Stratasys (SSYS) Q2 2026 Earnings Call: Rekord bei Verbrauchsmaterialien, angepasster Cashflow-Ausblick

Wichtigste Erkenntnisse

• Stratasys meldete für Q2 2026 einen Umsatz von 137,6 Millionen US-Dollar, was einem Anstieg von 3,7 % gegenüber dem Vorquartal (132,7 Millionen US-Dollar) entspricht und im Vergleich zu 138,1 Millionen US-Dollar im Vorjahr nahezu unverändert ist.
• Der Umsatz mit Verbrauchsmaterialien erreichte mit 66,3 Millionen US-Dollar ein Quartalsrekordniveau, verglichen mit 64,2 Millionen US-Dollar in Q2 2025, was eine höhere Nutzung von Fertigungsmaterialien und eine höhere Systemauslastung widerspiegelt.
• Der Umsatz im Bereich Luft- und Raumfahrt sowie Verteidigung stieg im Jahresvergleich um 17 %. Stratasys Direct wuchs um 12,1 %, gestützt durch die Nachfrage nach Drohnenproduktion, Munitionsherstellung und anderen Verteidigungsanwendungen.
• Das Non-GAAP-Nettoeinkommen lag bei 2,3 Millionen US-Dollar bzw. 0,03 US-Dollar je verwässerter Aktie. Das bereinigte EBITDA verbesserte sich gegenüber dem Vorquartal von 2,0 Millionen US-Dollar auf 5,3 Millionen US-Dollar, fiel jedoch im Vergleich zu 6,1 Millionen US-Dollar im Vorjahr.
• Stratasys bestätigte seine Prognose für das Gesamtjahr 2026 mit Ausnahme des operativen Cashflows. Das Unternehmen rechnet für das Gesamtjahr nicht mehr mit einem positiven operativen Cashflow, obwohl das Management davon ausgeht, dass dieser in der zweiten Jahreshälfte positiv ausfallen wird.
• Der ausstehende Barübernahme von MarkForged in Höhe von 42,5 Millionen US-Dollar soll später im Jahr 2026 abgeschlossen werden. Das Management erwartet innerhalb des ersten Jahres nach Abschluss bessere Margen und einen positiven EBITDA-Beitrag des übernommenen Geschäfts.

Wichtige Finanzdaten

Geschäfts- und operative Entwicklung

Der Bereich Luft- und Raumfahrt sowie Verteidigung blieb das größte Geschäftsfeld von Stratasys und wuchs um 17 % gegenüber Q2 2025. Das Management führte den Anstieg teilweise auf die breitere Einführung von F900-Systemen durch die U.S. Air Force für die Instandhaltung und die Produktion flugfähiger Ersatzteile zurück. Das Unternehmen beschrieb diese Einsätze als sich ausweitende Programme und nicht als einmalige Aufträge.

Der Umsatz von Stratasys Direct in der Teilefertigung stieg im Jahresvergleich um 12,1 %. Die Nachfrage stammte in erster Linie von Wehrtechnikunternehmen, die an Drohnen, Munition und Plattformen der nächsten Generation arbeiten. Laut Management verzeichnet das Geschäft seinen bisher höchsten Auftragsbestand und produzierte mehr als 12.000 Teile für die Luft- und Raumfahrt sowie die Verteidigung, hauptsächlich für Drohnenanwendungen.

Quickparts vereinbarte den Kauf von 12 Neo 800-plus-Systemen im Rahmen einer mehrjährigen, Millionen US-Dollar schweren Vereinbarung über Materialien, Software und Services. Die Systeme werden Fertigungsanwendungen in den Bereichen Luft- und Raumfahrt, Verteidigung, fortschrittliche Mobilität und Energie unterstützen, wobei drei Einheiten für europäische Standorte vorgesehen sind.

Stratasys erhielt außerdem ein auf zwei Jahre angelegtes, 7,8 Millionen US-Dollar schweres America-Makes-Programm, das sich auf In-situ-Überwachungskapazitäten der nächsten Generation für den F900 und eine zukünftige F3300-Technologieaktualisierungslösung konzentriert.

