LUXeXceL, the Dutch firm known for their process of 3D printing functional lenses, says an $8.1 million series B funding round is now complete and a second closure will be finalized within 3 months’ time.
This “B-round” of financing was led by Flemish investment company PMV.
“We are very pleased to announce the completion of this B-round.” said Eric Tierie, the CEO of LUXeXceL. “The strong partners in this funding round share the vision that our technology and worldwide unique 3D printing service will offer new opportunities and novel optical products to many different markets.”
Tierie says these investments mean LUXeXceL will accelerate the growth of its 3D printing technology platform, and develop extensive additional printing capabilities.
Roald Borré, the co-Head of Venture Capital at PMV, says the opportunity to invest in LUXeXceL is evocative of his company’s belief that the it will “change the way optics are designed, produced, and digitally stored across many different market segments.”
According to Richard van de Vrie, the President and founder of LUXeXceL, the funding round from PMV assures that his company will enhance its global leadership position in the Additive Manufacturing of lenses and optical components. He adds that since the launch of the Printoptical Technology in 2010, LUXeXceL has raised a total of nearly $19 million in total funding and has grown to a team of 25 employees. The company has also begun to build an online ordering platform which will provide optical designers a rapid path to lens design, prototyping, testing, refinement and manufacturing of custom optical components.
The LUXeXceL Group says they’re “the world’s first 3D printing service for optically transparent products,” and their process uses a groundbreaking additive manufacturing technique to build optical components such as micro structures, arrays, prisms, and freeform lenses. They also say that their 3D printed plastic optics are ideal for illumination, photovoltaic, and prototyping applications. The company is a 2015 finalist for the prestigious Prism Awards.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, LUXeXceL offers a 3D printing service for products which require transparency and smoothness, and they are currently the only company in the world able to additively manufacture lenses directly out of the printer. These lenses are built without visible layering and do not require post-processing. The company’s scalable technology creates optical components for architectural lighting, automotive, aerospace, photonics and medical industry applications.
What does this latest infusion of capital for Dutch optical pioneers LUXeXceL mean? Let us know what you think in the LUXeXceL forum thread on 3DPB.com.
