Glassomer

What Glassomer does

Glassomer GmbH is a Freiburg im Breisgau-based precision glass manufacturer founded in 2018 as a commercial spin-out of research conducted at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) by Frederik Kotz-Helmer and Bastian E. Rapp. The company commercializes a proprietary "Glassomer Process" — a composite material system that combines high-purity fused silica glass powder with an organic binder matrix and can be shaped on standard polymer injection molding machines at approximately 130°C or via stereolithography 3D printing. The shaped parts are subsequently debinded at 600°C and sintered at 1,300°C to produce fully dense, highly transparent (>92% VIS, 84% UV at 200nm, >90% IR 1000–3400nm) fused silica components with bending strength of 115 MPa and Vickers hardness of 980 HV.

The company targets five primary verticals — Optics and Photonics, Lab-on-a-Chip/Microfluidics, SolarTech, MedTech, and Automotive — with a portfolio of custom Glass Injection Molding parts, Glass 3D Printing prototyping services, photocurable Glassomer-SL resins, precision lenses (refractive, diffractive, microlens arrays, aspherical), microfluidic glass chips, tailored glass components, and jewelry/art pieces. Only one named external relationship exists: a channel partnership with Microfluidic ChipShop (Jena) for finished fused silica microfluidic chips with connectors. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales with global prototype distribution via Protiq.com.

Glassomer generates revenue through quote-based contract manufacturing of custom fused silica parts, sale of Glassomer-SL stereolithography resins, joint development agreements and feasibility studies, and sample-box fees. The company has raised approximately €2.9 million in non-dilutive funding from the European Innovation Council under the EU Horizon 2020 programme (grant agreement No. 967328). It holds core patents on glass injection molding (2020) and the Glassomer 3D printing process, and its underlying science has been published in Nature (2017) and Science (2021). The company operates from two Freiburg locations and a team of 18 people spanning science, technology, production, and sales.

Name

Glassomer

Legal name

Glassomer GmbH

Website

https://glassomer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Glassomer GmbH is a Freiburg-based manufacturer that uses a patented composite-shaping-and-sintering process to produce high-purity fused silica glass parts for optics, microfluidics, solar, medtech, and automotive customers, selling custom parts, prototypes, and stereolithography resins.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Fused Silica Glass Manufacturing

NAICS

Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721), Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Manufacturing (327212), Glass Product Manufacturing Made of Purchased Glass (327215)

SIC

Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220), Glass Products, Made Of Purchased Glass (3231)

akta.pro primary industry

Ceramic & Glass 3D Printing Services (IMAAADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Injection Molded Optical & Transparent Parts (Lenses, Light Guides) (IMANAFAL)

Keywords

• Fused silica components
• Glass injection molding
• Glass 3D printing
• Precision glass manufacturing
• Microfluidic glass chips

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg Im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Glass Parts Manufacturing: Glassomer manufactures and sells high-purity fused silica glass components, from prototype small series via 3D printing to large-scale production via injection molding. Customers submit design requirements and Glassomer produces parts to specification. Contract manufacturing from small to large scale, joint development agreements, and feasibility studies are offered.
2. Glass 3D Printing Resins: Glassomer sells photocurable Glassomer-SL liquid resins for stereolithography in 500g, 1kg, 5kg, and 10kg quantities, available for wavelengths of 365nm, 385nm, and 405nm, enabling customers to do their own 3D glass printing.
3. Prototype Manufacturing Services: Glassomer offers glass prototyping services including glass bottle prototyping, arts and jewelry printing, and custom 3D printed glass parts. Distributors like Protiq.com handle 3D printed prototype fulfillment.
4. Joint Development Agreements: Glassomer engages in joint development agreements with customers for tailored fused silica components, feasibility studies, and co-development of special applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Glassomer manufactures and sells high-purity fused silica glass components produced via its patented Glassomer Process. The proprietary composite material (glass powder + organic binder) is shaped like a polymer on standard injection molding machines or 3D printers, then thermally processed to yield transparent, fully dense fused silica glass parts. Offerings span Glass Injection Molding services, Glass 3D Printing prototyping, precision Lenses, Microfluidic glass chips, and Tailored Components, sold B2B to customers worldwide.

