Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups in industry 4.0. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. So, let’s take a look at promising additive manufacturing startups in industry 4.0.
Heat Map: 4 Top Additive Manufacturing Startups In Industry 4.0
For our 4 picks, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify the most relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 4 interesting examples out of 260 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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TRIDITIVE – Automated Mass Production
3D printers in combination with advanced software allow minimizing human intervention in the manufacturing process, enabling the transition to fully automated and digitally enabled Industry 4.0. With additive manufacturing technology, finished parts can be produced in large amounts without the need for expensive tooling or molds. Spanish startup TRIDITIVE develops AMCELL, an automated additive manufacturing cell for the continuous production of final parts. Integrated with the company’s cloud-based architecture for control and managing of production, AMCELL can manufacture 24/7 with minor human intervention. The company boasts 10.000 parts produced per month per machine.
Ultimaker – On-Demand Production (Virtual Inventory)
Holding inventory of spare parts and tools is expensive and makes companies dependent on their suppliers and their abilities to deliver spare parts or tools. Additive manufacturing can replace conventional inventory with so-called digital inventory, where required spare parts, jigs, and fixtures are printed on-demand and on-site. Dutch startup Ultimaker produces industrial-grade filament deposition 3D printers. Their printer has proven to have value in the automotive industry for on-demand production. For example, the automotive company Volkswagen uses the Ultimaker 3 to produce gauges, jigs, and fixtures on-demand.
Roboze – Rapid Prototyping & Rapid Design Iteration
Additive manufacturing offers significant time and cost reduction for creating product prototypes. With this technology, businesses can test out product designs before committing to setting up production lines. That’s why many companies replaced slow and outdated means of prototyping with 3D printers. The Italy-based startup Roboze offers a combination of 3D printers and advanced thermoplastic polymers for rapid prototyping of functional products, that are ready to be used and tested, leading to finished product. The company’s printers’ mechanical, thermal and chemical endurance enables rapid development of products with highly complex shapes.
Nano Dimension – Microprinting
Microprinting is a type of additive manufacturing, performed at the nanoscale. 3D printing technology can be applied to the nanoscopic world in order to create objects as small as a few microns. Micro 3D printing has applications in the electronics, aerospace, and automotive industries. The Israeli company Nano Dimension focuses on 3D electronics printing and nanotechnology-based ink products. Its DragonFly 2020 3D printer can print high-resolution multilayer circuit boards in a few hours, compared to weeks or months required for the conventional manufacturing process.
What About The Other 256 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 4 additive manufacturing startups showcased above are promising examples out of 260 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
