What Were the Most Innovative 3D Startups in 2022?

As we at 3Dnatives do every year, now that it is December, we want to take the opportunity to review some of the most outstanding 3D startups in 2022. Over the past 12 months, we have interviewed 3D printer manufacturers, software developers and distributors of 3D solutions seeking to optimize the value chain in additive manufacturing. Indeed, it is thanks to these new creations and many others that we have seen such huge market growth within the sector. For this reason, we want to take advantage of the end of the year to choose the 3D startup that was the most innovative in 2022, and for that we need your help! Up until December 31st, you have the opportunity to vote for your favorite among the 12 candidates. If you already know which one you want to choose, then just go to the voting located at the end of the article and select who you think deserves to be elected the startup of the year 2022. However, for those who wish to refresh their memory, we have also included a summary of the most important information for each 3D startup of the month. And stay tuned because the results will be announced on January 3rd on 3Dnatives!

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Personomic

We started 2022 with one of the startups that is dedicated to the development of sports equipment using 3D printing. Germany-based Personomic is taking advantage of additive manufacturing to create customized bike handles. The young company’s goal is to improve the comfort of athletes while riding a bike. Using Rapid Shape’s DLP 3D printers, Personomic is able to manufacture finely-detailed handles, making the handlebar design unique and tailored to each user’s needs. They claim that 3D printing allows them a much faster manufacturing process at a lower cost.

Photo Credits: Personomic

Amadde

Meanwhile Amadde aims to democratize the use of 3D printing through education. Its independent learning platform has been developed to help designers, engineers and professionals better understand the role of additive manufacturing today. With just the internet, users can also connect online to Amadde’s platform and book consultancies with industry experts or exchange views via a forum. The company says that to further promote 3D printing training, they have partnered with leading institutions in the market. This would make it possible to offer live courses and help professionals take the next steps in this field.

Photo Credits: Amadde

Pint

One French startup we have highlighted this year is Pint and its research in metallic materials for additive manufacturing. In particular, its recent activity has focused on developing a wider variety of titanium alloys for 3D printing in order to broaden performance and functional gains. According to Pint’s team, its mission is to leverage its knowledge and expertise in metallurgy and mechanical engineering to address the needs of various industries, including metal additive manufacturing. Something particularly interesting to note is its developments in the field of 4D printing. These parts, when deformed, are characterized by the ability to return to their initial shape when in contact with a heat source.

Photo Credits: Pint

Act’ble

What if combine 3D printing with classical dance and ballet? This is the idea behind the German startup Act’ble, dedicated to the additive manufacturing of more comfortable and stable dance shoes. Thanks to the use of 3D printing with advanced materials and the design freedom offered by technology, they have created the so-called Act’pointes. These are dance shoes that last up to five times longer than traditional pointe shoes. Specifically, they have resorted to selective laser sintering and TPU to create more comfortable solutions adapted to the needs of dancers. Their innovative advances in the field of dance, combined with the use of 3D technologies has earned Act’ble a place among the top startups of 2022.

Photo Credits: Act’ble

Viewpointsystem

Based in Vienna, Austria, Viewpointsystem is a startup dedicated to the additive manufacturing of smart glasses. But what is this concept? Viewpointsystem’s smart glasses assist users in the remote maintenance of machines and systems, connecting employees and experts in a matter of seconds and without the need to travel. For the development of the glasses, they have relied on HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology and PA12 material certified as biocompatible and therefore suitable for contact with the skin. The company assures that 3D printing provides a great competitive advantage, since it favors much faster production, on demand and at a lower cost.

Photo Credits: Viewpointsystem

Think3DDD

Berlin-based startup Think3DDD makes additive manufacturing technologies available to animals and people in a sustainable, cost-effective and customized way. Its 3D printing service stands out by enabling the creation of orthoses and splints for pets, the so-called VET orthi. The manufacturing process begins with a 3D scan of the area to be treated, before moving on to the design of the part. Later, the digital model is manufactured on a 3D printer with the use of a semi-flexible recyclable or compostable material. One of the great advantages pointed out by the company is that thanks to selective automation, 3D printing orders for private users can also be placed at low cost. An interesting solution carried out by the company with the aim of giving a better life to our pets.

