DDM Systems
DDM Systems is a private Atlanta-based manufacturer that uses proprietary ceramic 3D printing (LAMP™) and the DirectPour™ process to produce precision investment castings for aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial customers, reducing lead times from 52-80 weeks to as few as 10 days.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersGalanta
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What DDM Systems does
DDM Systems is a private Atlanta, Georgia-based manufacturer of precision investment castings that uses proprietary ceramic 3D printing to bypass conventional tooling. Founded by Dr. Suman Das (a co-discoverer of 3D printing through his PhD work), the company was recognized in 2016 as the first U.S. finalist for the Hannover Messe Hermes Award and has since built a portfolio of federal validation totaling over $8 million from DARPA, ARPA-E, the Department of Defense, and America Makes. The company operates a small team of 11-50 employees from its headquarters at 1876 Defoor Ave NW, Suite 3, Atlanta, GA.
The core technology stack centers on three proprietary innovations: LAMP™ (Large Area Maskless Photopolymerization), which 3D prints foundry-ready ceramic shell molds from proprietary photopolymerizable ceramic slurries; the DirectPour™ process, which integrates LAMP-printed monolithic shells with embedded cores directly into investment casting, eliminating tooling, wax patterns, soluble cores, and slurry/stucco steps; and SLE™ (Scanning Laser Epitaxy), an additive repair technology for high-value nickel superalloy aerospace and industrial gas turbine castings using real-time machine vision and thermal feedback. The company claims lead-time compression from 52-80 weeks conventionally to as few as 10 days, with no upfront tooling expenses for the customer and compatibility with hundreds of standard alloys.
DDM generates revenue through custom casting manufacturing services on a quote-based, pay-as-you-go basis, with customers submitting CAD models and DDM engineering, printing ceramic shells, and coordinating metal pouring either internally or through partners such as Signicast. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales focused on aerospace and defense customers, leveraging federal contracting mechanisms including Other Transaction Authorities, SBIR-style awards, and consortium memberships (Cornerstone OTA, Defense Industrial Base Consortium) and ITAR registration. Key customers and partners include the U.S. Air Force, Moog (via AFWERX), GE Gas Power, aerospace OEMs, and gas turbine manufacturers, with the company pursuing adjacent verticals including medical, energy, fluid handling, electric vehicles, and space exploration.
DDM Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DDM Systems
- Legal name
- DDM Systems Inc.
- Website
- https://ddmsys.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DDM Systems is a private Atlanta-based manufacturer that uses proprietary ceramic 3D printing (LAMP™) and the DirectPour™ process to produce precision investment castings for aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial customers, reducing lead times from 52-80 weeks to as few as 10 days.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DDM Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investment Castings and Precision Metal Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Other Nonferrous Metal Foundries (except Die-Casting) (331529), Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting) (331524), Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351)
- SIC
- Nonferrous Foundries (Castings) (3360), Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metal 3D Printing Service Bureaus (SLM/DMLS, EBM, Binder Jetting) (IMAAADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sand/Foundry & Mold 3D Printers (Sand Binder Jetting, Tooling Systems) (IMAAAAAE), Additive Manufacturing for Metals (Metal 3D Printers & Post-Processing) (IMAHADAG)
Keywords
Where DDM Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Galanta
Offices1 record
Markets served
DDM Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Investment Casting Manufacturing Services: DDM generates revenue by manufacturing complex metal components using their DirectPour™ process. Customers submit CAD models and DDM engineers and produces optimized 3D-printed ceramic shells poured using investment casting method. Services include prototyping and series production in hundreds of standard alloys. No upfront tooling expenses required for customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom casting services - quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
DDM Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DDM Systems manufactures precision investment castings of complex engineered metal components for industries including aerospace and defense, energy, medical, fluid handling, and industrial gas turbines. Using its proprietary DirectPour™ process and LAMP™ ceramic 3D printing technology, DDM converts customer-supplied CAD models into ready-to-pour ceramic shells without tooling or patterns, reducing conventional casting lead times from 52-80 weeks to as few as 10 days. The company also offers SLE™ additive repair services for high-value aerospace and industrial gas turbine castings made of vacuum-melt nickel superalloys.
