What Were the Most Innovative 3D Startups in 2024?
In 2024, we had the opportunity to interview startups that caught our attention with their innovation and creativity, whether through their use of 3D printing or the development of solutions. Each month, these young companies presented us with their plans to transform their respective industries. Today, it’s up to you to decide: which one deserves to be crowned best startup of the year? Discover their achievements and vote for your favorite in the poll on the right side of the screen! You have until December 31—the winner will be revealed on January 7!
Rosotics
Based in the USA, Rosotics is a company specializing in metal additive manufacturing, with an ambitious mission: to transform industrial production with very large-scale equipment. Its flagship machine, the M1, stands out as one of the largest metal 3D printers available. Designed for sectors such as aerospace, marine and energy, it can manufacture imposing structures up to 10 meters high and 2 meters in diameter, such as tanks or fairings. Thanks to this technology, Rosotics is redefining the standards for the manufacture of massive parts. Read more in the interview here.
Photo credits: Rosotics
MB Therapeutics
French startup MB Therapeutics, founded by Stéphane Roulon and Ian Soulairol, is transforming the pharmaceutical field with 3D printing. Based at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Montpellier, the company develops solutions for producing tailor-made drugs, adapted to the specific needs of each patient. Their flagship innovation, the MED-U Modular printer, is the first industrial pharmaceutical 3D printer designed to the industry’s exacting standards. This technology responds to major challenges, particularly for children, who are often confronted with tablets or capsules that are difficult to swallow. The MED-U Modular enables pharmacists to produce tailor-made drugs in dispersible form, easy to administer with just a little water and free from risky ingredients. It is a solution that limits dosing errors while simplifying administration for patients. To find out more, click here.
Photo credits: MB Therapeutics
Mechnano
Mechnano specializes in improving materials for 3D printing using carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The aim is to improve the properties of resins used in additive manufacturing, notably their resistance and ability to meet electrostatic discharge (ESD) standards. Thanks to its exclusive D’Func technology, the company has succeeded in integrating these nanotubes in such a way as to dissipate static electricity (ESD) without compromising the material’s mechanical performance. These resins enable the manufacture of high-precision parts, particularly for applications requiring static electricity management in high-temperature environments. By replacing traditional methods such as machining and molding, Mechnano makes it possible to produce prototypes and small series faster and more efficiently. Find out more in our interview.
Photo credits: Mechnano
Phase3D
Phase3D, a Chicago-based startup, offers solutions to improve the quality of parts produced using 3D printing. Founded in 2021 by Niall O’Dowd, the startup tackles the issues of reliability, consistency and quality control that are still holding back the widespread adoption of additive manufacturing in many industrial sectors. Its major innovation, Fringe, is a computer vision system capable of inspecting each layer formed during the printing process in real-time. Fringe is compatible with both powder-bed fusion and powder-bonded printing technologies. It detects and classifies defects as production proceeds, offering integrated quality assurance throughout the process. Thanks to this proactive approach, Phase3D meets the growing needs of industries looking for reliable solutions to overcome the challenges of reproducibility and quality control. For more information, read the full interview here.
Photo credits: Phase3D
Sprybuild
Sprybuild focuses on the development of automated 3D printing solutions to offer users greater flexibility. Among its flagship achievements is a resin 3D printer equipped with a metal conveyor belt, replacing the traditional printing plate. This belt, inclined to the DLP projection, enables continuous production by unrolling the parts as they are printed. Thanks to a magnetic system, the machine ensures high surface stability, essential for accurate results. Designed for a variety of sectors, such as aerospace and medical, this printer aims to simplify manufacturing processes, reduce costs and limit environmental impact. Sprybuild is also working on a fully automated post-processing system, capable of managing the flow of printed parts without human intervention. To find out more about this technology and the company’s vision, read the interview with the team here.
Photo credits: Sprybuild
FemTherapeutics
Specializing in pelvic floor disorders, a problem affecting one in four women, FemTherapeutis develops solutions to improve patient’s quality of life. Relying on stereolithography 3D printing (SLA), it designs custom-made pessaries, adapted to each woman’s individual needs. This technology enables the creation of devices with complex geometries and smooth surfaces, reducing the risk of bacterial contamination and minimizing the need for rework. Thanks to this approach, the startup has developed the world’s first adaptable vaginal pessary, offering effective relief from the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). By combining technological innovation and respect for quality standards, it offers a tailor-made solution to a major health problem. To discover the company’s future projects, click here.