Im Automobilsektor vereinbarte die FAW Group den Kauf von 12 F900-Systemen bis Jahresende, darunter zwei im zweiten Quartal ausgelieferte Einheiten. Die Systeme sind in erster Linie für die Herstellung von Innenraum-Endbauteilen vorgesehen. Auch FANUC führte Industrielösungen von Stratasys in seiner Lieferkette ein, nachdem ein großer Automobil-OEM-Kunde dies angefragt hatte.

Die geplante Übernahme von MarkForged bringt Technologie für kontinuierliche Carbonfasern, Simulations- und dezentrale Druckmanagement-Software, Fachkräfte und Vertriebspartnerbeziehungen ein. Das bisherige Geschäft von MarkForged erwirtschaftete 2025 einen Umsatz von rund 70 Millionen US-Dollar. Das Management sieht besonderes Cross-Selling-Potenzial in den Bereichen Luft- und Raumfahrt, Verteidigung, Automobilbau und industrieller Werkzeugbau.

Prognose des Managements

Stratasys bestätigte seine Prognose für das Gesamtjahr 2026 mit Ausnahme des operativen Cashflows. Das Unternehmen rechnet weiterhin in allen vier Quartalen des Jahres 2026 mit einem Umsatzwachstum gegenüber dem Vorquartal.

Laut Management dürften die Systemverkäufe in der zweiten Jahreshälfte deutlich zulegen, gestützt durch eine Pipeline größerer Fertigungstransaktionen. Der Zeitpunkt dieser Abschlüsse kann jedoch zu Schwankungen von Quartal zu Quartal führen.

Nach dem Mittelabfluss in der ersten Jahreshälfte rechnet Stratasys nicht mehr damit, dass der operative Cashflow im Gesamtjahr positiv ausfallen wird. Das Management erwartet jedoch weiterhin einen positiven operativen Cashflow im zweiten Halbjahr 2026.

Der Abschluss der MarkForged-Transaktion wird nach den üblichen regulatorischen Schritten für das spätere Jahr 2026 erwartet. Stratasys geht davon aus, dass Umsatz- und Kostensynergien die Margen verbessern und innerhalb des ersten Jahres nach Abschluss einen positiven EBITDA-Beitrag liefern werden.

Risiken und Beobachtungspunkte

• Der Systemumsatz ging von 30,6 Millionen US-Dollar im Vorjahr auf 26,4 Millionen US-Dollar zurück, während die Verlagerung des Managements hin zu größeren Fertigungsabschlüssen die Dauer der Vertriebszyklen und die quartalsweise Variabilität erhöht.
• Der stärkere israelische Schekel wirkte sich mit 2,9 Millionen US-Dollar negativ auf das operative Non-GAAP-Ergebnis und das bereinigte EBITDA des Quartals aus.
• Der operative Cash-Outflow im zweiten Quartal erreichte 18,7 Millionen US-Dollar, was teilweise auf außergewöhnliche Rechtskosten im Zusammenhang mit dem Schutz des geistigen Eigentums zurückzuführen ist.
• Die Bruttomargen blieben trotz einer Verbesserung der Non-GAAP-Bruttomarge gegenüber dem Vorquartal unter dem Niveau des Vorjahres.
• Die Übernahme von MarkForged steht weiterhin unter dem Vorbehalt regulatorischer Schritte, während die erwarteten Synergien und der EBITDA-Beitrag im ersten Jahr Projektionen des Managements darstellen.

Highlights der Analysten-Fragerunde

Analysten konzentrierten sich darauf, wann der Systemumsatz wieder auf Wachstumskurs zurückkehren könnte. Laut Management bleibt Stratasys auf Kurs für ein unternehmensweites sequentielles Umsatzwachstum und erwartet in der zweiten Jahreshälfte einen deutlichen Anstieg der Systemverkäufe. Es argumentierte, dass Jahrestrends an Bedeutung gewinnen, da sich das Geschäft hin zu größeren, mehrjährigen Fertigungsaufträgen verlagert.

