02-21-2022: 9T Labs received multi-million dollar funding from Stratasys and Solvay
Other investors joining the round were Verve Ventures, ACE & Company, Zürcher Kantonalbank, and Wingman Ventures
On February 21, 2022, 9T Labs – a Swiss manufacturer of industrial 3D printers for composite materials – announced the closing of a $17 million Series A funding round. Key investors included Stratasys and one of the world’s largest chemical corporations, Solvay. Other investors joining the round were Verve Ventures, ACE & Company, Zürcher Kantonalbank, and Wingman Ventures.
9T Labs was founded in 2018 by Martin Eichenhofer, Chester Houweling, and Giovanni Cavolin, graduates of ETH Zurich. They developed Additive Fusion Technology (AFT), their proprietary variation of composite 3D printing, which combines a polymer matrix with embedded carbon fiber.
The Swiss company first showcased its composite 3D printing technology in 2020. A year later, Solvay was announced as one of its technology partners in the materials sector. In addition to carbon fiber, 9T Labs' 3D printers use high-performance, high-temperature materials such as PEEK and PA12.
The company is also developing its own software, fibrify, which enables structural optimization based on imported CAD models, placing fibers precisely where they are needed for strength.
As a result of the funding round, former ExOne CEO John Hartner joined 9T Labs' board of directors as chairman. Hartner also served on the board of Azul3D and the advisory board of Sintavia.
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