Here's flō Optics - just two minutes before the Big Bang! (And what does Sintratec have to do with it?)
The Atomic Layers: S6E26 (00173)
Atomic Layer of the Day:
This week, I had an amazing conversation with Jonathan Jaglom. For those who might not know him: he’s a former longtime executive at Objet and Stratasys, CEO of MakerBot, and for the past four years, an investor and CEO at flō Optics.
Never heard of flō Optics? Don’t worry, I’m here to fill you in. But first, a brief teaser for the upcoming video from that conversation.
I sat down with Jonathan to record my very first podcast!
The episode is already edited and awaiting final export (followed by cutting into shorts), and I hope to publish it by the middle of the coming week.
The result? Phenomenal. Jonathan is an outstanding conversationalist who shared detailed insights into his time at MakerBot during the company’s most challenging years: 2015–2017, when he worked to save it from collapse and crises caused by the infamous Smart Extruder and MakerBot 5th Gen.
You’ll hear all about that and many other fascinating topics (like the story behind the Method printer) next week. Keep an eye on your inbox for an email update.
Now, back to flō Optics.
flō Optics is an Israeli startup that combines additive manufacturing with the development of advanced technologies for coating optical surfaces. The company was founded in 2018 by Dr. Claudio Rottman, who served as the chemistry manager at Objet from 2009 to 2011. It was there that he met Jonathan Jaglom, who was managing Objet’s sales in Eastern Europe and later in Asia.
Rottman recognized the need to digitize laboratory processes involved in optical lens production. Leveraging his knowledge and experience in inkjet 3D printing, he developed an exceptional method for coating lenses using AM technology. Today, the company holds numerous patents covering multi-material and multi-layer structures, enabling precise application of coatings to lenses.
In 2020, Jaglom joined flō Optics—first as an investor, then as a managing director, and ultimately as CEO. Over time, the team expanded to include several prominent managers from the old Objet and Stratasys teams. In addition to Rottman, flō includes Benny Bilenko and Guy Menchik—who spent 24 years (!) at Objet and Stratasys, most recently as CTO of the company.
But that’s not the end of the reinforcements.
You probably remember Sintratec—one of the first companies in the world to create a desktop 3D printer. Despite a decade in operation, the Swiss company unexpectedly announced its closure last year.
How does this relate to flō Optics? Well, Sintratec’s founders, Christian von Burg and Dominik Solenicki, have also recently joined flō’s team. What’s more, flō acquired their Swiss headquarters (and some equipment).
But all of this will be explained in detail by Jonathan himself in our video.
More details about flō Optics’ technology will be revealed in February during the MIDO’25 trade show in Milan, Italy.
I’m thrilled that you’ve learned all these amazing things from me. I think flō Optics will soon be making a lot of noise. And you’ll be able to shrug and say, “Yeah, I know… I read about it from Pawel…”
Atomic Layer from the Past:
01-26-2021: Formlabs (finally) launched Fuse 1 – its first SLS 3D printer.
News & Gossip:
Gary Rowe - Global Head of Business Development at Formlabs, decided to leave company after almost full 8 years. He did not provide the name of the company he is moving to.
At the same time, Emiel Timmers from UltiMaker, who has spent the last 6 years working on business development and strategy building within the company, has taken up the position of Director Product Management Software & SAAS solutions.
Meanwhile, on the world's stock exchanges Bright Laser recorded remarkable 20% surge, gaining $307M in valuation to the level of $1,865 million. Farsoon also climbed 8%, with market cap of $1,528 million. Nano Dimension dropped 4%, likely from investor sell-offs post-leadership change, while rivals Stratasys and 3D Systems rose 10% and 25%, respectively, possibly due to market optimism ahead of financial reports. Desktop Metal stayed flat, while Markforged fell 4%, amid acquisition uncertainty.