nTopology Closes $40M Funding Round to Enhance 3D Printing Software

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Last year, 3D printing software startup nTopology launched its nTop Platform, which uses generative design, topology optimization, and workflow management to overcome the typical issues seen when using traditional CAD software as well as optimize digital manufacturing. With it clients such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, Yamaichi Special Steel, GE Additive, In-Q-Tel, the U.S. Air Force, and EOS have successfully printed complex products. Now, nTopology has announced its latest round of funding, and that it’s raised a total of $40 million.

Global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners, also headquartered out of NYC, led the Series C funding round; additional support came from Grant Verstandig and existing nTopology venture partners Canaan, DCVC, Haystack, and Root. Additionally, Insight’s Josh Fredberg will also be joining nTopology’s Board of Directors. According to a press release the company sent to 3DPrint.com, Insight Partners in particular will “help take nTop to the next level.”

“Rapidly maturing digital manufacturing technologies, like additive manufacturing, provide obvious advantages to delivering high-performance products at unprecedented speed—from COVID-19 test swabs to the latest jet engines—but the tools for designing these products create a bottleneck where engineers are forced to fight with their software and compromise on designs,” the release continues.

The State of Metal 3D Printing

Many of these products were designed in CAD systems that have not changed much in the last few decades…thus lagging behind in terms of complexity compared to the items engineered today.

nTopology Closes $40M Funding Round to Enhance 3D Printing Software - nTop part

The startup believes that, within the next five years, engineering companies will be using 3D printing, or other advanced manufacturing technologies, to fabricate about 30% of all their parts, and that its nTop platform will “empower the design of the majority of these parts.”

“Do we want to end up replacing traditional CAD? No, that’s not our purpose. Rather, we expect engineers to use nTop Platform alongside existing systems, to solve new and hard problems that traditional CAD was never built for,” the nTopology press release states. “Overcoming those challenges will enable engineers to innovate faster, create new solutions to pressing global issues, and foster new markets.”

Technical Challenges and Solutions

nTopology is definitely on the right track in this regard. SmarTech Analysis recently released its first study in three years on the additive software landscape, which found that software capabilities have majorly expanded in that time. According to SmarTech’s VP of Research Scott Dunham, this is mainly due to the fact that many CAD players are now offering “additively-intelligent” generative design software and add-on modules.

nTopology Closes $40M Funding Round to Enhance 3D Printing Software - nTop nasal swabs

The nTop Platform is built on three main tenets, the first of which is a reliable modeling engine that was built specifically for applications in mechanical engineering. This results in fast, complex, unbreakable geometry that “overcomes the inherent limitations of traditional modeling” while the design file size small. The platform also provides control over spatial shape variations, which opens up many more design possibilities, as well as reusable workflows that merge with both built-in and user-created capabilities that engineering teams can deploy and reuse.

nTopology Closes $40M Funding Round to Enhance 3D Printing Software - nTop EOS

Material Properties and Performance

nTopology asserts that it doesn’t make assumptions about other companies’ manufacturing processes, and instead provides the necessary tools that allow them to easily adapt the powerful nTop Platform to their individual workflows and help eliminate daily design bottlenecks. See also: The Current State of Metal 3D Printing in 2020. By closing this latest round of Series C funding, the company will be able to make its advanced engineering software accessible to those who need it.

(Source/Images: nTopology)

The post nTopology Closes $40M Funding Round to Enhance 3D Printing Software appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

from 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://bit.ly/2E1pxa4

Industrial Applications and Use Cases

Related Articles: Icon Announces $35 Million Funding Round for House 3D Printing · CIA’s In-Q-Tel Invests in 3D Printing Software Startup nTopology · Thanks to New Round, Xometry Raised $193M Total in Funding Since 2013

Frequently Asked Questions

What is metal 3D printing?

Metal 3D printing (additive manufacturing) builds metal parts layer by layer using techniques like laser powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, and binder jetting. It enables complex geometries impossible with traditional manufacturing while reducing material waste significantly.

How strong are 3D printed metal parts?

3D printed metal parts can achieve mechanical properties comparable to traditionally manufactured metals. Tensile strength and fatigue resistance depend on the process and post-processing, but many meet or exceed ASTM standards for wrought materials.

What are the main metal 3D printing technologies?

The primary technologies include Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), Directed Energy Deposition (DED), Binder Jetting, and Metal FDM (with bound filaments). Each has different strengths in terms of resolution, speed, and material options.

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