Carbon
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersRedwood City, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Carbon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carbon
- Legal name
- Carbon, Inc.
- Website
- https://carbon3d.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carbon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial 3D Printing Systems
- SIC
- Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)
- akta.pro primary industry
- 3D Printers (Additive Manufacturing) (HDACAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Polymer 3D Printing Service Bureaus (FDM/FFF, SLA/DLP, SLS/MJF) (IMAAADAA)
Keywords
Where Carbon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redwood City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Carbon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales (3D Printers): Sale of M2, M3, and L1 industrial 3D printers and accessories such as the Smart Part Washer. Pricing is quote-based via 'Printer Pricing' page and direct sales engagement, not publicly disclosed.
- Resin & Materials (Consumables): Recurring revenue from Carbon's proprietary dual-cure resin portfolio (rigid, elastomeric, dental, and application-specific materials such as RPU, EPU, EPX, SIL, CE, MPU, FPU, UMA, and FP3D). Resin purchasing enabled via the 'Order Carbon Resins' portal.
- Design Engine & Software Subscriptions: Subscription access to Carbon's Design Engine computational design software, Custom Production Software, and Printer Operating System, with dedicated login at store/design-engine-login and ongoing release notes.
- Professional Services & Customer Support: Subscription-based service model bundling Carbon Academy education, product stewardship, technical support, design-for-additive-manufacturing consulting, and continuous iteration on automation hardware such as AO Backpack.
- Authorized Reseller Channel: Purchase option via authorized resellers identified on the Carbon site, governed by separate reseller privacy policy and terms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Industrial 3D printer hardware (M2 / M3 / L1) — quote-based pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | Design Engine software access — subscription |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Carbon Resins consumables — recurring material supply |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Powered by Carbon consumer products — third-party retail |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels10 records
Carbon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carbon designs, manufactures, and sells industrial-grade Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) 3D printing systems combining proprietary hardware (M2, M3, and L1 printers plus the Smart Part Washer), a broad portfolio of dual-cure photopolymer resins (rigid RPU/EPX/MPU/FPU/CE/UMA, elastomeric EPU/EPU Pro, dental FP3D), and computational design software (Design Engine, Custom Production Software, Printer Operating System). The platform produces isotropic, production-grade end-use parts for consumer goods, dental, MedTech, automotive, and industrial customers via direct enterprise sales, a Certified Production Partner network, a Dental Production Network, and authorized resellers, with a consumer-facing Powered by Carbon Shop for brand-partner end-use products.
Product overview
Carbon offers a unified additive manufacturing platform — Carbon DLS (Digital Light Synthesis) — that combines proprietary 3D printers, dual-cure photopolymer resins, and computational design software (Design Engine, Custom Production Software, Printer Operating System) into a single production system. Hardware offerings include the M2, M3, and L1 3D printers plus the Smart Part Washer, and are complemented by the AO (Automatic Operation) Suite for automated dental production (AO Backpack, AO Polishing Cassette, AO Stack, Automatic Print Preparation, and Parts Retrieval Basket). Materials span rigid polyurethane resins (RPU 70, RPU 130, MPU 100, FPU 50), elastomeric resins (EPU 40–46 plus the EPU Pro platform with EPU Pro 50 and EPU Pro 90), dental resins (FP3D for flexible partials and others like SIL 30, CE 221, EPX 82, EPX 86FR, EPX 150, UMA 90), all printed through Carbon's dual-cure chemistry process.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carbon DLS: Carbon's proprietary Digital Light Synthesis additive manufacturing technology platform.
- AO Suite
- Design Engine
- FP3D
Products and services
- M3 3D Printer
- M2 3D Printer
- L1 3D Printer
- Smart Part Washer
- Design Engine
- Custom Production Software
- Printer Operating System
- AO Suite (Automatic Operation Suite)
- AO Backpack
- AO Polishing Cassette
- EPU Pro 50 & EPU Pro 90 Resins
- EPU Pro Platform
- Gen 2 Aligner Model 3D Printing Solution
Companies that use Carbon
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Carbon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability1 record
Feature7 records
Carbon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- VivobarefootflagshipVivobarefoot partnered with Carbon DLS and Volumental to produce the Tabi Gen 02 — the first fully customized, 3D-printed, monomaterial, recyclable shoe. Available at £110/$150 exclusively via in-store foot scans at Vivobarefoot locations in New York, London, and Tokyo.
- VolumentalcoreFoot-scanning technology partner integrated with Carbon's DLS workflow to enable on-demand custom-fit footwear (Vivobarefoot Tabi Gen 02). Scan-to-print pipeline reduces overproduction and supports mono-material recyclability.
- HYBEXminorCollaboration leveraging Carbon's Digital Light Synthesis for performance footwear applications (lattice structures, comfort, scalability), supporting higher recurring revenues via Carbon's partner platform.
- ITERATEcoreLondon-based design consultancy collaborating with Carbon to develop customized, high-performance sports and assistive products using Carbon DLS. Produced an energy-absorbing cricket arm guard as proof of concept, plus assistive walking stick and wheelchair headrest designs.
- ReuschminorCollaboration to develop goalkeeper gloves with 3D-printed impact zones using Carbon DLS, cited as a case study in 3D-printed soccer equipment.
- SyBridge TechnologiescoreSyBridge Technologies invested in Carbon DLS expansion to support U.S. reshoring, doubling manufacturing space at its HQ as the Carbon partnership was expanded. Functions as a production partner delivering contract manufacturing.