Photo Credits: FemTherapeutics
Fluent Metal
Fluent Metal has introduced a new metal 3D printing technique that may revolutionize the industry. The company’s technology involves depositing metal droplets from an extremely fine wire, about the width of a human hair. The process is compatible with a variety of metals, including copper, silver, stainless steel or even tungsten. This novel technology can create finished or near-finished parts without major post-processing. One benefit is the process’ operational simplicity: it requires quick setup and material changeover, with low overhead and overall operative costs. But what’s truly incredible about Fluent Metal’s technology is that standard wire can be used, meaning it is safe to handle, broadly available and can be used efficiently without waste. Most metal 3D printing requires extensive (and expensive) safety measures, but Fluent Metal’s method can easily be conducted on a typical manufacturing floor. To learn more about Fluent Metal, read our full interview here.
Photo credits: Fluent Metal
VENOX Systems
The Austrian startup VENOX Systems released a remarkable 3D printer that is not only able to print on 5-axes but has a head-changing system to swap six different tools. These tools include various FDM printheads, the company’s exclusive CFFP (Collision-Free Fiber Placement) processes for continuous fiber printing, and more. Co-founder Nicolai Wampl said that the company was created, in part, to address the issues with part strength in FDM/FFF printing. He explained that traditional 3-axis printers can only reinforce parts at the planar level which translates to low Z-axis strength. So, the 5-axis capabilities of the the company’s printer, V-REX, means fibers can be aligned along the part’s load path, improving the part’s durability. Read more about how VENOX System’s work maximizes additive manufacturing’s potential in their interview here.
Photo credits: VENOX Systems
AMFREE
Another metal additive manufacturing startup, AMFREE is dedicated to producing turnkey, pre-qualified XXL metal 3D printing hybrid solutions. The French company’s laser-wire DED metal 3D printers are designed to produce and repair large parts of up to 5 meters. The types of large metal parts that AMFREE’s printers can produce are often critical, high value-added parts that are not easily replaceable. So, by developing simple machines capable of producing or repairing parts quickly, AMFREE is seeking to address that problem. One of AMFREE’s selling points is that users are guaranteed to have all the equipment and software necessary to manufacture XXL parts correctly, ideally on the first try. What’s unique about the service is the integration of artificial intelligence into the machines, which helps them learn new skills, master their craft, and prevent poor quality parts. Find out more about AMFREE in the full interview here.
Examples of AMFREE’s printed parts (Photo credits: AMFREE)
Synteris
Ceramics have become popular additive manufacturing materials thanks to qualities like its high wear resistance and thermal stability. Synteris, a subsidiary of Materic, utilizes Selective Laser Reaction Sintering (SLRS) to 3D print ceramics, but remarkably, without post-processing. The technology prevents the volume of the printed part from changing, which typically occurs when 3D printing ceramics. Ken Malone, Board Chair of Materic and co-founder of Synteris, said they’re the only method out there for making complex ceramic parts with no shrinkage that are also at full density. The company has printed parts mainly for the energy, defense and industrial sectors, which all require materials that can withstand high temperatures and have complex geometries. To learn more about Synteris, and how its 3D printing technology works more specifically, read the interview here.
Photo credits: Synteris
Lensy Medical
Today, most contact lenses are mass-produced in a “one size fits all” model, yet many people express discomfort with these standard lenses. Custom lenses are out there, but not widely available, so Lensy Medical has found a solution. The startup aims to offer a 3D printing solution that would allow lenses to be created directly in clinics. Lensy Medical’s device is still in the development stage, but the company has already hit some notable milestones. To the company’s knowledge, it is the first to have successfully converted FDA-approved contact lens materials into 3D-printable resin. With this resin and in-house printer, the team has developed a method that uses a sterile capsule to minimize material waste while minimizing the technical burden on the clinician. To read more about Lensy Medical’s technology and the company’s goals, read the full article here.
Photo credits: Lensy Medical
sallea
We’ve seen 3D printed meat and fish products before, but the startup sallea has a unique approach. Instead of 3D printing the meat or fish alternatives directly, the company creates 3D scaffolding as a way to give non-printable materials access to complex 3D structures. Using common salt, sallea prints templates and then cases them with materials that are difficult to print or can only print in low resolution, like plant proteins and polysaccharides for cellular agriculture. Finally, they dissolve the salt, leaving the cast material in the desired geometry. While the company’s primary focus is on food applications, the technology can be used for other materials like thermoplastics. By providing an indirect method for cellular agriculture, however, the company is addressing current challenges with bioprinting. To learn more about this innovative technology’s potential, read the full article here.
Protein sample used for cell tests (Photo Credits: sallea AG)
Which 3D startup do you find to be the most innovative? Vote in our poll, and 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.
