新型材料开发人员和MITspin-outOPT Industrieshas raised $15 million in Series A funding to scale up the development of its novel 3D printing metamaterials and products.
资本注入还将被漏斗以扩大公司的生产Instaswabhigh-efficacy nasal swab developed during the pandemic.
“As an advanced manufacturing company, we see the value in building micro-scale technologies that solve macro-scale challenges,” said Jifei Ou, Founder and CEO of OPT. “OPT works with customers to design and manufacture a novel range of metamaterials and products for the healthcare, automotive, cosmetics and consumer goods industries, and beyond.
“我们将利用新的融资来满足对Instaswab，燃料产品开发，规模运营并发展团队的需求。”
OPT’s roll-to-roll 3D printing platform
OPT Industries emerged as a spin-off company from MIT after seven years of R&D to develop its RAMP roll-to-roll 3D printing platform, which reportedly enables the printing of continuous materials at “unlimited lengths” with micron-level precision.
坡道系统将打印决议降至50µm，并声称避免与常规工具和全球供应链相关的更高成本和交货时间。除了其3D打印平台外，OPT还提供了自己的专有聚合物系列，用于微米尺度光刻3D打印和计算设计功能。
After its establishment as an independent company, OPT rapidly scaled up its technology during the pandemic to design and manufacture its 3D printed InstaSwab nasal swab for Covid-19 testing. The company claims the InstaSwab is up to 20 times more effective in bacterial sample elution than conventionally manufactured nasal swabs, and significantly more effective in viral sample elution.
“In the field of material science, metamaterials is a fast-developing area that holds enormous untapped potential,” said Andrea Jackson, Director at Northpond Ventures, the lead investor in OPT’s Series A funding round. “OPT’s platform is uniquely capable of designing materials with advanced properties and superior performance across a range of applications including absorption, cushion, insulation, and more.
“ Instaswab是由精确设计的纤维结构制成的，每个结构都比人的头发稀薄 - 体现了新型超材料中出色的创新之一。OPT的技术实现了更敏感的医学诊断测试的设计，从而对患者护理产生了影响。”
Funding the scale-up of RAMP
Shortly after opening its 14,000 square foot manufacturing facility last year, OPT Industries has now closed a $15 million Series A funding round to continue scaling its operations.
The financing round was led by science-driven venture capital firmNorthpond Ventureswith participation from existing investorsCrosslink Capitaland the MIT-affiliatedE14 Fund.
OPT will use the funds to address growing demand from its customer base for novel metamaterials design and production, as well as scaling up the production of its InstaSwab. The company will also use the capital injection to fuel its product development activities and to grow its team.
In addition to its financing news, OPT also announced that UK-based care diagnostics company LumiraDx had added the InstaSwab to its list of approved nasal swabs for Covid-19 testing. InstaSwab is reportedly the first 3D printed nasal swab to make the list.
“OPT is a prime example of the next generation of manufacturing and how it will have a material impact on building the supply chain of tomorrow,” said Phil Boyer, Partner at Crosslink Capital. “With technology that can enable rapid iterative design, end-to-end automated manufacturing, and continuous locally produced materials for such a wide range of applications, OPT is fast becoming a critical component for supply chain resilience.”
Going forwards, OPT reportedly plans to continue turning its new 14,000 square foot facility into a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing site capable of producing commercial applications beyond medical devices alone. In fact, the firm says its 3D printing platform and novel materials can be leveraged for various applications across the automotive and consumer goods industries, in addition to its healthcare potential.
“The rapid pace at which OPT has moved its technology from lab to market has been remarkable,” said Habib Haddad, Managing Partner at E14 Fund. “Within months of the company’s spin-out of MIT, OPT quickly found its way across healthcare and testing organizations nationwide.
“Amid growing demand by Fortune 500 countries and market leaders for OPT’s products, the 3D printing system that Jifei has pioneered has unlocked an entirely new paradigm for product creation from inception to manufacturing.”
Medical 3D printing investments
Several firms have announced medical-related funding updates and investments in recent months.
For instance, 3D printer manufacturer3D系统set out its intentions to expand on its bioprinting program afteracquiring Volumetric Biotechnologies for $400 million去年十月。不久之后，Lightforce正畸提高$50 million in a Series C funding roundin order to scale up the production of its custom 3D printed braces and go-to-market efforts.
In December, 3D bioprinting specialist库存生活科学announced the closure of a2500万美元的B系列资金回合为了加强其Rastrum 3D Bioprointer的推出，旨在解决数十亿个生物医学研发和药物发现市场。
Most recently, biotechnology firmStämm生物技术筹集了1700万美元的A系列资金next-generation 3D printed bioreactor. Cell-based cultures grown in the bioreactor could potentially be leveraged for drug testing purposes and developing medical treatments in the future.
Subscribe to the3D打印行业newsletterfor the latest news in additive manufacturing. You can also stay connected by following us onTwitterand liking us onFacebook.
Looking for a career in additive manufacturing? Visit3D Printing Jobsfor a selection of roles in the industry.
Subscribe to ourYouTube channelfor the latest 3D printing video shorts, reviews and webinar replays.
特色图片显示OPT Industries’ 3D printed InstaSwab nasal swab. Image via OPT Industries.
