Metafold has received $1.78M in seed funding as it looks to advance its cloud- and API-based engineering platform for part optimisation and additive manufacturing.
Metafold has developed an ultra-precise, lightning-speed geometry computation engine for outputting accurate designs for 3D printing complex parts, and featured in DEVELOP3D’s D3D 30 list of exciting new technologies in 2022.
Its cloud-based LightCycle software aims to enable large-scale design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) for highly challenging geometry. This might include huge lattice structures with tens of thousands of cells and massive surface areas to calculate.
There’s extra focus on meta-materials and allowing them to be used in everyday applications – enabled by the software creating reusable workflows for manufacturers.
As a SaaS platform, Lightcycle is accessible on any device, making it fast and easy for design and engineering teams to produce optimised parts with the Metafold web application or leverage the Metafold Engine API to build their own custom tools and integrations, while saving on raw material with lighter, more efficient parts.
“Sustainability in manufacturing is ultimately driven by two factors—improving the material consumption of existing fabrication methods and designing for optimality over the lifetime use of manufactured goods,” said Metafold CEO Dr. Elissa Ross.
“3D printing achieves those goals and has the potential to be even more impactful with the right digital infrastructure. We’re excited to be backed by investors who recognise both the commercial and climate benefits of scaling this extraordinary manufacturing methodology.”
Metafold says that the funding comes as it sees rapid traction within a number of key markets such as biotech and sportswear, supporting its customers’ need to design, test, and produce highly optimised structures.
Differential Ventures led the oversubscribed investment round, with participation from Active Impact Investments, who led the company’s pre-seed round, climate-tech focused Jetstream, and Standup Ventures.
