3D, a prominent polymer additive manufacturing specialist based in Carlsbad, California. This strategic transaction is far more than a simple corporate merger; it represents a calculated step to consolidate ADDMAN’s position as a dominant force within the North American additive manufacturing (AM) sector. By integrating Forecast 3D’s extensive capabilities and three decades of industry experience, ADDMAN is poised to dramatically expand its service offerings, enhance its technological portfolio, and solidify its geographical footprint. The acquisition aims to create an unparalleled, single-source manufacturing partner for a diverse industrial clientele, fundamentally altering how companies approach product development and production, from initial concept to full-scale manufacturing, and setting a new benchmark for scale and integration in the industry.
A Vision for Comprehensive Market Leadership
The driving force behind this acquisition is a clear and ambitious strategy to construct North America’s most extensive and versatile additive manufacturing platform. This vision, as articulated by company leadership, is centered on becoming a truly singular partner capable of supporting clients with any part, through any process, and at any stage of their product journey. This end-to-end approach is designed to eliminate the fragmentation that often complicates the manufacturing supply chain, where companies must engage multiple vendors for prototyping, low-volume production, and high-volume runs. By consolidating these services under one operational umbrella, ADDMAN aims to provide a seamless, efficient, and cohesive experience. This model not only simplifies logistics for clients but also fosters deeper collaboration, allowing for more agile development cycles and a more streamlined path from a digital file to a physical, market-ready product, effectively transforming the customer’s manufacturing lifecycle.
This strategic integration extends well beyond the additive manufacturing domain, establishing a holistic manufacturing ecosystem that addresses a broad spectrum of industrial needs. Clients engaging with the newly expanded entity will gain frictionless access to a comprehensive suite of services that includes not only polymer and metal additive manufacturing but also high-precision CNC machining and traditional injection molding. This multi-faceted capability allows ADDMAN to offer the optimal manufacturing solution for any given application, rather than being limited by the constraints of a single technology. For customers, this translates into an unbiased, technology-agnostic approach to problem-solving, ensuring that part design, material selection, and production method are all optimized for performance, cost, and speed. The result is a powerful, one-stop-shop that can handle complex projects requiring hybrid manufacturing approaches, solidifying ADDMAN’s value proposition as a complete, end-to-end solutions provider.
Bolstering Technological Prowess and Operational Synergy
The integration of Forecast 3D brings a substantial infusion of technological expertise and advanced manufacturing capacity to the ADDMAN platform. With a legacy spanning three decades as an early adopter of industrial AM technologies, Forecast 3D contributes a deep reservoir of knowledge and a robust portfolio of production-grade equipment. The acquisition significantly enhances ADDMAN’s capabilities in critical powder-based polymer processes, most notably Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). These technologies are indispensable for fabricating durable, high-quality, and complex end-use parts, directly empowering ADDMAN’s ability to serve clients who are transitioning from prototyping and development phases into full-rate production. Complementing this advanced hardware is Forecast 3D’s mature digital manufacturing infrastructure, which includes a sophisticated digital quoting and customer support platform designed to streamline client interactions and drive operational efficiency across the entire, newly expanded organization.
Beyond the technological assets, the acquisition creates powerful operational and logistical synergies, most notably by establishing a formidable regional hub for polymer additive manufacturing in Southern California. The combination of Forecast 3D’s state-of-the-art Carlsbad facility with ADDMAN’s existing Dinsmore operation concentrates immense resources, expertise, and production capacity in a key industrial region. This West Coast powerhouse is poised to deliver immediate and tangible benefits to customers, including significantly expanded capacity that will translate directly into faster project lead times and greater project scalability. Furthermore, this strategic geographic positioning strengthens ADDMAN’s national network, enabling more responsive service and logistical efficiency for clients across the country. The creation of this integrated regional hub is a testament to the strategic foresight behind the acquisition, ensuring that the combined entity is not just larger but also more agile and customer-focused.
A Future Forged by Scale and Innovation
This acquisition marks a pivotal milestone in ADDMAN’s remarkable growth trajectory, which underscores a broader trend of consolidation and scaling occurring within the dynamic additive manufacturing sector. The inclusion of Forecast 3D’s assets has expanded ADDMAN’s industrial additive fleet to more than 160 systems, positioning it unequivocally among the largest and most capable service providers of its kind in North America. Achieving this status in just five years is a testament to a focused and aggressive expansion strategy, made possible by the unwavering support of the company’s leadership and its ownership partners at American Industrial Partners. This strong financial and strategic backing has been instrumental in facilitating not only this landmark acquisition but also the company’s broader mission to build a manufacturing platform defined by its immense scale, technological diversity, and unwavering commitment to meeting the evolving needs of modern industry.
The leadership at ADDMAN made it clear that achieving this new level of industrial scale was a critical step, but it was not the ultimate objective. Instead, this expanded capacity is viewed as a powerful instrument to be wielded in shaping the future of manufacturing. The company’s forward-looking focus has now shifted to strategically leveraging this scale to drive innovation and unlock new possibilities. The future direction will be defined by sustained investments in emerging technologies, the cultivation of strategic partnerships with industry leaders, and a relentless pursuit of pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished with additive manufacturing. The acquisition of Forecast 3D was therefore not a concluding chapter in a growth story, but rather the essential catalyst that ignited the next phase of ADDMAN’s journey to innovate, lead, and fundamentally redefine the advanced manufacturing landscape.
