Metal additive manufacturing company Rosotics, announced that it raised $750,000 in pre-seed funding led by Draper Associates.
Rapid Induction Printing, the company’s proprietary 3D printing process, requires considerably less energy and material resources to manufacture a high-quality product than current techniques, says Rosotics. Other companies participating in this funding round were Correlation Ventures, Vibe Capital, and Sequoia Capital, bringing significant aerospace heritage and deep-tech experience to the mission. Reportedly, Rosotics is currently working with the aerospace industry as it rolls out its technology.
“We hold the belief that the most natural and effective way to 3D print metal involves induction. Many metals conduct electricity and we can use that to our advantage, instead of adding incredibly inefficient and even dangerous hardware into the loop. Since our approach does away with the laser, we can even widen the nozzle and put down more material per hour,” said Founder and CEO Christian LaRosa at Rosotics.
“The beautiful thing is that although we are starting in aerospace, our vision is that we will soon be able to create some part of everything. Mantis is just the beginning, and as our process becomes more dynamic there will be no size limit to what we can build and where we can build it. And we’re humbled to have earned the nickname ‘baby SpaceX‘ from our peers in the area,” said Austin Thurman, COO at Rosotics.
Rosotics’ industrial portfolio
Rosotics’ proprietary printing system, called ‘Mantis’ folds up like origami, making it easy to pack and transport. Mantis gets its name from the insect world, and it has arms that unfold and extend, enabling larger 3D prints. According to the company, when fully deployed, it can print items larger than any other 3D printer.
Mantis (Generation 1) will be capable of printing in aerospace-grade aluminum and steel from 1.5m (5′) to 8m (26′) in diameter and up to 9m (30′) in height. The system is designed specifically for the materialization of large-scale 3D printing in a variety of applications, including on-site manufacturing.
Rosotics makes the largest metal 3D printers in the world, and according to Tim Draper, founding partner of Draper Associates will fundamentally change aerospace manufacturing forever. “Their proprietary process, Rapid Induction Printing, allows customers of the company to easily iterate and produce novel vehicles for space and transportation,” said the founding partner of Draper Associates. We at Draper Associates are thrilled to be part of their journey.”
Metal additive manufacturing
This month, Intech Additive Solutions, a Bangalore-based 3D printer manufacturer, has revealed the debut of a new Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) system at Formnext. Each Intech Additive Solutions iFusion325 metal 3D printer, available in single and multi-laser configurations, has full-field scanning capabilities and a large 325mm x 325mm x 420mm build volume. Consequently, the machine can produce functional parts ranging in size from medium to large, with possible applications in the aerospace, automotive, medical, dental, education, and defense industries.
Previously, BeamIT, an Italian additive manufacturing service bureau, and SLM Solutions expanded their long-term collaboration. BeamIT also expanded its product line with two novel machines, the SLM 280 2.0 and SLM 500, with which it will continue to experiment with new machine settings and metal powders.
“We are pleased to announce our cooperation agreement with SLM Solutions and the two additional machines,” said Michele Antolotti, General Manager of BeamIT. “We regularly produce high-quality parts for our customers using selective laser melting because the SLM technology works efficiently, quickly, and above all, safely.”
Aerospace additive manufacturing advances
Recently, Boom Supersonic, a US aerospace manufacturer, launched a novel engine that will allow its upcoming Overture airliner to reach speeds of up to 1,300 mph. The Symphony propulsion system from Boom Supersonic will have the same basic architecture as other commercial aircraft engines, but it will also have sustainability and cost-optimizing axisymmetric supersonic intakes, variable-geometry low-noise exhaust nozzles, and passively-cooled high-pressure turbines. Furthermore, to help bring Overture’s design from paper to reality, the company has enlisted the assistance of GE Additive, which will not only offer advice on the build but will also look for opportunities for 3D printing in the process.
Elsewhere, AddUp, an industrial metal 3D printer manufacturer, and Dassault Aviation, a French aerospace company, teamed up to move metal additive manufacturing processes from “prototyping” to “mass production” for aeronautics. Both companies believe that in order for the aeronautics industry to remain and enhance its competitiveness, it must resolve a number of issues, including increased global air traffic, an increasing scarcity of materials, compliance with ever-stricter regulations, and more. One solution to these issues is to use metal 3D printing under industrial-scale production conditions. In this context, Dassault Aviation formed the collaborative R&D project “AEROPRINT” with the help of a large number of partners, research institutions, academic institutions, and businesses, including AddUp.
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Feature image shows Rosotics Team. Image via Rosotics.
