Sweet Deal: 3D Systems Buys LA-Based Sugar Lab

Sugar Lab launched last May with some fanfare. The company was founded to print 3D confections using crystallized sugar. They could make some amazing things with a sort of Willy Wonka meets M.C. Escher aesthetic that looked great on cakes and dessert plates.

The deal details are as of yet undisclosed.

3D Systems obviously a pretty big deal in the 3D-printing world. They primarily manufacture large-format, expensive 3D printers for large engineering clients. However, with the Sugar Lab acquisition the company can move into creating edible binders and sugar-based objects for food services, bakers, and chefs. They also plan to help create home-based products for amateurs to print sugar at home.

When I spoke to the founders in May they explained their business started by accident. Now it’s clear that their idea has borne fruit.

“We are certainly optimistic that designing and 3D printing sugar is a viable career option for us–it’s a great design space, and we love the challenge of negotiating structural, material and aesthetic considerations to produce sculptural form in sugar,” said co-founder Liz von Hasseln.