3D Printing Materials Supplier Fortius Metals Brings in Another $2M

Fortius Metals, a Colorado-based supplier of metal wires used for additive manufacturing (AM), has added $2 million in Seed+ financing, with the funding round now totaling $5 million. New investor Finindus, a Belgian venture capital (VC) firm backed by global steel giant ArcelorMittal, participated in this latest capital influx.

The unique, elegantly simple idea behind Fortius, a spin-out of metal powders supplier Elementum, is to develop wire versions of the same materials that Elementum provides in powder form. Among other verticals in heavy industry, Fortius prioritizes the aerospace and defense sector, receiving a US Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract in March 2024 to accelerate qualification of its IN625-RAM2 wire for hypersonic applications.

In a press release, Fortius CEO Jeff Lints said, “Fortius Metals has received broad interest from customers and this investment helps bring new products to market, such as our proprietary 6061-RAM2 and 7075-RAM2 aluminum welding wires that solves traditional ‘hot cracking’ problems. We are helping our customers print designs using our robotic welding process expertise that were previously impossible. In 2025, the company looks forward to launching new wire alloys with advanced properties like IN625-RAM, 316L-RAM, and 5183-RAM. We are proud to be a Colorado company along with many of our space and defense customers.”

Roel Callebaut, Senior Investment Manager at Finindus, said, “Fortius Metals is pushing the boundaries of wire-based [AM] with their unique materials and process expertise. We are excited to support their mission to revolutionize the production of large and complex parts without compromising material performance. This partnership aligns perfectly with our commitment to fostering innovative and sustainable industrial technologies.”

Some of the most promising commercial opportunities in metal AM over the last couple of years have involved wire, whether it’s a small young company like Australia’s AML3D scaling up its wire arc AM technology for sale to DoD and its suppliers, or a more established player like Lincoln Electric 3D printing the largest civil works part via wire arc AM. As the AM industry continues to look for more and more ways to bring new users into the fold, potential adopters may find that, compared to metal powders, there are fewer complications involved in using wire.

This is especially true for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that the US defense industrial base (DIB) needs to encourage to scale up AM adoption rapidly in order for the DIB’s reshoring goals to succeed. The simple facts that there are fewer safety hazards with wire than there are with powder, and that wire is easier to store, may be enough to move the needle for SMEs that are otherwise skeptical of metal AM.

Further, wire-based processes should see disproportionate benefit from the continued advancement of robotic arm 3D printing. All in all, Fortius Metals will be an interesting company to keep track of as a bellwether for certain possible shifting preferences in the metal AM market.

Images courtesy of Fortius Metals