Earnings3D Systems and Cimatron today announced that 3D Systems will acquire all outstanding shares of Cimatron for $8.97 per share in cash for a total of around $97 million, including cash. That $8.97 is a 48% premium to Cimatron’s closing price on the Nasdaq on Friday, a nice upside for investors — and investors do seem to love it, sending 3D Systems’ share price up 6% or so on the news.

3D Systems has been a bit battered lately, as production delays affected delivery of 3D printers in Q3 and causing a management shake-up. Adding Cimatron gives the company more gravitas in traditional manufacturing, priced at both high-end (CimatronE, integrated CAD/CAM) and mid-range (GibbsCAM, CNC programming) while also extending direct and reseller sales coverage.

Avi Reichental, CEO of 3D Systems said in a press release,“We believe that the perfect strategic fit between our businesses, combined with expanded capabilities in product development, channel coverage and marketing, could present sizeable synergies that together offer significant long-term customer benefits and shareholder value.”

It’s an interesting move for a company that has been a bit dismissive of old-style subtractive manufacturing technologies, focusing on the sexier, newer additive realm. In reality, most manufacturing benefits from a hybrid approach, so a bit of backtracking here is a good thing. The combo of CimatronE and GibbsCAM spans the small machine shop to large integrated manufacturing space but neither includes (at the moment) tech to manipulate a subtractive process into an additive one so one possible benefit of the acquisition is building additive tech into the CimatronE and GibbsCAM offerings.

Even without than, they’ll be valued additions to the 3D Systems family since they bring both traditional CAM customers as well as design integrated CAM to the party. Danny Haran, Cimatron CEO said, “We have always been focused on providing comprehensive, cost-effective solutions that streamline manufacturing cycles and shorten product delivery time, and as part of 3DS we can substantially accelerate our progress and extend our reach and impact”.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, and the companies expect the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2015.