Product overview
DDM Systems offers a portfolio of proprietary manufacturing technologies centered on its Digital Foundry platform. The core offering consists of LAMP (Large Area Maskless Photopolymerization) technology for 3D printing ceramic shell molds, the DirectPour process for rapid investment casting, and SLE (Scanning Laser Epitaxy) for additive repair of high-value gas turbine components. These technologies work together to deliver tooling-free precision metal castings from CAD to finished parts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LAMP: Large Area Maskless Photopolymerization Technology for Digital Investment Casting - industrial-grade ceramic 3D printing equipment and proprietary processes for producing foundry-ready ceramic shell molds.
- SLE
- Digital Foundry
Products and services
- Digital Foundry Platform A tooling-free manufacturing platform that uses ceramic 3D printing to produce precision investment castings directly from customer CAD models, reducing lead times from 52-80 weeks to as few as 10 days. Supports prototyping and series production in hundreds of standard alloys for aerospace and defense, energy, medical, fluid handling, automotive, space, oil and gas, and industrial gas turbine applications.
- DirectPour Manufacturing Service DDM's manufacturing service that converts customer-supplied CAD models into optimized, ready-to-pour ceramic shells with integrated cores using ceramic 3D printing, bypassing traditional tooling, ceramic/soluble wax cores, injected wax patterns, slurry dipping, and stucco coating. Delivers precision investment castings compatible with all air melt and vacuum melt foundry processes.
- SLE (Scanning Laser Epitaxy) Additive Repair Service Additive repair service for high-value aerospace and industrial gas turbine investment castings made of vacuum-melt nickel superalloys. Uses Scanning Laser Epitaxy with real-time machine vision and thermal camera feedback control, plus part-specific fixturing and tooling, to repair castings with surface indications, defects, or material loss from engine service conditions.
Companies that use DDM Systems
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DDM Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
DDM Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cornerstone Other Transaction Agreement (OTA)coreDDM received membership in Cornerstone OTA operated by DEVCOM CBC and ACC in Rock Island, Illinois, under IBAS Program Manager oversight. This enables DDM to compete for and receive Other Transaction Authority contracts for defense manufacturing projects.
- Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)coreDDM received ITAR registration letter pursuant to Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). This registration is required for defense contracting and enables DDM to work on defense-related projects and export-controlled defense articles.
- Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC)coreDDM received membership in Defense Industrial Base Consortium, enabling access to defense industrial base contracting opportunities and collaboration with other defense contractors.
- 76th Commodities Maintenance Group (76 CMXG)coreDDM partners with 76th CMXG of US Air Force Sustainment Center headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base for IMPACT 2.0 Part B project to mature ceramic 3D printing enabled investment casting for sustainment operations.
- America MakescoreSilver Member since July 2023. Multiple funded projects including IMPACT 2.0 Part B with US Air Force ($500,000) and earlier IMPACT Funding Initiative for ceramic 3D printing enabled investment casting. DDM participates in TRX events and technology maturation programs.
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)minorDDM partnered with Oak Ridge National Lab to win High Performance Computing grant from US Department of Energy under the 2022 HPC4EI Program. Collaboration focused on advanced computing for manufacturing innovations.
- GE Gas PowercoreDDM team with GE Gas Power won $3.3M from DOE ARPA-E for Manufacturing High-Yield Investment Castings with Minimal Energy. GE was awarded $4.2M total with $3.3M flowing to the DDM-GE team for hydrogen turbine decarbonization technologies. DDM provides casting technology expertise.
- SignicastcorePartnership for prototyping and production services in investment casting. DDM designs, engineers, prints and delivers monolithic ceramic shells with integrated cores to Signicast. Signicast performs metal pouring and delivers finished castings. Partnership enables DDM to offer full-service casting from CAD to finished part. Signed September 2020.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DDM Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Howmet Aerospace: Howmet is a global leader in investment castings for aerospace and defense engines, supplying nickel-superalloy components to the same gas-turbine and aerospace OEMs that DDM serves — a broad incumbent incumbent against which DDM competes on speed and domestic capacity.
