SU-00127

SU-00127

Team Picture

In a Nutshell

Upgrade to Premium
Startup name:
a-metal
Country:
Switzerland
Stage:
Idea existing
Sector:
Manufacturing Printing, Publishing, And Allied Industries
Cluster:
3D Printing
Turnover:
425 (TEUR)
Request:
Debt financing
Funding:
350 (TEUR)

Elevator Pitch

Join membership

We makes metal 3d printing more accessible to the broad industry. Thanks to our affordable, compact, and safe machine solution, we enable SMEs, small R&D departments, and the education sector to enter the professional metal additive manufacturing. Our machine can be operated by any person with an artisan background and does not require a cleanroom environment.

Video Pitch

Profile

Basics
Primary person to contact
eSninhpt reeaSt
Email address of primary person to contact
t@c.imoeas.lt-eahptsneamrne
Address line 1
t1es oprhscksrTnaea
Postal code
0850
City
icrhüZ
State
ZH
Country
larnStiwdze
Phone number
94264314487+
Challenge/Solution
What's the problem you want to solve?

Today, there are many obstacles for SMEs and inexperienced enterprises to get into professional 3d printing technologies. Especially for metal-based 3d printing, machines are very expensive, very large and the handling of the raw material is extremely unsafe. Since the process is based on fine metal powder in the range of 5-90µm particles (up to 20x smaller than a human hair), which can be easily inhaled or even absorbed by the human skin, state-of-the-art machines must be operated in dedicated, laboratory-like environments and special protection equipment. Given that the size of these state-of-the-art machines is very large, this leads to a huge cost driver besides the already high investment cost of more than 150k$ per printer. In addition to that, there is lack of know-how in the industry to operate these existing expert-level machines. That means, there is a need for a safe, user-friendly solutions.

Describe your solution!

With our innovative machine concept, which is patent pending, we can offer a compact desktop scale machine (up to 75% smaller than competitors) for 70k$ (up to 50% cheaper than competitors) with a gross margin incl. risk and warranty assumptions of still 55%. A simplified powder handling based on safe sealed cartridges limits the contact with the hazardous material to a minimum and enables a safe operation.

With our solution, we provide a machine, material, and software package, tailored to the needs of entry-level customers. That means, that the machine can be used by any person with an artisan background and does not need a cleanroom environment, which reduces infrastructure costs and salary expenses. This enables SMEs, small research labs in larger corporates and education organizations to have access and gain experience while using metal 3d printing in their existing workshop environment.

Tell us something more about the magic of your idea/solution.

The USP of our solution is to have a safe metal powder handling process, a compact machine size at a very affordable price but without compromising on the quality. This package is only possible with our patent-pending processing head (developed at ETH Zurich/inspire and FHNW).

Product/Service
Indicate the website of your startup
https://www.a-metal.com
Describe your business model. How do you want to earn money?

Our business model is B2B. We offer the machine as one-time sales, a freemium software package as well as the material as consumables (recurring revenues). In addition, we provide pre- and after-sales services.

The market entry will be reached with a paid pilot program with 10 beta customers (starting in January 2024). After this evaluation program, valuable feedback will be incorporated in the development cycle of the first DACH batch (10 machines), which will be manufactured by a contract manufacturer. In 2025 we’ll start series production and scale up to EU and later the main market, the US.

Stage
Idea existing
Market-research finalized
Prototype existing
Prototype shown to potential clients
To which Sector does your startup belong to!
Manufacturing Printing, Publishing, And Allied Industries
Manufacturing Primary Metal Industries
Manufacturing Fabricated Metal Products, Except Machinery And Transportation Equipment
Manufacturing Industrial And Commercial Machinery And Computer Equipment
To which Clustor does your startup belong to!
3D Printing
Advanced Manufacturing
Industrial IoT
Go to Market
What's your estimation of the total market volume?
045070
What's your estimation of the market share you are able to reach within the next 2 years?
5%10.
USP/Competition
Are there competitors of your products/services?
sYe
If YES: Indicate the most relevant competitors.

In the field of entry-level metal additive manufacturing, there are only a few competitors. The biggest competitor is a Germany based company called One Click Metal, offering a manufacturing solution for around 130k$. There are good approaches to simplify the powder handling, but the machine is very large at a high price point. Two other competitors Sharebot and Xact Metal offer a compact solution but without any simplification in powder handling and pore print quality.

If YES: What is your estimation of the market shares of these competitors?
00%.3
Team/Traction/POC
In which year was your startup founded?
3202
Are all relevant key functions covered by the existing founders?
oN
If NO: Which key-functions are not covered?

Marketing & Sales

Which are the founders? And which functions do they cover within your startup?

2 Co-Founders:

CEO: Project management, research and process/mechanical engineering background in the 3d printing industry.

CTO: Automation, electrical and software engineering with long time experience in customer support in the 3d printing industry.

Financials

Provide financial key values of your startup. The turnover of the current year is mandatory.

Values in EUR thousand (TEUR)

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Looking for ...
Request
Our preferred deal
Are there already documents concerning the fundraising available?
Yes
What is the maximum percentage of participation you are offering for the total funding required?
100%.0
What's the minimum ticket size, if you need more than one investor?
150.00
What's your total funding required?
350.00