Photo Credits: Think3DDD

Replique

Additive manufacturing is advancing and many companies want to test different technologies to find out which one best suits their needs. Replique is a startup that helps OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) convert physical inventory to digital inventory. This company was born out of necessity to solving some problems like long lead times, high minimum order quantities, supply chain disruptions in the spare parts business. How have they done it? By digitizing and thus producing spare parts on demand, so that they would be available anywhere, anytime. They offer an easy-to-use 3D printing platform with quick access to different technologies and materials. All this thanks to its extensive network spread all over the world with a strong focus on data encryption.

Photo Credits: Replique

AddCat

AddCat is a Dutch startup that by combining metal additive manufacturing and catalytic oxidation has created reactors that purify the air by destroying 95% of the polluting components. The company is able to create structures with high thermal conductivity, large surface area and low pressure drop. AddCat offers high performance and low maintenance air purification technology to industries struggling with pollutant emissions. Specifically, they focus on reducing methane, ammonia and odor emissions. These reactors that have been 3D printed with metal would not have been possible to manufacture with other techniques. The use of 3D printing in this process has given them a competitive advantage, as these reactors are now smaller in size and allow better control of the process (thermal conductivity and heat exchange).

Photo Credits: AddCat

TissueLabs

This next startup is dedicated to bioprinting, the creation of cellular structures from bio-inks made from stem cells. Advances in bioprinting allow the creation of artificial organs, so necessary for thousands of people who die waiting for a transplant. TissueLabs was born out of the founder’s enthusiasm and desire to create bioartificial hearts for transplantation. The company currently has two bioprinting systems: TissueStart™, an extrusion-based system, and TissueRay™, a stereolithography-based system. In addition, they offer not only bioprinters but also materials for these machines. These range from generic biomaterials to specific hydrogels, such as bone, brain, cartilage, colon, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, myocardium, pancreas or skin. Hydrogels are available in thermo-crosslinkable and photo-crosslinkable versions.

Photo Credits: TissueLabs

Unlimited Tomorrow

We continue with another 3D startup in the medical sector. In October, we introduced you to Unlimited Tomorrow, a company dedicated to creating bionic prosthetic arms thanks to 3D printing. The idea for the creation of this company was born out of the passion of one of the founders to experiment with the creation of robotic arms. Easton LaChappelle, together with Tony Robbins, created Unlimited Tomorrow using all available technology and resources to manufacture the highest quality and lowest cost prosthetic arms. The so-called Truelimb is a prosthetic arm that weighs less than 600 grams and is easy to put on and take off. Its socket is adjustable and breathable, available in hundreds of skin tones and colors. In addition, it can be charged with a standard USB-C charger and offers a battery life of several days. The company has also being working on a project to send 3D printed prosthetics to Ukraine.

Photo Credits: Unlimited Tomorrow

F3nice

No matter what you do in any industry, you are sure to hear about sustainability and environmental issues, and of course additive manufacturing responds to this need. We show you the example with the startup F3nice. This Italian company produces sustainable metal powder for 3D printing. By collecting 100% of carefully selected scrap metal powders are produced for further use in additive manufacturing. Some of the advantages they claim additive manufacturing has are: great flexibility in the production of complex parts, freedom of design, significantly reduced lead times, cheaper and faster. All this allows manufacturers to create or repair parts on demand and with local production, instead of ordering new parts from the other side of the world.

Photo Credits: F3nice

PrintParts

Last but not least in this compilation of our 3D startups of the month in 2022 is the New York-based PrintParts. Often, it is feared that 3D printed parts can be counterfeited due to the digital nature of the files, which can be duplicated and stolen. Another issue is that more and more companies wanted to verify the quality of their parts through the entire process, step by step, as well as the materials. PrintParts has provided a solution to these two demands of today’s market by creating SmartParts, a solution capable of connecting digital assets with physical parts to ensure end-to-end traceability, as well as offering the possibility to verify the authenticity of materials and parts with a simple manual scan.

Photo Credits: PrintParts

What do you think of our leading 3D printing startups from 2022? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and  Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.