What Amorphology does

Amorphology, Inc. is a Pasadena, California-based manufacturing company and NASA JPL/Caltech spinoff founded in 2014 that commercializes bulk metallic glass (BMG), also called amorphous metal, into high-precision metal parts. BMG alloys have a disordered atomic structure produced by rapidly cooling liquid metal before crystallization, giving them properties of both glass and metal, including high yield strength, high hardness, an elastic strain limit of 1.5-2%, and the ability to operate without lubrication at temperatures down to approximately -180°C. Amorphology positions itself as the first company to commercialize BMG strain wave gears, planetary gearboxes, and flexsplines using injection molding, achieving ISO 3 precision and sub-5-micrometer tolerances on certain dimensions at roughly half the cost of machining equivalent steel parts.

The company's vertically integrated 13,000-sq-ft Pasadena facility covers alloy development, casting of amorphous feedstock (bars, plates, discs, rods up to 0.5 kg), BMG injection molding, 3/5/7-axis CNC mill-turn machining (including a Starrag Bumotec s191H 7-axis center), microwire EDM down to 0.02 mm, water jet cutting, and inspection in a temperature-controlled CMM room with gear-specific instruments. Core products include planetary gearboxes, strain wave gear flexsplines, springs and compliant mechanisms, surgical instruments, non-magnetic electrical connectors, and net-shape paint robot bell cups. The company holds approximately 30 patents and patent applications licensed from Caltech/JPL and operates under a non-exclusive royalty-bearing license from Liquidmetal Technologies signed in March 2024. Additional partnerships support additive manufacturing of large steel flexsplines (AddiTec/Meltio, February 2022) and NASA SBIR-funded space-rated motion control (Motiv Space Systems DEEDS, 2022).

Amorphology's commercial model is enterprise sales-led, targeting aerospace, defense, medical device, robotics, electronics, space technology, and (secondarily) fashion and lifestyle customers through a website quote form, a West Coast demonstration center, and direct engagement. Revenue streams consist of custom hardware sales (the dominant stream), licensing royalties from Liquidmetal, and at least one consumer electronics coating engagement. Pricing is quote-based on part complexity, volume, and material, typically under multi-year contracts. The company is privately held, backed by Kairos Ventures, and had approximately 15 employees as of 2021 in its current 11-50 headcount band.

Name

Amorphology

Legal name

Amorphology, Inc.

Website

https://amorphology.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Amorphology is a NASA JPL/Caltech spinoff that manufactures high-precision bulk metallic glass (BMG) components, including strain wave gears, planetary gearboxes, flexsplines, and surgical instruments, via proprietary injection molding and CNC machining for aerospace, defense, medical, robotics, and space customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Metal Components and Amorphous Metal Manufacturing

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Industrial Mold Manufacturing (333511)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Machinery Injection Molded Components (Gears, Wear Parts) (IMANAFAF), Medical & Life Sciences Injection Molding (Devices, Diagnostics, Cleanroom) (IMANAFAC)

Keywords

• Precision metal manufacturing
• Amorphous metal parts
• Bulk metallic glass gears
• Strain wave gear components
• High tolerance CNC machining

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. BMG Component Manufacturing: Manufacturing and selling amorphous metal parts and components, including gears, gearboxes, flexsplines, and other precision components. Revenue generated from production orders and rapid prototyping services for customers across aerospace, defense, medical, and robotics industries.
2. Licensing Royalties: Under the amended license agreement with Liquidmetal Technologies, Amorphology operates under a non-exclusive royalty bearing license to utilize the company's technology to manufacture and sell amorphous metal parts.
3. Coating Services: At least one customer has hired the company to coat consumer electronics parts with metallic glass, making them more durable.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Amorphology manufactures high-precision gears, gearboxes, flexsplines, springs, compliant mechanisms, surgical instruments, electrical connectors, and other components from Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) / amorphous metal alloys. The company provides vertically integrated BMG injection molding, casting, multi-axis CNC machining, and CMM-based inspection services to aerospace, defense, medical device, robotics, electronics, and space technology customers. Production focuses on rapid prototyping and small-batch runs in the hundreds of parts per month, with tolerances often below 5 micrometers.

