Kornit Digital, the Israel-based maker of high-end digital textile printers, has acquired all associated assets of Voxel8, a Somerville, MA-based company that specializes in 3-D print-on-part capabilities. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Voxel8 has technology that adds plastics, both hard and flexible, to existing fabrics. It was first used in the footwear market.

“Voxel8’s innovative technologies and talent will help us accelerate the execution of our 4.0 strategy to digitize sustainable, on-demand textile production,” said Ronen Samuel, CEO of Kornit Digital. “With this advanced and proven 3-D technology, we will disrupt the business of fashion, empowering completely new creative decorative concepts and never-before-seen functional textile applications, while exploring new lucrative opportunities in the functional apparel and footwear markets.”

Voxel8 has developed advanced additive manufacturing technology for textiles, allowing for digital fabrication of functional features with zonal control of material properties. Essentially, the technology adds plastics, both hard and flexible, to existing fabrics, according to Robert Zoch, global content manager for Kornit Digital. Voxel8 first used the technology in footwear, but it also has applications for enhancing grip, protecting surfaces, and adding elasticity or form-fitting qualities to a material – such as for athleticwear or sports bras.

Voxel8 specializes in 3-D print-on-part capabilities which Kornit Digital plans to incorporate into its own digital textile printing technology.

The technology is also a game-changer for apparel decoration, allowing users to print reflective, silicone, metallic or neon artwork directly onto a garment or other textile, in a way that Kornit’s pigment-based inks cannot. “Voxel8 offers direct 3-D print-on-part capabilities, advanced design software that can be easily integrated with any production floor software workflow, and versatile chemistry enabling on-the-fly formulation of high-performance elastomers to change the material properties of the resulting printed structures by multiple orders of magnitude,” said Kobi Mann, chief technology officer for Kornit Digital.

Kornit Digital plans to sell standalone Voxel8 print systems, but also expects to integrate the technology into existing Kornit digital printing systems eventually, according to Zoch.

Voxel8’s technology has already been used by leading global fashion and footwear brands, including Hush Puppies, according to Fred von Gottberg, president and CEO of Voxel8. The technology “enables the digital creation of unique decorative and functional applications, while eliminating time and waste from the manufacturing process,” he said.

“Voxel8 shares Kornit’s vision of transforming the textile industry and couldn’t be more excited to be part of the journey to build the operating system of sustainable fashion on demand,” Gottberg said.

Founded in 2002, Kornit Digital is headquartered in Israel, with offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific. It serves a wide range of customers, including Amazon, Fanatics and Top 40 supplier Delta Apparel (asi/49172), in many states and countries.