A New Player Enters the Market: Fluent Metal
To say that it’s rocky out in the metal 3D printing world may be a bit of an understatement. Almost a decade ago, Desktop Metal was one of the early darlings in accessible 3D printing in metal. The company raised almost half a billion in VC funding. Since then, the company has had a hell of a journey. Last year, Stratasys tried to merge with Desktop Metal in a $1.8 billion deal, but the deal fell through, and these days, Desktop Metal is worth less than $210 million.
A New Path Emerges
Enter Peter Schmitt, the chief designer at Desktop Metal for the first half of that company’s life, who believes he has a better idea. In June 2020, he split off and started his own thing — Fluent Metal — which is taking a different technology path than Desktop Metal’s technology. There are no lasers here, and the company claims its technology is less wasteful and more efficient overall.
Drop-on-Demand Technology: A Game-Changer
‘Drop-on-demand technology is an elegant approach to create complex metal components,’ said Peter Schmitt, CEO at Fluent Metal, in a statement to TechCrunch. ‘Whether it’s prototype iterations of an idea or production runs of a single part, Fluent Metal will provide customers with great operational and material flexibility. This freedom will unlock new creativity and problem-solving abilities across industries.’
A Grand Entrance
Fluent Metal has made a grand entrance from stealth mode, backed by an injection of venture capital funding. The company raised an additional $3.2 million led by E15 with participation from Pillar VC and industry angels, bringing the total funding to $5.5 million.
Unlocking Efficiency, Flexibility, and Customization
The company claims its technology unlocks high levels of efficiency, flexibility, and customization, setting a new benchmark for what is possible in metal fabrication. It accomplishes this through liquid metal printing technology, which it hopes will set a new standard in additive manufacturing.
Proprietary Drop-on-Demand Approach
At the core of this innovation is their proprietary drop-on-demand approach, a method that distinguishes itself by its high precision, adaptability, and compatibility with a broad spectrum of metals. It precisely deposits molten metal, drop by drop, onto a substrate in a controlled manner.
Creating Intricate Metal Parts
This allows for creating intricate metal parts with high levels of detail and structural integrity. Unlike traditional methods often involving complex procedures and significant material wastage, Fluent Metal claims its approach streamlines the manufacturing process, making it more straightforward, efficient, and less resource-intensive.
Breaking Down Barriers
What sets Fluent Metal apart is its broad compatibility with various metals. This versatility opens up a wide array of possibilities for industries ranging from aerospace to medical devices, where the properties of the material used are critical to the performance and reliability of the final product.
Switching Between Metals on the Fly
It claims that it can switch between different types of metal on the fly, allowing for unprecedented flexibility in production. This means that manufacturers can produce parts with specific properties without having to wait for multiple production runs or change out equipment.
A New Era in Metal 3D Printing
Fluent Metal’s technology has the potential to revolutionize the metal 3D printing industry. With its proprietary drop-on-demand approach, it offers a new level of efficiency, flexibility, and customization that could disrupt the status quo.
Competing with Established Players
However, Fluent Metal is not without competition. Established players like Desktop Metal and Stratasys have already made significant investments in metal 3D printing technology. But with its innovative approach and funding from reputable venture capital firms, Fluent Metal is well-positioned to take on the market leaders.
The Future of Metal 3D Printing
As the industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Fluent Metal’s technology compares to other offerings in the market. With its focus on efficiency, flexibility, and customization, Fluent Metal has the potential to disrupt the metal 3D printing industry and bring about a new era of innovation.
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