Product overview

Amorphology is a NASA JPL/Caltech spinoff company that commercializes bulk metallic glass (BMG) manufacturing technologies developed for space applications. The company offers a portfolio of precision-engineered components including planetary gearboxes, strain wave gear flexsplines, springs and compliant mechanisms, surgical instruments, electrical connectors, and paint robot components—all manufactured from amorphous metals. The product line is supported by vertically integrated manufacturing services encompassing injection molding (their proprietary commercialization of BMG strain wave gears), casting, CNC machining (including Starrag Bumotec 7-axis capabilities), and quality control with CMM inspection. The company targets high-precision applications in robotics, medical devices, aerospace, defense, electronics, fashion, and space technology industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planetary Gearbox / High Module Gears ISO 3 precision BMG planetary gearboxes and high module gears offering high strength, exceptional hardness, and superior wear and corrosion resistance. Features lower friction and reduced adhesive wear even in unlubricated conditions, suitable for harsh environment applications across aerospace, defense, medical, robotics, and space technology.
• Strain Wave Gear Flexsplines Flexible thin-walled gear components with precise teeth manufactured via amorphous metal precision molding, offering machining-level tolerances with enhanced performance and affordability compared to traditional steel machining. Designed for strain wave gear applications in robotics and precision motion control.
• Springs and Compliant Mechanisms Elastic energy storage components utilizing BMG's exceptional elasticity (1.5-2% strain limit) exceeding traditional spring materials like steel and titanium. Features low damping for efficient energy storage and release, used in precision applications requiring high elastic recovery.
• Surgical Instruments Biocompatible amorphous metal alloy components for surgical robots and precision medical instrumentation manufactured through advanced precision molding with exceptional accuracy. Targets surgical end effectors, surgical devices, and precision medical tooling.
• Electrical Connectors Electronic connectors made from Zr-based amorphous alloys with non-magnetic properties and ultra-elasticity for sensitive applications requiring precise connector mating. Enables miniaturization without compromising strength in electronics applications.
• Paint Robot Components Net-shape bell cups for rotary atomizers with mirror-like finishes and CNC-level tolerances. Components feature exceptional strength, elasticity, and wear resistance outperforming stainless steel and titanium in paint robot applications.
• BMG Injection Molding Services Proprietary bulk metallic glass injection molding service that significantly reduces production costs while creating precision parts in a single step, eliminating or reducing costly machining steps. Used for gears, gearboxes, and other precision BMG components.
• BMG Casting Services Production of amorphous feedstock bars, plates, discs, and rods up to 0.5 kg in mass for rapid prototyping and customer evaluation. Supports small-batch BMG alloy production for development programs.
• CNC Machining Services High-precision machining service including 3-axis, 5-axis, and 7-axis CNC mill-turns, microwire EDM (down to 0.00079 inch / 0.02mm), and water jet cutting for parts up to 200mm cube. Includes the Starrag Bumotec s191H 7-axis machining center showcased at the West Coast Demonstration Center.
• Quality Control and Inspection Services Temperature-controlled CMM room service for measuring precision tolerances with tactile and optical inspection of various geometries, gear-specific CMM instruments, and micrometer-level repeatable measurements on parts produced by Amorphology and external customers.
• Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) Materials Novel metal alloys in amorphous (non-crystalline) solid state with properties including high yield strength, high hardness, high elastic limit, low Young's modulus, and low density. Suitable for injection molding with near-zero shrinkage and supplied as feedstock bars, plates, discs, and rods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gearbox lifetimes over 10x longer than unlubricated steel gearboxes in space environments
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Liquidmetal TechnologiescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 15 March 2024Liquidmetal Technologies amended its license agreement with Amorphology, granting a non-exclusive royalty bearing license to utilize their technology to manufacture and sell amorphous metal parts and components. This partnership aims to drive high-precision, domestic production and expand market adoption in aerospace, defense, medical device, and robotics industries. The partnership addresses customer requirements for US manufacturing and helps overcome geo-political restrictions.
• AddiTeccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2022Amorphology partnered with AddiTec (founding partner of Meltio) to advance additive manufacturing of large steel strain wave gear flexsplines. Together they developed a 6-inch diameter prototype of a strain wave gear flexspline printed in high-performance 17-4 precipitation hardened steel using the Meltio Engine on a Haas CNC hybrid system. This collaboration addresses machining waste reduction (from 100% stock to 10% utilization) and enables cost-effective production of large flexsplines.
• Starrag (Bumotec)coreTechnology or Integration · 18 March 2021Amorphology partnered with Starrag Bumotec to open a West Coast Demonstration Center showcasing the s191H 7-Axis Machining Center at Amorphology's Pasadena headquarters. The partnership enables aerospace and defense engineers to experience real-time machining demonstrations. The s191H provides mill-turn capabilities and higher production capacity, allowing production of hundreds of pieces lights-out.
• Motiv Space SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmorphology's BMG technology is incorporated into Motiv Space Systems' Distributed Extreme Environment Drive System (DEEDS), a NASA SBIR-funded space-rated motion control system for lunar and deep-space exploration. The partnership demonstrates Amorphous metal gears in planetary gear systems for extreme thermal conditions, operating at temperatures down to -180°C without lubrication.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Liquidmetal Technologies: Direct peer in amorphous metal / bulk metallic glass manufacturing. Liquidmetal is the original BMG licensor and counterparty to Amorphology's amended manufacturing license; both produce BMG components via injection molding for similar industrial customers.
• Harmonic Drive Systems: Direct peer and likely anchor customer in strain wave / harmonic drive gears. Harmonic Drive is the global leader in strain wave gearing — Amorphology's BMG flexsplines target the same precision robotics and aerospace motion-control applications.
• Nabtesco Precision Europe: Direct peer in precision strain wave (cycloidal) gear reducers for robotics and aerospace. Nabtesco competes with Harmonic Drive in the same gear category where Amorphology sells BMG components, making it a directly comparable precision-gear supplier.

