Desktop Metal

What Desktop Metal does

Desktop Metal, founded in 2015 in Burlington, Massachusetts, developed a portfolio of metal and composite 3D printing systems positioned as "Additive Manufacturing 2.0" for mass production. The product stack centers on binder jetting technology — anchored by the patented Triple Advanced Compaction Technology (Triple ACT) — across the X-Series platform (InnoventX, X25Pro, X160Pro), the Shop System for machine-shop batch production, and the PureSinter Furnace for combined debinding and sintering. The company also offered an office-friendly Bound Metal Deposition (BMD) system, the Studio System 2, alongside an integrated software suite (Live Suite) covering simulation, build preparation, generative design, inspection, and remote monitoring. Subsidiaries including ExOne (sand/tooling binder jetting), EnvisionTEC/ETEC (polymers), Desktop Health (medical), Adaptive3D (photopolymers), Forust (upcycled wood), and Aerosint (multi-material powder recoating) broadened coverage across metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and applications.

The company generated revenue through one-time hardware sales of 3D printing systems, recurring consumables (metal powders, polymers, ceramics, binders), software subscriptions, and professional services, distributed via direct enterprise field sales, a global reseller network, and direct online channels. The business was historically loss-making at scale — revenues of approximately $189.7M in 2023 against EBITDA losses around $104.5M — and pursued an aggressive M&A and SPAC-funded growth strategy before facing insolvency. Following the failure of a proposed $1.8B Stratasys merger, Nano Dimension acquired Desktop Metal for $179.3M in April 2025; the combined entity subsequently filed Chapter 11 in July 2025, and Arc Impact Acquisition Corp acquired the core assets (including ExOne's binder jetting IP) for $7M in September 2025. The brand and technology now operate under Arc Impact, Inc., with Tom Nogueira appointed CEO.

Name

Desktop Metal

Legal name

Arc Impact, Inc.

Website

http://www.desktopmetal.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Desktop Metal, now operating under Arc Impact Inc., provides metal, ceramic, and composite 3D printing systems and software built on binder jetting and Bound Metal Deposition technologies for automotive, aerospace, healthcare, defense, and industrial manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metal 3D Printing Systems

NAICS

Machine Shops (33271)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal 3D Printers (LPBF/SLM/DMLS, Binder Jetting, DED/LENS/WAAM) (IMAAAAAB)

Keywords

• Metal 3D printing
• Binder jetting systems
• Additive manufacturing
• Industrial 3D printers
• Bound metal deposition

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 3D Printing Hardware Systems: Sale of metal 3D printing systems including Shop System, Studio System, X-Series, and PureSinter Furnace. Revenue generated from one-time hardware sales to manufacturing customers.
2. Materials and Consumables: Sale of metal powders, polymers, ceramics, and binder materials for 3D printing systems. Ongoing revenue from consumables consumed during printing operations.
3. Software Subscriptions and Licenses: Live Suite software products including Live Sinter, Live Build, Live Studio, Live Inspect, and Live Monitor with cloud-based subscription and desktop licensing options.
4. Professional Services: Training, support, and implementation services for customers deploying 3D printing systems

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Desktop Metal designs, manufactures, and sells metal, ceramic, and composite 3D printing systems (X-Series binder jetting, Shop System, Studio System 2 with Bound Metal Deposition) along with the PureSinter vacuum furnace, the Live Suite software platform, and proprietary consumable materials for industrial and office-friendly additive manufacturing workflows.

Product overview

Desktop Metal offers a comprehensive Additive Manufacturing 2.0 portfolio of metal and composite 3D printing solutions. The product lineup consists of three main hardware platforms: the X-Series (InnoventX, X25Pro, X160Pro) featuring binder jetting with Triple ACT technology for metals and ceramics; the Shop System for batch production of metal parts in machine shops; and the Studio System 2 for office-friendly metal prototyping. Supporting hardware includes the PureSinter Furnace for vacuum sintering. The software ecosystem centers on Live Suite, an integrated platform combining Live Sinter (sintering simulation), Live Build MFG, Live Studio, Live Monitor, Live Parts (generative design), and Live Inspect. The company also offers materials spanning metals, polymers, ceramics, and wood composites, with brands including ETEC (polymers), ExOne (sand/tooling), and Desktop Health (healthcare).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• X-Series: Binder jet 3D printing platform featuring patented Triple ACT technology for metals and ceramics. Includes InnoventX, X25Pro, and X160Pro models.
• Shop System™
• Studio System™
• PureSinter™ Furnace
• Live Suite™
• Live Sinter™
• Live Parts™
• ETEC
• Desktop Health
• ExOne
• Adaptive3D
• Forust
• Aerosint