Product overview

Glassomer offers a portfolio of precision glass manufacturing products based on its proprietary Glassomer Technology for producing high-purity fused silica glass parts. The core offerings include Glass Injection Molding (the company's flagship patented technology enabling glass shaping on standard polymer machinery) and Glass 3D Printing (for prototyping). Supporting products include Lenses (diffractive and refractive optics, microlens arrays), Microfluidics (high-precision glass chips), Tailored Components (custom glass parts), and Jewelry & Art products. Sample Boxes provide representative parts for customer evaluation. Products are available through direct sales from the Freiburg production facility and a global distributor network including Protiq.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Glass Injection Molding Worldwide unique, patented technology enabling injection molding of transparent high-purity fused silica glass on standard polymer injection molding machinery at near-room temperature, producing complex parts from micro to macro scale with cycle times of a few seconds. Targeted at industrial-scale production of precision glass components.
• Glass 3D Printing Prototyping service for customized glass parts using stereolithography 3D printing with Glassomer-SL photocurable liquid resins at 365nm, 385nm, and 405nm wavelengths. Available resins in 500g, 1kg, 5kg, and 10kg packaging for customer in-house use, plus contract prototyping services for glass bottles, functional parts, and design objects.
• Lenses Precision lens production in fused silica glass, including refractive optics (classic lens shapes from millimeters to centimeters), diffractive optical elements (multi-layer DOE), microlens arrays (MLA), aspherical lenses, and square-shaped lenses. Targeted at optics and photonics customers needing illumination, imaging, and light-shaping components.
• Microfluidics
• Tailored Components
• Jewelry & Art
• Glassomer-SL 3D Printing Resins Photocurable Glassomer-SL liquid resins for stereolithography 3D printing, available in 500g, 1kg, 5kg, and 10kg packaging at wavelengths of 365nm, 385nm, and 405nm. Sold to customers to enable in-house 3D printing of fused silica glass parts.

Quantifiable outcome

• >92% VIS light transmission (300-1000nm)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Microfluidic ChipShopcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlassomer partners with Microfluidic ChipShop in Jena to produce high-precision fused silica glass chips with connectors attached. This collaboration enables Glassomer to offer finished microfluidic chip products including PCR chips to customers, combining Glassomer's fused silica material expertise with ChipShop's chip manufacturing and connector integration capabilities.
• Protiq.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProtiq.com serves as a distributor for Glassomer's 3D printed glass prototypes. Through this channel, customers can access detailed information on possible designs, part sizes, and features, and obtain prototype offers directly from the distributor platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Lithoz: Austrian specialist in ceramic SLA 3D printing using a similar resin-and-sinter workflow. Most direct technological analogue to Glassomer's composite-material approach, though focused on technical ceramics rather than fused silica glass.
• 3DCeram (3D Ceram Sinto): French ceramic SLA 3D printing company offering both printers and part production services. Closely comparable service-and-materials model targeting industrial customers in aerospace, medical and electronics.
• Sculpteo: Online 3D printing service bureau (acquired by BASF) offering multi-material printing including ceramics. Comparable business model in on-demand 3D printing services and could compete for similar prototype customers.

Broad incumbents

• Schott AG: German specialty glass giant with deep portfolios in optics, pharma, and electronics glass. The most natural strategic acquirer or competitor; could leverage precision glass molding (PGM) capabilities to challenge Glassomer in optics and microfluidics.
• Corning Incorporated: Global leader in specialty glass and ceramics for display, telecommunications, life sciences and automotive. Operates broad precision glass molding for optics and could enter or block the niches Glassomer targets.
• Hoya Corporation: Japanese specialty glass and optics manufacturer serving semiconductor, mask blank, and medical endoscope markets. Overlaps with Glassomer's MedTech and optics use cases as a much larger incumbent.
• AGC (Asahi Glass): Global glass manufacturer with extensive specialty glass, display, and automotive lighting divisions. Competes broadly in the same end-markets Glassomer targets, with much larger scale and pricing power.
• Carl Zeiss: German precision optics and glass manufacturer with deep expertise in high-purity glass for lithography and medical devices. Could become a customer for novel glass optics or a competitor via in-house capability.

Emerging players

• Formlabs: Desktop and industrial SLA 3D printer manufacturer whose printers are a natural installation base for Glassomer-SL resins. Strategic partner-or-substitute risk depending on whether Formlabs develops competing materials or integrates vertically.
• Tethon 3D: US-based ceramic and specialty-material 3D printing company selling resins and offering printing services. Comparable in materials-and-services model though smaller scale and US-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glassomer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Glassomer