- 3D Systems: 3D Systems provides metal and polymer additive manufacturing systems and services, including direct metal printing of aerospace and medical parts — overlapping end-markets and service-bureau positioning with DDM's Digital Foundry.
- Stratasys: Stratasys is an established 3D printing hardware and services provider serving aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial OEMs — overlapping customer segments with DDM and offering broader polymer and metal AM as indirect competition.
- Precision Castparts Corp (PCC): PCC is one of the largest investment casting producers worldwide, serving aerospace, defense, and industrial gas turbine markets — overlapping customer base with DDM and the dominant conventional-investment-casting incumbent.
Direct peers
- Signicast: Signicast is a major U.S. investment casting foundry and DDM's disclosed metal-pouring partner; it operates in the same lost-wax/investment casting space and serves many of the same aerospace, defense, and industrial customers that DDM targets.
- Materialise: Materialise operates industrial 3D printing services across metals and polymers for aerospace, medical, and industrial customers — comparable service-bureau business model and vertical mix to DDM's Digital Foundry, including medical implants and aerospace parts.
- Voxeljet: Voxeljet is a direct peer operating binder-jetting 3D printers for sand molds and ceramic shells used in metal casting and foundry applications — directly comparable technology category and end-customer base to DDM's LAMP ceramic-shell printing for investment casting.
- ExOne (a Desktop Metal company): ExOne pioneered binder-jetting 3D printing for sand molds and metal parts, serving foundries with rapid tooling-free casting workflows — the closest scaled analog to DDM's tooling-free ceramic-shell investment casting service bureau model.
Others
- Carpenter Technology: Carpenter Technology supplies specialty nickel alloys and stainless steels used in investment castings for aerospace and medical — an enabling/adjacent player in the same value chain DDM serves, but operating upstream as a materials supplier rather than as a competing service bureau.
Emerging players
- Velo3D: Velo3D is an emerging metal AM company focused on printing complex aerospace and rocket engine components, intersecting with DDM's aerospace/defense customer base but using laser powder-bed fusion rather than ceramic-shell investment casting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DDM Systems social profiles
Digital presenceDDM Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
DDM Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DDM Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DDM Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DDM Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DDM Systems
What does DDM Systems do?
DDM Systems manufactures precision investment castings of complex engineered metal components for industries including aerospace and defense, energy, medical, fluid handling, and industrial gas turbines. Using its proprietary DirectPour™ process and LAMP™ ceramic 3D printing technology, DDM converts customer-supplied CAD models into ready-to-pour ceramic shells without tooling or patterns, reducing conventional casting lead times from 52-80 weeks to as few as 10 days. The company also offers SLE™ additive repair services for high-value aerospace and industrial gas turbine castings made of vacuum-melt nickel superalloys.
Is DDM Systems a public or private company?
DDM Systems is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DDM Systems founded?
DDM Systems was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DDM Systems based?
DDM Systems is headquartered in Galanta.
How does DDM Systems make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Casting Manufacturing Services.
Who are DDM Systems's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Howmet Aerospace, 3D Systems, Stratasys and Precision Castparts Corp (PCC). Direct peers are Signicast, Materialise, Voxeljet and ExOne (a Desktop Metal company). Carpenter Technology is listed as an others. Velo3D is listed as an emerging player.
Does DDM Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for DDM Systems.
What industry is DDM Systems in?
DDM Systems's product category is Investment Castings and Precision Metal Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAADAB, Metal 3D Printing Service Bureaus (SLM/DMLS, EBM, Binder Jetting), with a secondary code of IMAAAAAE, Sand/Foundry & Mold 3D Printers (Sand Binder Jetting, Tooling Systems). Its NAICS code is 331529 and its SIC code is 3360.