Products and services

• X-Series (InnoventX, X25Pro, X160Pro)

Quantifiable outcome

• 10x faster production speed compared to laser powder bed fusion systems
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• AerosintcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2021Desktop Metal acquired Aerosint, a Belgian company specializing in multi-material deposition systems for powder-based additive manufacturing. The acquisition aimed to enhance Desktop Metal's capabilities in additive manufacturing applications involving multiple materials and integrate Aerosint's technology into their products. Aerosint continued operating as a subsidiary with plans to incorporate its technology into Desktop Metal's platforms within two years.
• FordkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for deployment of metal 3D printing technology in automotive manufacturing applications
• BoeingkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for aerospace component 3D printing applications and development
• Concurrent Technologies Corp.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerU.S. Defense Logistics Agency awarded Concurrent Technologies Corp. a prime contract worth potential $15 million to demonstrate 3D-printed sand-casting mold technology. ExOne (subsidiary of Desktop Metal) serves as subcontractor on the project working with the University of Northern Iowa on binder jet 3D printing for digital casting to produce obsolete critical castings for the Department of Defense.
• Nano DimensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNano Dimension acquired Desktop Metal for $179.3 million in April 2025, creating a combined entity expected to exceed $200 million in annual revenue. Nano Dimension positioned Desktop Metal as a strategic acquisition to strengthen its position in additive manufacturing 2.0.
• ARC (Autonomous Resource Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARC acquired Desktop Metal assets through Exascale Foundry partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The partnership connects ARC's ARCNet distributed manufacturing platform to ORNL's high-performance computing infrastructure for AI-enabled manufacturing of qualified components for U.S. national security applications, building on Desktop Metal's binder-jetting intellectual property.
• AmPd LabsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmPd Labs, a Houston-based additive manufacturing service provider, purchased the first PureSinter Furnace from Desktop Metal to support their fleet of metal 3D printers.
• Elmec 3DminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian startup Exotime uses Desktop Metal's binder jetting technology manufactured with Elmec 3D for custom luxury watch production.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Velo3D: Duplicate mention omitted in favor of unique peer coverage; Velo3D competes with Desktop Metal in production metal AM.
• Markforged: Direct competitor in metal 3D printing, also a SPAC-era public company (NYSE: MKFG) that faced severe stock-price decline and financial challenges. Targets overlapping enterprise customers in automotive, aerospace, and industrial with metal extrusion and bound metal deposition systems.
• VELO3D: Direct competitor in metal additive manufacturing focused on production-scale laser powder bed fusion for aerospace and defense. SPAC merger in 2021; subsequently delisted and faced going-concern doubts, similar trajectory to Desktop Metal.
• SLM Solutions: Direct competitor in metal additive manufacturing specializing in multi-laser powder bed fusion systems, now owned by Nikon. Targets overlapping aerospace, automotive, and energy customers for serial production of metal parts.
• Digital Metal: Direct competitor in binder jetting metal 3D printing, subsidiary of Höganäs AB. Produces metal binder jetting systems for serial production, competing head-to-head with Desktop Metal's X-Series in the same process modality.

Broad incumbents

• EOS GmbH: Global market leader in metal laser powder bed fusion systems and a broad incumbent in industrial additive manufacturing. Competes with Desktop Metal's X-Series and Shop System for production metal AM customers, though using laser-based rather than binder-jetting technology.
• Stratasys: Broad incumbent in industrial 3D printing (polymer and metal), with whom Desktop Metal attempted a $1.8B merger that collapsed in 2023. Acquired Desktop Metal's assets through subsequent transactions and is a competitor across multiple AM modalities.
• 3D Systems: Broad incumbent in 3D printing with both polymer and metal systems, serving automotive, aerospace, and healthcare. Competitor to Desktop Metal's full-stack offering, though with a more diversified and historically polymer-weighted portfolio.
• HP: Major incumbent in production 3D printing via Multi Jet Fusion (polymer) and is extending into metal binder jetting. A potential long-term competitor to Desktop Metal's X-Series platform given HP's scale, channel, and R&D resources.
• GE Additive: Broad incumbent in metal additive manufacturing via Concept Laser (laser powder bed fusion) and Arcam (electron beam melting) brands. Backed by GE's industrial scale and serves overlapping aerospace and medical customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors38 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A7 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desktop Metal