What Fortius Metals does

Fortius Metals is a Lafayette, Colorado-based materials company founded in 2021 that develops and sells next-generation wire alloys engineered for large-format metal additive manufacturing (WAAM) and robotic welding applications. The company's core technology consists of proprietary aluminum welding wire compositions (covering 1xxx, 2xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx series) that resolve hot tearing and hot cracking issues which have historically made these alloys difficult or impossible to weld, enabling stronger and lighter fabrication for demanding end uses. Fortius was spun out of Elementum 3D, from which it licenses underlying patented materials technology originally commercialized for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing.

The company sells custom-developed wire alloys to enterprise customers and also offers in-house prototype fabrication and process consulting services as engagement mechanisms for qualifying new applications. Its go-to-market is consultative enterprise field sales targeting aerospace and defense OEMs, the U.S. military, and NASA, with a stated long-term goal of re-shoring advanced manufacturing in the United States. Revenue is generated through quote-based wire sales supplemented by professional services engagements for process parameter development and prototype builds.

Fortius has raised approximately $8.4 million across pre-seed, seed, and Seed+ rounds from 2021 to 2024, with investors including AM Ventures, Finindus, 412 Venture Fund, and M7 Holdings. The company maintains a small operating team (1–10 employees), has expanded its served verticals to include space, defense, and electric vehicles, and entered its first international collaboration with UK-based DEEP Manufacturing in 2026 to demonstrate multi-material WAAM production.

Name

Fortius Metals

Legal name

Fortius Metals

Website

https://fortiusmetals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fortius Metals, founded in 2021 and based in Lafayette, Colorado, develops proprietary welding wire alloys that solve hot tearing and hot cracking in unweldable aluminum series for large-format metal 3D printing and robotic welding, serving aerospace, defense, space, and electric vehicle manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Welding Materials

NAICS

Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351), Rolling Mill and Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (333519)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

Robot End-of-Arm Tooling (Grippers, Tool Changers, Welding/Cutting Heads) (IMAHAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metal 3D Printers (LPBF/SLM/DMLS, Binder Jetting, DED/LENS/WAAM) (IMAAAAAB), Metal 3D Printing Service Bureaus (SLM/DMLS, EBM, Binder Jetting) (IMAAADAB)

Keywords

• Welding wire alloys
• Metal additive manufacturing
• Wire arc additive manufacturing
• Robotic welding materials
• Aluminum welding wire

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wire Alloy Sales: Sale of proprietary welding wire alloys developed for specific customer requirements across various aluminum series. Customers purchase wire to fabricate their own parts using their preferred welding processes.
2. Prototype Fabrication Services: In-house prototype fabrication using company's advanced wire alloys and process parameters. Customers can engage Fortius to build prototypes directly.
3. Process Consulting: Technical consulting services for challenging builds, helping customers optimize their welding and additive manufacturing processes using Fortius materials.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fortius Metals manufactures proprietary welding wire alloys designed for large-format metal 3D printing (WAAM) and robotic welding, with specialized chemistries for aluminum series 1xxx, 2xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx that solve hot tearing and hot cracking. The company also develops customer-specific process parameters and builds prototype parts in-house for aerospace, defense, space, and electric vehicle customers.

Product overview

Fortius Metals is a materials company that offers a portfolio of products and services for large format metal 3D printing and robotic welding. The core offerings consist of Wire Development and Sales, which provides proprietary welding wire alloys designed for specific customer requirements, and Process Development and Prototypes services, which develop custom process parameters and fabricate prototypes in-house. The company specializes in enabling stronger, lighter fabrication for aerospace, defense, and electric vehicle applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wire Development and Sales Proprietary welding wire alloys developed for customer-specific requirements across a range of alloys, including 1xxx, 2xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx series aluminum. The wire is engineered to solve hot tearing and hot cracking issues in traditionally unweldable aluminum alloys, enabling stronger and lighter fabrication for aerospace, defense, space, and electric vehicle customers.
• Process Development and Prototypes Service offering in which Fortius Metals develops process parameters tailored to the customer's preferred welding process and fabricates prototypes in-house using its proprietary wire alloys. Includes process consulting support for challenging builds.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DEEP ManufacturingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026UK-based wire arc additive manufacturing specialist partnered with Fortius Metals to print a complex multi-material metal cylinder using large-format wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The collaboration combines DEEP's synchronized multi-robot WAAM system with Fortius' simulation, toolpath design, and advanced welding wire expertise to demonstrate that different alloys can be deposited in a single continuous build with industrial production-level precision and repeatability.
• Elementum 3DcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFortius Metals was spun out from Elementum 3D technology to develop revolutionary wire-based materials. Elementum 3D has patented and commercialized the underlying technology for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Fortius licenses and builds upon this technology for wire-based applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Elementum 3D: Elementum 3D is the parent from which Fortius Metals was spun out and develops advanced metal alloys for additive manufacturing. Both companies target the same metallurgical problems in 3D printing — Elementum in powder bed fusion and Fortius in wire-based processes — making them the closest comparable in chemistry and customer base.
• DEEP Manufacturing: UK-based WAAM specialist and Fortius' strategic partner. DEEP operates synchronized multi-robot WAAM systems and uses advanced welding wire; Fortius supplies the wire and process expertise. They are directly comparable in the WAAM ecosystem, with Fortius on the materials side and DEEP on the systems/integration side.

Emerging players

• WAAM3D: UK-based company commercializing robotic WAAM 3D printing systems and processes for industrial production. Like Fortius, it operates in the WAAM category and would be a comparable end-user of — or competitor to — advanced wire alloys.
• MX3D: Dutch WAAM 3D printing company that prints large-scale metal structures using robotic welding. MX3D focuses on the printing/service side while Fortius focuses on materials, but both compete in the WAAM ecosystem for aerospace, architecture, and industrial applications.

Broad incumbents

• Höganäs AB: World's largest producer of metal powders for additive manufacturing, with growing presence in metal AM wire and consumables. As a broad incumbent in metal AM materials, Höganäs is a credible competitor with far greater scale and distribution than Fortius.
• Sandvik Additive Manufacturing: Sandvik offers a broad portfolio of metal AM powders and wire, including Osprey® brand materials. Its scale, metallurgical expertise, and global distribution make it a broad incumbent competitor to Fortius in metal AM materials.
• ESAB: Global leader in welding and cutting equipment and consumables. ESAB has been expanding into additive manufacturing wire and could leverage its distribution network to compete directly with Fortius' WAAM-grade aluminum wires.
• Lincoln Electric: Major global manufacturer of welding products, consumables, and equipment. Lincoln Electric has invested in additive manufacturing and could enter the WAAM wire market with significant pricing and channel advantages versus Fortius.
• voestalpine Additive Manufacturing: Austrian steel and technology group with a dedicated additive manufacturing business producing metal powders and wire for industrial 3D printing. Comparable to Fortius in materials focus but vastly larger in scale, metallurgy R&D, and customer reach.
• Kennametal: Global manufacturer of metalworking tools, wear-resistant materials, and specialty alloys. Kennametal has been expanding into additive manufacturing materials and could compete with Fortius in specialty aluminum wire alloys for advanced fabrication.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors6 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Fortius Metals