In 2019, former SpaceX engineers created Freeform, a metal 3D printing company that combines artificial intelligence, hardware-accelerated computing, and autonomous factory architecture to produce high-quality metal parts. This week, the Los Angeles-based company announced that it received a major investment from NVIDIA’s NVentures and AE Ventures. According to TechCrunch, the investment comes out to $14 million—a game-changer for the company. With these funds, Freeform will supercharge its metal additive manufacturing with AI.
Freeform’s press release states that its solutions address a specific pain point in the manufacturing industry: a lack of intelligent process control in traditional 3D metal printing. AI implementation can address this issue, preventing inconsistencies by learning continuously from each print. Machine learning has been incorporated into additive manufacturing for several years now, creating intelligent designs and helping with quality assurance, but Freeform plans to take this technology further.
As a part of the investment, Freeform will join NVIDIA Inception, a program that supports startups. Then, NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform will support Freeform’s existing AI-driven platform. What is the benefit to using AI? Freeform’s AI technology predicts outcomes in real-time and adjusts accordingly. This ensures each part is delivered with precision and digital verification. The platform’s predictive control over the physics of the metal 3D printing allows the company to produce advanced metal parts faster and more accurately than ever.
Erik Palitsch, CEO and co-founder of Freeform explained how NVIDIA’s technology will support Freeform’s mission. “Building on NVIDIA’s technology allows us to push the boundaries of what metal 3D printing can achieve, giving us the power to produce high-quality, digitally verified parts at speeds that were unimaginable a few years ago.”
Freeform is also building the world’s first AI-native, autonomous metal 3D printing factory. Its system will use advanced sensing, process control, and machine learning to adjust the manufacturing process in real time, guaranteeing precision and scalability. Mohamed “Sid” Siddeek, corporate vice president at NVIDIA and head of NVentures spoke of Freeform’s potential. “[Freeform’s] use of real-time AI-driven process controls and cutting-edge metrology systems sets a new standard for metal additive manufacturing,” Siddeek said.
Freeform’s Metal Additive Manufacturing for the Future
In addition to building a new factory, Freeform will use the funding to expand its portfolio of printable materials. It will also increase production for aerospace, defense, energy, semiconductor, and automotive industries. Boeing is already planning to certify and scale Freeform’s metal parts for commercial aviation and defense in the future.
“To meet the demands of the 21st century, companies need technology that can move as fast as their ideas,” said Eugene Kim of AE Ventures. “Freeform is light years ahead in metal additive manufacturing, offering a scalable, flexible solution that ensures quality at every stage—from prototype to full-scale production. This is the breakthrough the aerospace industry has been waiting for. AE Ventures partnered with the highest levels of Boeing’s technical staff to review Freeform’s printing capability, and we have walked away extremely confident in their ability to revolutionize metal additive manufacturing.”
According to Palitsch, it’s high time for the industry to adjust. “The industrial world has operated under the same constraints for far too long,” Palitsch said. “We’re throwing out the old playbook. By combining AI, supercomputing, and advanced sensing, we’re empowering industries to move from concept to mass production at record speed—and at a fraction of the cost.” To learn more about Freeform’s recent investment, read its press release here.
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*All Photo Credits: Freeform