A major development occurred recently in the world of 3D printing, as Carbon, a San Fransisco based start-up, raised a further $81 million in investments. The three companies backing Carbon are GE, BMW, and Nikon. This represents a significant coup for the firm and it could allow them to advance additive manufacturing technology into full-scale production.
Carbon
Carbon has garnered a reputation as a company to watch over the course of 2016. This favorable reputation comes from Carbon’s use of an innovative liquid interface production technology. Although existing additive manufacturing technology is effective already, Carbon’s unique process produces parts much faster than with traditional means.
The firm now has an impressive $220 million in total funding at its disposal. Consequently, they’ll be able to continuously refine and innovate their technology and further improve business efficiency. Carbon launched its first 3D printer in April of this year, and we can surely expect a lot more from them now that their business has been backed.
The overseas implications of this news also cannot be denied. All three companies are multi-national corporations, which will help spread the technology to disparate locations around the world. Global adaptation of 3D printing is an exciting thought.
Confidence
Apart from this investment being useful to Carbon from a monetary perspective, the 3D printing industry as a whole will likely see huge benefits. GE, BMW, and Nikon are giants of manufacturing. Investor confidence is critical in order for the industry to take off. If the technology has the backing of such big players, other companies will most likely follow suit.
The 3D printing industry has been awaiting a turning point like this with eager anticipation. Small-scale manufacturing of 3D printed components is abundant, but the change to a larger scale of production still awaits the industry.
With important companies such as GE betting on 3D printing as a usable and useful technology, this can only mean good things for the future. To emphasize this point, BMW has already produced over 10,000 components using Carbon’s unique technology.
As a result of this news, a brighter future is on the horizon for 3D printing technology.
