Hot on the heels of this morning's announcement about Ponoko, we have some more news from the exciting world of 3D printing: South Carolina-based, Nasdaq-listed (TDSC) 3D printing institution 3D Systems has acquired Amsterdam's Freedom of Creation, a design and research company that specializes in the same.Over the past years the 3D printing industry has been picking up speed, moving the technology towards mainstream adoption... This strategic move helps to realize Freedom Of Creations' bold plans with 3D printing for both the near and distant future.

The acquisition was actually finalized and announced a couple weeks ago (at the cusp of our NY Design Week coverage), but it's definitely worth mentioning here. Considering that 3D Systems was founded in 1986—"with the invention of the first Stereolithography Rapid Prototyping system"—and FOC has been honing their 3D craft for over a decade now as well, it's safe to say that their shared expertise will raise the bar for rapid prototyping design and technologies in years to come.