Due to strong interest from the US market and a solid financial position, UpNano GmbH, a leading technology company in the field of 2-photon polymerisation (2PP) 3D printing, announces that it will greatly intensify its operations in the United States.
This will include hiring Erika Bechtold as vice president of US operations. The company manufactures and distributes the renowned NanoOne series of laser-based 2PP 3D printing systems, which can produce structures in 12 orders of magnitude at unprecedented speeds. The company's expansion follows a year of strong growth that has seen sales triple and market interest for its printing systems soar.
The NanoOne's unprecedented technological edge, which enables high-resolution 3D printing across twelve orders of magnitude and in a manufacturing time unmatched by competitors, is the reason for UpNano GmbH's (Vienna/Austria) recent success. In parallel with the establishment of a global sales force, sales have tripled in 2021 and the staff and space at the Vienna headquarters have been significantly expanded. With the appointment of Erika Bechtold as the new Vice President of US Operations in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, the company is now also following the growing interest from the US.
NanoOne's UNIQUE PROPERTIES.
"Demand for our NanoOne printing systems has grown steadily over the past few years, and in 2021 the number of units sold tripled again," comments Bernhard Küenburg, CEO of UpNano. "By expanding the product range of our printing systems, offering modular upgrade solutions and continuously innovating new printing resins, we meet the expectations of industry and academia alike."
The NanoOne series printing systems are second to none when it comes to precision and production speed. They are capable of producing plastic components with volumes ranging from 100 to 1012 cubic micrometres with nano and micro resolution. The system also achieves this at an unprecedented speed and much faster than other systems. This speed is possible thanks to the system's specific optical setup, optimised scanning algorithms, exceptionally powerful laser and proprietary adaptive resolution technology. In addition to the standard resin, whose portfolio includes highly transparent as well as black, light-blocking materials, hydrogel materials with embedded living cells can also be processed. Following successful presentations at US trade shows and surprisingly strong interest from potential customers in industry, academia and especially medical technology, UpNano has now appointed Dr Erika Bechtold as Vice President of US Operations.
COMMON INTEREST
Erika Bechtold, PhD, is currently Director of Technology Commercialisation at Harvard's Office for Technology Development, supporting Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. She has more than 10 years of experience in business development and commercial strategy, both in academia and industry. "I am very impressed with the NanoOne systems the team has built," says Dr Bechtold. "UpNano is in a critical growth phase and I am excited to join the team to help promote the sales of this system in the US. This is a great opportunity at a time when the market for 2PP 3D printers is growing significantly."
In addition to leading UpNano's US operations, Erika Bechtold will also be involved in supporting ImageBiopsy Lab, Inc. ImageBiopsy Lab, with offices in Austria and the US, develops and implements medical AI software in the field of musculoskeletal imaging intelligence that enables physicians and healthcare providers to turn large amounts of unstructured data into diagnostic evidence. UpNano and ImageBiopsy Lab are partly backed by the same investor group.
Bernhard Küenburg adds: "Erika's business experience and scientific background are invaluable not only for UpNano, but for any technology-oriented company facing the growing interest of the US. Therefore, I am also pleased that Erika has agreed to split her time between UpNano and ImageBiopsy Lab."
In parallel to the expansion of US activities, research and development continues to play a central role in UpNano's business development. Denise Hirner, Head of Marketing and Business Development and co-founder of UpNano, adds: "Having increased the production capacity of our NanoOne series, our R&D department is focusing on numerous innovative features for the systems that will offer even more versatility, as well as the next generation of the printing system that will enable industrial series production." This continuous drive for improvement and innovation is at the heart of UpNano's growing 2PP 3D printing product portfolio.
www.upnano.at