In Bezug auf MarkForged nannte das Management kontinuierliche Carbonfasern, abgestimmte Anwendungen in der Luft- und Raumfahrt sowie im Werkzeugbau, komplementäre Vertriebskanäle, Software und Ingenieurstalente als die fünf wichtigsten strategischen Säulen. Das Unternehmen ist überzeugt, dass Bauteile aus kontinuierlichen Carbonfasern einige Metallkomponenten durch leichtere Designs, geringere Kosten und weniger Nachbearbeitung ersetzen können.

Das Management hob auch den Dentalbereich als bedeutende langfristige Chance hervor und verwies auf die Zusammenarbeit mit großen US-Dentallaboren sowie auf die weiterhin fortschreitende Entwicklung von Lösungen für herausnehmbare Dentalanwendungen.

Vollständiges Transkript der Telefonkonferenz zu den Quartalszahlen

Vollständiges Transkript der Telefonkonferenz

Ausführungen des Managements

Operator

Good day, and welcome to today's Conference Call to discuss Stratasys' Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results. My name is Rob, and I'm your operator for today's call.

Now I'd like to hand the call over to Yonah Lloyd, Chief Communications Officer and Vice President of Investor Relations for Stratasys. Mr. Lloyd, please go ahead.

Yonah Lloyd

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us to discuss our 2026 second quarter financial results. On the call with us today is our CEO, Dr. Yoav Zeif; and CFO, Eitan Zamir. I would like to remind you that access to today's call, including the slide presentation, is available online at the web address provided in our press release. In addition, a replay of today's call, including access to the slide presentation, will also be available and can be accessed through the Investor Relations section of our website.

Please note that some of the information provided during our discussion today will consist of forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those regarding our expectations as to our future revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, taxes and other future financial performance and our expectations for our business outlook. All statements that speak to future performance, events, expectations or results are forward-looking statements. Actual results or trends could differ materially from our forecast. For risks that could cause actual results to be materially different from those described in forward-looking statements, please refer to the risk factors discussed or referenced in Stratasys' annual report on Form 20-F for the 2025 year.

Please also refer to that annual report, along with our reports filed with or furnished to the SEC throughout 2026 for additional operational and financial details. Reports on Form 6-K that are furnished to the SEC on a quarterly basis and throughout the year, provide updated current information regarding the company's operating results and material developments concerning our company. Stratasys assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

As in previous quarters, today's call will include GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP financial measures should be read in combination with our GAAP metrics to evaluate our performance. Non-GAAP to GAAP reconciliations are provided in tables in our slide presentation and today's press release.

I will now turn the call over to our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Yoav Zeif. Yoav?

Yoav Zeif

Thank you, Yonah. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us. Our second quarter results reflect a record-setting level of consumables sales as we continue to effectively drive recurring revenue from materials that are specifically used for manufacturing end-use parts. This growth in consumables is a great indicator of the high utilization of our systems and speaks directly to our strategy to increase the manufacturing portion of our business.

Total revenue grew 3.7% sequentially. Once again, Stratasys Direct had a strong quarter, driven by aerospace and defense customers, reinforcing the trajectory of our production parts division, and our earnings results reflect continued focus on operational rigor and disciplined cost management. As we capitalize on the megatrends that are driving additive manufacturing adoption, aerospace and defense remains a clear proof point.

Mission-critical performance requirements and accelerating supply chain resiliency mandates are translating into durable structural demand for our platforms. This reflect a fundamental shift for high-demand manufacturers as they seek localized, flexible production-grade capabilities. Importantly, with both make and buy optionality, Stratasys is proving to be uniquely positioned to capture this potentially seismic shift.

Independent industry estimates suggest the additive manufacturing opportunity could double by the end of the decade and double again within a few short years, reinforcing our conviction that we are still early in this transformation. We also took a significant step forward in strengthening that positioning with our pending acquisition of MarkForged, which we expect to close later this year. Adding MarkForged with its continuous carbon fiber technology, materials and software platform will meaningfully augment our offering, particularly in aerospace, defense and industrial production.

