Carbon Announces $81 Million in Series C Funding from New and Existing Investors, Accelerates Production for Global Expansion

Since Carbon introduced their industry-changing CLIP technology last year, we’ve been closely following the company as they amass a growing list of customers and partners. Early users of CLIP have delivered universally positive reviews, so it’s no surprise that investors are more than willing to invest in the continued growth of Carbon, one of the most exciting companies to arise in the 3D printing industry.

Today at IMTS, Carbon announced that they are the recipients of $81 million in new Series C funding from both new and existing investors. The investments bring the company’s total funding to $222 million, and will help drive Carbon into the international market. Production of the M1 3D printer is going to be ramping up as the company prepares to meet global demand for CLIP technology.

“3D printing is a translation of the digital to a physical reality and when done right, offers true design freedom across every category,” said Dr. Joseph M. DeSimone, CEO and Co-Founder of Carbon. “At launch we set forth a bold vision to fundamentally change how the world makes ‘things.’ We have been working to deliver on that vision for the U.S. market, and are ready to step onto the global stage.”

Among Carbon’s new investors are GE Ventures, BMW, Nikon and JSR. Further details regarding additional strategic investors will be announced in 2017, along with information about how they plan to utilize CLIP in their manufacturing processes. The resin-based CLIP technology is a true first in 3D printing, offering manufacturers the capability of 3D printing end-use parts with the quality, mechanical properties and surface finish of injection molded plastics.

“In today’s digital world, additive manufacturing is changing how products are designed, made and serviced at GE,” said Steve Taub, Senior Director of Advanced Manufacturing at GE Ventures. “Carbon’s CLIP technology can print exceptional quality parts for end-use production, opening the doors to incredible possibilities like low volume manufacturing, freedom of design, and mass customization.  We are excited to work with Carbon as part of our vision in deploying additive manufacturing applications across GE.”

Nikon and JSR will be working to bring CLIP technology into Japan, as well as other Asian markets. Nikon, specializing in metrology and 3D data profiling – including 3D measurement and X-ray CT – will play an important role in expanding Carbon’s presence into new industries. JSR, a manufacturer of fine chemicals frequently used in the fabrication of microelectronics, will not only help to expand CLIP into new markets, but has the potential to act as a partner in the research and development of new materials.

“We’re excited to partner with the innovative Carbon team to explore opportunities for Japanese and Asian expansion,” said Masao Nakajima, Senior Vice President of Nikon Corporation. “In addition to bringing fundamental scientific advances to 3D printing, the company has executed relentlessly, putting its M1 machine into the hands of customers, and continuing to innovate on their machine, software, and resins.”

Carbon’s busy booth at IMTS 2016 [Photo: Sarah Goehrke for 3DPrint.com]

“The current 3D printing market, with the exception of very few, is a prototyping market,” added Nobu Koshiba, President of JSR Corporation. “Carbon approached the challenge, and potential, of 3D printing from a very different perspective. With its M1 and CLIP technologies, Carbon has introduced a solution that will truly revolutionize manufacturing.”

Carbon currently offers five commercially available types of resin, designed to meet the toughest engineering standards. With the input of new partners like JSR, those offerings are likely to expand. Carbon has made a tremendous impact on the 3D printing industry in just a year and a half; imagine how much more impact they’ll have in the near future as they continue to expand. Discuss further in the Carbon Investment Funding forum over at 3DPB.com.