US-based 3D printing company Carbon3D has received $10m in series A funding from architecture software developer Autodesk’s $100m initiative Spark Investment Fund.
Founded in 2013, Carbon3D offers technology that aims to overcome the current limitations of speed, mechanical properties and materials in 3D printing. The technology, dubbed Continuous Liquid Interface Production (Clip), enables manufacturing at commercial quality beyond basic prototyping.
Clip is reportedly able to produce 3D printed objects up to 100 times faster than traditional technology, and Carbon3D aims to have the technology ready for industrial deployment within the next year.
The Spark Investment Fund was launched in October 2014 and targets researchers, entrepreneurs and startups working on 3D printing technologies across the hardware, software, materials, marketplace and manufacturer subsectors.
Carl Bass, president and chief executive of Autodesk, said: “We started the Spark Investment Fund to help drive the 3D printing industry forward. Carbon3D embodies the innovation that’s required to change how products are made.
“The incredible speed of its Clip technology makes 3D printing accessible for true manufacturing, beyond the prototyping and the one-offs we see it being used for now.”