Broad incumbents

• Proto Labs: Broad incumbent in custom/on-demand precision manufacturing for low-volume, high-mix parts. Proto Labs competes for the same rapid-prototyping and small-batch production budgets in aerospace, medical, and robotics that Amorphology also targets.
• Materion Corporation: Broad incumbent specialty alloys supplier serving aerospace, defense, medical, and electronics. Materion produces beryllium and other advanced alloys for similar precision component customers as Amorphology's BMG materials.
• Carpenter Technology: Broad incumbent in specialty alloys including amorphous and high-strength materials for aerospace, medical, and defense. Carpenter is a credible competing source of advanced metal feedstock and finished precision parts.
• Moog Inc. Broad incumbent in high-precision motion control and electromechanical systems for aerospace, defense, and space. Moog competes for similar high-precision gear and actuator programs (e.g., NASA / lunar) where Amorphology's BMG is also being qualified.

Emerging players

• Markforged: Emerging player in metal additive manufacturing for precision industrial parts. Markforged's metal 3D printers target the same low-volume, high-precision part production use cases (including gears) that Amorphology serves via BMG injection molding.
• Velo3D: Emerging player in metal additive manufacturing focused on aerospace, space, and defense. Velo3D targets similar high-precision parts and end markets as Amorphology, including rocket engines and space mechanisms that benefit from exotic alloys.
• AddiTec: Emerging additive manufacturing partner and peer in metal 3D-printed strain wave gear flexsplines. AddiTec collaborated with Amorphology on steel flexsplines using Meltio and represents a competing manufacturing route for the same gear components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Amorphology/61500000000000
• Xtwitter.com/Amorphology
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@amorphology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amorphology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Amorphology