Speaking of aerospace and defense. In the second quarter, we demonstrated strong momentum. A&D is our largest business by far and a strong ongoing example of our success in manufacturing, growing 17% relative to the second quarter last year. We estimate that we are the leading player in polymer additive manufacturing for A&D. Second quarter results were partially driven by expanding adoption across the U.S. Air Force for deeper level sustainment and spare parts production.

Ongoing multiple system investments in our Workhorse F900 system certified by the Air Force for flightworthy production parts are propelling this growth. These orders are not onetime, rather, they are increasing in volume for location across their sustainment enterprise to support established programs of record, turning into large ongoing programs. Once a part is qualified on our platforms, that relationship tends to be long term, given the cost and complexity of requalifying another resource. This durability is a meaningful reason that we view this new demand quotient as structural rather than cyclical.

During the quarter, we were proud to have enhanced a strategic relationship with Quickparts, a Seattle-based international on-demand manufacturer with its purchase of 12 Neo 800-plus systems, in addition to its existing 6 units. This is a multiyear, multimillion dollar agreement across materials, software and service. Importantly, the systems will be used for manufacturing production parts in key verticals such as aerospace, defense, advanced mobility and energy. In addition to the systems going to Quickparts Seattle Aerospace Center of Excellence in the U.S., this deal includes a geographical expansion with 3 of the units being placed across its facilities in Europe.

Recently, Stratasys was awarded a 2-year program totaling $7.8 million through the 2026 America Mix OIB Modernization Challenge. America Makes is the leading public-private partnership for 3D printing and additive manufacturing technology, managed by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining. The program's focus is to advance next-generation in-situation monitoring for hardware and software capabilities for both our F900 and a future technology refresh solution with our F3300. This program indicates a long-term DOW strategy that integrates our production platforms.

As the Executive Director of America Makes noted, this project will create a stronger foundation for expanding additive manufacturing across production, sustainment and supply chain applications throughout the defense enterprise. It further positions Stratasys as the trusted source for qualified manufacturing, enabling a new business model for reliable production of scalable mission-critical components while supporting long-term parts and platform sustainment requirements across the defense industrial base. Our Stratasys direct parts manufacturing business delivered 12.1% year-over-year growth in the second quarter of 2026 relative to the corresponding quarter in 2025.

This was fueled primarily by increasing demand from defense technology companies for drone production, munitions manufacturing and production applications across next-generation platforms. This emerging demand reinforces the growing role of additive manufacturing as a sustainable strategic enabler of defense industrial-based modernization, resilient domestic supply chain and scalable production.

Turning to automotive. This quarter, FANUC, one of the world's leading industrial automation companies, adopted our industrial solutions into its supply chain. This reflects another broader trend starting to emerge across manufacturing where automotive OEMs and their suppliers are aligning with common additive manufacturing platforms. That alignment means production tooling and replacement parts only have to be qualified once and then they can be manufactured at any location around the globe. This improves consistency of quality and reduces lead times across their manufacturing ecosystem.

Of particular note, the FANUC engagement came at the request of a major automotive OEM customer who have standardized common tools and parts between them. This is another exciting next step in the automotive industry's move towards additive manufacturing at scale.

And in another example of how our technology is penetrating the automotive production line, FAW Group, one of the largest Chinese auto OEMs signed an agreement to purchase 12 F900 systems by year-end, with 2 shipped in the second quarter on top of the 5 F900 and 8 other Stratasys systems they already operate. This reflects one of our competitive advantages in high requirement industrial applications relative to Chinese lower-end options locally. Notably, these systems are being used primarily for production of interior end-use parts such as armrest and panels. This is a great example of recurring business that emerges once our customers experience the extreme value Stratasys creates on their production lines.

Now I will discuss MarkForged in greater detail. This will be a $42.5 million cash purchase once the usual regulatory steps are clear. Legacy MarkForged generated approximately $70 million of revenue in 2025. We continue our thorough evaluation and review of the business as we focus on ensuring we optimize the combined offering. We expect to realize a rapid return on our investments through new revenue streams and unlocking meaningful synergies, which will result in a better margin and positive contribution to EBITDA within the first year after closing.

