Freeform, a Californian startup founded by former SpaceX engineers, has received investment from Nvidia and Boeing to advance its AI-driven, metal 3D printing technology.
Boeing’s AE Ventures and Nvidia’s NVentures have collectively provided $14 million in funding. The capital will be used to scale its new 3D printing process with integrates artificial intelligence (AI) with hardware-accelerated computing. This will reportedly unlock high-throughput metal additive manufacturing for industries such as automotive and aerospace.
Freeform is headed by ex-SpaceX Principal Architect Erik Palitsch and TJ Ronacher, who was previously a Lead Analyst at Elon Musk’s rocket firm. They founded the company alongside Tasso Lappas, former CTO of Metal 3D printer manufacturer Velo3D to deliver high-quality metal parts faster, cheaper, and more accurately through a manufacturing-as-a-service model.
To support this mission, Freeform has joined Nvidia’s Inception startup program and will utilize the company’s accelerated computing platforms, including H100 GPU chips optimized for AI applications. Leveraging this technology, Freeform is building what it calls “the world’s first AI-native, autonomous metal 3D printing factory.” Here, process control, sensing, and machine learning monitor and adjust the 3D printing process to guarantee part quality.
“At Freeform, we are pioneering a transformation in manufacturing, where machine learning and supercomputing converge to make the impossible possible,” explained Palitsch. “Building on Nvidia’s technology allows us to push the boundaries of what metal 3D printing can achieve, giving us the power to produce high-quality, digitally verified parts at speeds that were unimaginable a few years ago.”
Freeform’s AI-driven metal 3D printing
Freeform seeks to remove the heavy reliance on manual labor which it says has limited the pace of manufacturing innovation. It argues that incumbent metal 3D printing technologies are too slow and costly to achieve high-volume production.
The company’s manufacturing-as-a-service model reportedly overcomes these challenges by autonomously 3D printing digitally verified, high-quality components on demand “at unprecedented speed and cost.”
It features a closed-loop system with machine learning-enabled live 3D print monitoring. This can automatically adjust the 3D printing process, preventing production errors and ensuring high-quality repeatable parts.
Freeform also claims that its “deep-tech platform” solves problems related to a reported “lack of intelligent process control in traditional 3D metal printing.” The firm claims that current methods often result in inconsistent quality and long delays due to expensive testing and validation processes. Freeform’s AI platform reportedly learns and adapts to every 3D print job. It can therefore predict and control outcomes, ensuring parts are produced quickly, precisely, and with digital verification.
Mohamed “Sid” Siddeek, corporate vice president at Nvidia and head of NVentures, stated that Freeform is “leading the way toward autonomous manufacturing using accelerated computing.” He added that the company’s process controls and metrology systems set “a new standard for metal additive manufacturing.”
Freeform will use its new funding to grow its 3D printable material portfolio and expand its production capabilities. It is particularly targeting the defense, aerospace, energy, semiconductors, and automotive verticals, where quality, speed, and cost are essential.
The company claims that the combination of AI, supercomputing and advanced sensing allows manufacturers to move from concept to mass production faster and at a lower cost than other production platforms.
Ursa Major has already partnered with Freeform to 3D print rocket engine parts. The US-based aerospace firm’s Chief Operations Officer, Nick Doucette, commented that Freeform provides the ability to “scale up from prototype to production.” The AI-driven metal 3D printing service reportedly allows Ursa Major to quickly iterate designs without impacting delivery times or production costs. “We are able to get consistent, high-quality metal parts in days instead of weeks,” he added.
Investing in metal additive manufacturing
Freeform is the latest metal 3D printing company to attract investment. Earlier this month, Sun Metalon, a start-up specializing in sustainable metal manufacturing, raised $21 million in a Series A funding round.
Having raised $30.7 million to date, the company is working to increase the sustainability of metal additive manufacturing through its production and recycling solutions. This includes a forthcoming high-speed metal 3D printer which is reportedly 500 times faster and 90% cheaper than conventional manufacturing methods.
The company also developed a metal heating technology which unlocks low-energy, zero-emissions, and cost-effective metal recycling. According to Sun Metalon, this process can reduce energy consumption by 85% compared to existing heating and purifying methods.
Elsewhere, Colorado-based metal 3D printing startup Fortius Metals recently raised $2 million in seed funding, bringing its total to $5 million for the funding round. This capital will be used to advance the firm’s proprietary aluminum welding wires for 3D printing designed to eliminate “hot cracking.”
Fortius’s customers include the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA, defense contractors, and commercial space enterprises. The company’s robotic welding expertise and proprietary predictive toolpaths reportedly unlock complex designs that are otherwise impractical due to material limitations.
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Featured image shows a Freeform metal 3D printer. Image via Freeform.