- ParaMattersminorCarbon acquired ParaMatters to expand its software offerings for additive manufacturing, including topology optimization and generative design across diverse materials — strengthening Carbon's Design Engine capabilities.
- Keystone IndustriesflagshipStrategic dental partner for joint development of FP3D dual-cure flexible partial denture resin. The companies announced an expanded collaboration in September 2021 forming a cross-functional team of materials scientists, characterization specialists, print development, and regulatory experts. Together they have produced 1,000,000+ 3D-printed dental parts.
- PrototekcoreCertified Production Partner operating 7 Carbon DLS machines (as of 2026), delivering from single prototype to serial runs of thousands of parts across automation, automotive, aerospace, nautical, sporting goods, fashion, and footwear. ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Carbon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stratasys: Stratasys is a leading industrial polymer 3D printing company offering FDM, PolyJet, and SAF printers and materials across automotive, aerospace, dental, and consumer goods. It directly competes with Carbon's DLS in production-grade polymer additive manufacturing and is one of the most frequently cited peers in industry rankings.
- 3D Systems: 3D Systems is a broad industrial 3D printing company with SLA, SLS, DMP, and production-grade polymer systems serving dental, medical, aerospace, and automotive customers. It competes with Carbon in production polymer printing and dental applications, and is routinely listed alongside Carbon in additive manufacturing market reports.
- EOS GmbH: EOS is a global leader in industrial SLS and DMLS additive manufacturing systems for polymers and metals, serving automotive, aerospace, medical, and industrial production customers. It is a direct competitor to Carbon in industrial-grade production 3D printing and a recurring co-listee in VoxelMatters and other industry rankings.
- Markforged: Markforged provides industrial composite and metal 3D printing systems for production parts in aerospace, automotive, and industrial verticals. It overlaps with Carbon in the industrial production 3D printing market and is regularly co-listed in industry rankings of top additive manufacturing companies.
- Materialise: Materialise combines 3D printing software (Magics, Streamics) with industrial manufacturing services for medical, dental, automotive, and consumer customers. It is comparable to Carbon in offering both additive manufacturing software and contract manufacturing services, and operates a similar dental/medical vertical focus.
- Protolabs: Protolabs offers on-demand digital manufacturing services including CNC machining, injection molding, sheet metal, and 3D printing for prototyping and low-volume production. It overlaps with Carbon's contract-manufacturing and low-volume production value proposition across automotive, medical, and industrial customers.
Broad incumbents
- HP (Multi Jet Fusion): HP's Multi Jet Fusion platform is an industrial polymer 3D printing technology competing in automotive, consumer goods, and industrial production — overlapping with Carbon's DLS in volume production. As a much larger incumbent with broader portfolio reach, HP represents a price-performance competitive threat in production-grade polymer printing.
- Nikon SLM Solutions: Nikon SLM Solutions is a leading industrial metal additive manufacturing company (selective laser melting) serving aerospace, automotive, and industrial production. While metal-focused rather than photopolymer, it is consistently co-listed with Carbon in VoxelMatters and other additive manufacturing competitive landscape reports.
Emerging players
- Formlabs: Formlabs is a leading low-cost resin SLA/LFS 3D printing company with a strong presence in dental, medical, jewelry, and engineering prototyping. It competes with Carbon in resin-based 3D printing for dental and MedTech verticals, though its lower-cost desktop and prosumer positioning differs from Carbon's enterprise focus.
- Desktop Metal: Desktop Metal offers metal and polymer binder-jetting and DLP production systems targeting industrial, automotive, and consumer applications. It overlaps with Carbon in industrial production 3D printing ambitions and is regularly listed alongside Carbon in additive manufacturing competitive landscape analyses.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Carbon social profiles
Digital presenceCarbon compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Carbon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carbon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Carbon subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Carbon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors28 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carbon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carbon
What does Carbon do?
Carbon designs, manufactures, and sells industrial-grade Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) 3D printing systems combining proprietary hardware (M2, M3, and L1 printers plus the Smart Part Washer), a broad portfolio of dual-cure photopolymer resins (rigid RPU/EPX/MPU/FPU/CE/UMA, elastomeric EPU/EPU Pro, dental FP3D), and computational design software (Design Engine, Custom Production Software, Printer Operating System). The platform produces isotropic, production-grade end-use parts for consumer goods, dental, MedTech, automotive, and industrial customers via direct enterprise sales, a Certified Production Partner network, a Dental Production Network, and authorized resellers, with a consumer-facing Powered by Carbon Shop for brand-partner end-use products.
Is Carbon a public or private company?
Carbon is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Carbon founded?
Carbon was founded in 2013. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Carbon based?
Carbon is headquartered in Redwood City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Carbon make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales (3D Printers) is the primary driver. The others are resin & Materials (Consumables), design Engine & Software Subscriptions, professional Services & Customer Support and authorized Reseller Channel.
Who are Carbon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stratasys, 3D Systems, EOS GmbH, Markforged, Materialise and Protolabs. Broad incumbents are HP (Multi Jet Fusion) and Nikon SLM Solutions. Emerging players are Formlabs and Desktop Metal.
Does Carbon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carbon.
What industry is Carbon in?
Carbon's product category is Industrial 3D Printing Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAEAH, 3D Printers (Additive Manufacturing), with a secondary code of IMAAADAA, Polymer 3D Printing Service Bureaus (FDM/FFF, SLA/DLP, SLS/MJF). Its SIC code is 3555.