We believe that building product capacity in target markets such as aerospace and defense, along with production-grade manufacturing more broadly makes great sense. MarkForged's continuous carbon fiber technology addresses a growing opportunity for certain stronger, lighter parts that can replace metal. Additionally, their software platform provides excellent simulation and remote print management. We are confident that the MarkForged acquisition will enhance our growth in A&D.

Beyond the technology, we will also be integrating their talent, partners and reseller network, which opens up additional cross-sell opportunities. Put simply, MarkForged will enable us to say yes to more new business faster, especially in aerospace, defense and automotive. Finally, in June, we celebrated the grand opening of our Americas Regional Corporate Headquarters or ARCH, a 200,000 square foot facility in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

ARCH brings together engineering, innovative research and development, applications expertise, Stratasys direct and customer collaboration capabilities, all under one roof. This larger, more advanced headquarters will support anticipated growing demand and reinforces our focus on production scale additive manufacturing. We are proud to have received bipartisan congressional support at the opening event, a strong message validating the value lawmakers see in Stratasys technology and in our U.S. operations. And the feedback has been encouraging from those investors that have visited, seeing our technology at work in real-world environment can greatly enhance the appreciation for our strategy. We look forward to hosting more of the investment community in the future.

With that, I will turn the call to Eitan to review our financials. Eitan?

Eitan Zamir

Thank you, Yoav, and good morning, everyone. Our second quarter results reflect continued execution on our manufacturing focused strategy and deepen customer reliance on our solutions as demonstrated by our highest ever quarterly revenue for consumables and multiple repeat customer sales for aerospace, defense and automotive customers.

Let me get into the details. Second quarter consolidated revenue was $137.6 million, up 3.7% sequentially from $132.7 million in the first quarter and roughly flat compared to $138.1 million in the same period last year. System revenue was $26.4 million compared to $30.6 million in the same period last year. Consumable revenue reached a quarterly record $66.3 million compared to $64.2 million in the same period last year, driven by increased sales of manufacturing material, consistent with our strategic focus on production applications.

Service revenue, which includes Stratasys Direct parts production was $44.9 million compared to $43.3 million in the same period last year. Within service revenue, customer support revenue was $29.9 million, roughly flat compared to the same period last year, while Stratasys Direct grew 12.1% year-over-year, continuing to contribute positively to our results.

Turning to gross margin. GAAP gross margin was 42.3% for the quarter compared to 43.1% in the same period last year. Non-GAAP gross margin was 47.2% for the quarter compared to 47.7% in the same period last year, driven by the adverse impact of the strong Israeli shekel in which many of our expenses are incurred, partially offset by the contribution of higher consumables revenue margins and an improvement from 46.3% last quarter. GAAP operating expenses were $71.7 million compared to $76.1 million during the same period last year.

Non-GAAP operating expenses were $64.8 million or 47.1% of revenue, roughly flat compared to 46.9% of revenue in the same period last year, reflecting continued disciplined expense management.

Regarding our consolidated earnings. GAAP operating loss for the quarter was $13.5 million compared to a loss of $16.6 million for the same period last year. Non-GAAP operating income for the quarter was $0.1 million compared to $1.1 million for the same period last year. GAAP net loss for the quarter was $16.9 million or $0.19 per diluted share compared to a net loss of $16.7 million or $0.20 per diluted share for the same period last year.

Non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $2.3 million or $0.03 per diluted share compared to non-GAAP net income of $2.2 million or $0.03 per diluted share in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA was $5.3 million for the quarter compared to $6.1 million in the same period last year and an improvement from $2 million last quarter. Important to note that both non-GAAP operating income and EBITDA increased compared to the same period last year after excluding the $2.9 million adverse impact of the strong Israeli shekel in the quarter.

