Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) announced last night that it would acquire privately held desktop 3D printer firm MakerBot. Stratasys will issue about 4.76 million new shares in exchange for 100% of MakerBot, valuing the deal at $403 million based on last night’s closing price for Stratasys stock. An earn-out included in the deal could add up to $201 million in additional payments to MakerBot’s stakeholders.

Stratasys has a solid position in the manufacturing of industrial 3D printing systems. MakerBot manufactures a desktop 3D printer priced at around $2,200 and recently introduced 3D scanning software that allows users to scan a three-dimensional object and “print” one out at home without having to use complicated design and drawing software. Stratasys is betting that a mass market for 3D printing is developing and will explode real soon now.

MakerBot is reportedly on track to post revenues of around $75 million this year, up from $10 million last year. The company’s investors included Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) chief Jeff Bezos, and, as a group, they put up $10 million in 2011. That is a pretty nice payoff in less than two years.

Shares of Stratasys are up about 4.5% in premarket trading this morning, at $88.40 in a 52-week range of $43.68 to $94.90.

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