Turning to cash flow. We used $18.7 million in operating cash flow this quarter. The company historically generates positive operating cash flow as reflected in full-year 2024, 2025 and in Q1 2026. The cash usage this quarter was atypically high and was mainly driven by non-routine items, including legal expenses to proactively protect our IP. Importantly, we expect operating cash flow in the second half of the year to be positive. We ended the quarter with $212.5 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term deposits compared to $237.8 million at the end of the first quarter.

Regarding our outlook for 2026, we are reaffirming our full-year guidance other than operating cash flow. We are energized by our strong pipeline of business and robust level of customer engagement and continue to expect sequential growth in revenue across all 4 quarters of the year. Given the first half operating cash flow results, we no longer expect full-year 2026 operating cash flow to be positive. However, as just mentioned, we expect the second half of the year to be positive. Our debt-free balance sheet and healthy cash position give us the added financial flexibility and position of strength to support technology and market development, both organically and inorganically to spur further growth.

With that, let me turn the call back over to Yoav for closing remarks. Yoav?

Yoav Zeif

Thank you, Eitan. As we look ahead, we do so with confidence in our strategy and in the durability of the megatrends driving additive manufacturing adoption. We are successfully executing on our stated goal to transform our business as we shift the bulk of our business from prototyping to manufacturing.

The annual growth of manufacturing-based revenue is supported by the metric we share when we report each year-end. We are making steady progress and as demonstrated by the examples we have shared to-date, this focus on manufacturing will result in a significantly more robust company as we continue to become a larger part of our customers' critical production line infrastructure.

The multiunit, multiyear wins we described with large global companies are the result of the increasing enthusiasm and usage of additive manufacturing in production. Customer engagement remains strong. Our pipeline of business is expanding. And while the magnitude of the commitments we are securing tends to carry long sales cycle and add variability quarter-to-quarter, the many opportunities emerging will generate a sales flywheel to propel increased growth in the coming years.

Combined with a healthy balance sheet, the foundation and path forward for profitable growth is evident. Our continued momentum in aerospace, defense and automotive, the anticipated impact from our dental business and the ongoing contribution from Stratasys Direct reinforce the structural demand we see across our key verticals as we look to build long-term value.

With that, let's open it up for questions. Operator?

Operator

[Operator Instructions]. The first question comes from the line of Greg Palm with Craig-Hallum.

Fragen und Antworten

Jackson Schroeder

This is Jackson Schroeder on for Greg Palm. Just wanted to touch on -- first of all, congrats on the acquisition. I wanted to see -- we're seeing a lot of demand within A&D coming from metals based additive manufacturing. And with this new carbon fiber capability that you have here, I wanted to just see what your outlook is for that business and how it fits in strategically. Then also if you could touch on the $70 million in revenue, what the kind of revenue profile is on that? And if there's anything that you expect to kind of strategically trim or I guess, what you're going to do with that business and how that kind of works in the portfolio.

Yoav Zeif

Thank you, Jackson, for the question. It's a very important one in terms of our position in aerospace and defense. So let me take a step back and a few sentences on the deal rationale with MarkForged. There are very clear 5 pillars why we have done it.

Number one is the unique continuous carbon fiber technology that they developed over the year. It's by far the leading one. And we believe that together with Stratasys long-term reliability standards and positioning in aerospace and defense, it's a win. This is the first pillar.

The second one is about the use cases. They are completely aligned with our use cases. In additive, it's all about applications, and they are completely in line with ours. Our #1 is aerospace and defense and #2 is tooling, in the industrial space, they are focusing on the same, complete alignment with huge synergies, technological synergies. So that's the second one, the use case.

The third one is the go-to-market. We have the leading network of partners in the market, and they are #2. And they are not in the same markets because they are in different markets. We are in the more corporate high end, and they are bringing us the shops and medium-level businesses, which is a clear synergy. Then we are talking about software. They developed a unique software, including simulation, but also the ability to manage distributed manufacturing. Together with our leading GrabCAD, it's another win.

Add to it is the fifth pillar, the talent that we are receiving. Those are the best engineers in our industry, and they are joining Stratasys, and that will really strengthen our position in the high-end, high requirements.

Now to your question, you mentioned metal, continuous carbon fiber can replace metal. It's lighter, it's less expensive. It significantly requires less post processing, which is a huge advantage. And just as a proof point, since we announced the deal and since we are interacting with many aerospace and defense players that now are coming to us, I received 4 requests from large corporates to collaborate with us on helping them adopting continuous carbon fiber and continuous carbon fiber standards because Stratasys knows how to do it as a replacement for metal. So I'm very positive about it, and it looks really promising.

Jackson Schroeder

Awesome. Then can you just talk a little bit more about -- you mentioned dental right at the end there. Just what the outlook is on that market and how that's trending?

Yoav Zeif

Dental, this is like the secret card that we have in a sense. We are very excited about the dental industry and about our solution with all modesty, we are developing the most innovative solution for removables by far. And you will see it in the market. We have already for the first version FDA in Europe, European approvals. Long-term opportunities are coming every day, we hire the top talent in dental and probably increased cables, and it is transforming the way we are thinking about dental -- sorry, about dental and the way we are going to the market. And most importantly, we get the recognition from the leading customers. So we're already working with labs like Clyde Caldwell and Affordable dentures, which are 2 of the largest dental companies in the U.S. So it's a massive opportunity. Stay tuned. We will come back with what's going on with dental.

Operator

Next question is from the line of Brian Drab with William Blair.

Brian Drab

I don't know what time it is there exactly. I listened to the call and there's a lot of momentum. There's a lot of exciting things going on. But then I just wanted to hear your thoughts on just the system sales because it seems like the manufacturing environment is improving for a lot of companies, seeing some momentum building this year. But the system sales, I think, were down sequentially. And they really -- we still haven't turned the corner in terms of improved system sales.

The system sales are down from last year for a second quarter, and they're even down from 2 years ago in the second quarter, and they're down sequentially from the first quarter, right, whereas historically, Stratasys has seen at least a little bit of improvement, I think, in the second quarter from the first quarter. I know there's a lot of positive things going on, but I'm just wondering when do you think that, that system sales starts to inflect?

Yoav Zeif

Thank you, Brian, for the question. And by the way, we are on the same time zone. We are in Minnesota. Great question. I think the most important thing to state now is that we are on track, and we are keeping our guidance of sequential growth quarter-over-quarter. That's the most important thing.

Now about systems, this is part of what we are experiencing in the shift to manufacturing. We are according to track, but we have a pipeline, a robust pipeline of large deals and large deals, it's not something that is distributed across the quarter, exactly as you want it. We know our pipeline, it's robust. It consisted of large deals. And it's better to measure our growth trend annually given the fact that we are moving to large deals and to manufacturing. And as a proof point, you can see the 2 large deals that we have done this quarter with 2 leading players. So this is a change in the nature of the business.

When you look at the second half of the year, you will see a notable uptick in system sales.

Brian Drab

I didn't miss the nice increase sequentially in consumable sales, so that was very impressive.

Operator

[Operator Instructions]. At this time, showing no additional questions. I'll turn the floor back to Yoav for any further comments.

Yoav Zeif

Maybe one comment before we are concluding. We are moving into manufacturing. We are on the right track in the shift from prototyping to manufacturing. We have many proof points for that, starting with our A&D set of success and demand. The A&D business is coming with large deals. We have a robust pipeline of those large deals. SDM is proving it because we have the highest backlog ever in SDM. And this is our way into this aerospace and defense because we are supplying also capacity.

Consumables is another indicator. We are historically in a record high of consumables, mainly because of high-performance materials. Take the SDM, they produced over 12,000 parts for aerospace and defense, mainly drones. They are dealing with the 10 top drones players. And we are going to invest in this capacity in penetration into aerospace and defense, and we have the financial stress. So we are there. We are moving to manufacturing. It will be a different company, and we are happy to share it with the investors.

Thank you for joining us. We look forward to update you again next quarter.

Operator

Thank you. This will conclude today's conference. You may now disconnect your lines at this time. We thank you for your participation.