What MTI does

MTI Corporation is a privately held, Richmond, California-based manufacturer and supplier of crystals, substrates, and laboratory equipment founded in 1995 to serve the global materials science research community. The company operates at 11-50 employees and generates revenue through direct e-commerce sales via its online storefront at mtixtl.com, complemented by international distributors serving overseas markets. MTI's customer base spans academic institutions and industrial R&D laboratories conducting research in crystal growth, thin film deposition, thermal processing, battery development, and emerging materials such as perovskite solar cells, electrolyzers, fuel cells, and WAAM-related work.

MTI's product portfolio is organized around a "total solution" thesis covering the full materials research workflow. The consumables and materials side includes crystal substrates (oxides, semiconductors, metals, insulators including Sapphire, GaAs, Si, Diamond, LiNbO3), metallic substrates, ceramic and glass substrates, nanopowders, high-purity chemicals, evaporation targets (metals, oxides, compounds such as YBCO, YSZ, LiCoO2, LiFePO4), pre-deposited thin films, and battery consumables (anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte, binders, tabs and foils, sodium-ion and multivalent battery supplies). The equipment side spans dosing, mixing, pressing, firing, melting, cutting, polishing, coating, testing, and automation integration, including a comprehensive furnace lineup (tube, muffle, high vacuum to 10^-6 Torr, high pressure HIP to 20 MPa, hydrogen atmosphere to 1700°C, microwave to 1400°C, quenching, RTP, and glovebox-integrated configurations), crystal growth systems supporting CZ, Bridgman, Zone Melting, LPE, Flux, and CVT/PVT methods, thin film deposition systems (sputtering, thermal evaporation, ALD/CVD/PVD), battery R&D equipment for coin/cylindrical/pouch/prismatic cell fabrication and testing, cold isostatic presses up to 900 MPa, SPS systems, hot laminators, analytical instruments (TGA, XRD, tensile testers), and complete glovebox and dry room systems.

MTI's business model combines one-time capital equipment sales (priced via Request for Quote, with disclosed examples ranging from a Compact Jet Mill at $3,498 to higher-value furnace and battery fabrication systems) with recurring consumables sales at fixed unit pricing (gel sticky boxes, membrane film boxes, IC trays, wafer carriers, crucibles, processing tubes, substrates, targets). The go-to-market is predominantly direct-to-consumer through the e-commerce storefront, supported by participation in conventions and trade shows and a content/marketing presence through technical documentation and a Knowledge Center. MTI carries no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, no M&A activity, no patents or trademarks, no named executive team, and no disclosed partnerships, indicating it has been built as a bootstrapped, founder-operated specialty supplier over a 30-year horizon.

Name

MTI

Website

https://mtixtl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MTI Corporation is a privately held, Richmond, California-based supplier of crystal substrates, evaporation targets, thin films, and laboratory equipment (furnaces, presses, crystal growth systems, battery R&D tooling) serving materials science and battery researchers globally through direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Materials Research Equipment

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)

Keywords

• Materials research equipment
• Crystal substrates
• Laboratory furnaces
• Thin film deposition systems
• Battery R&D equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of laboratory equipment including furnaces, presses, mixers, coaters, reactors, and analytical instruments. Equipment ranges from individual components to integrated systems with prices varying from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. Many equipment items are priced via Request for Quote (RFQ) indicating high-value capital equipment sales.
2. Consumables and Supplies: Recurring sales of consumables including crystal substrates, targets, thin films, processing tubes, crucibles, flanges, lab ware, battery consumables (electrodes, separators, electrolytes, tabs and foils), and other laboratory supplies. Consumables provide repeat purchase opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MTI Corporation manufactures and sells laboratory-scale equipment and consumables for materials science research. The product portfolio spans crystal substrates and materials, furnaces and thermal processing systems, thin film deposition equipment (ALD/CVD/PVD), battery research equipment (coin, cylindrical, pouch, and prismatic cell fabrication and testing), crystal growth systems, presses, mixers, gloveboxes, and analytical instruments. Customers are materials science researchers in academic institutions and industrial R&D facilities globally.

Product overview

MTI Corporation provides a comprehensive total solution for materials research, offering lab-scale equipment and consumables for the complete materials science workflow: crystal growth (CZ, Bridgman, Zone Melting, LPE, Flux, CVT/PVT), sample preparation (crushing, grinding, mixing, pressing), thermal processing (tube furnaces, muffle furnaces, high vacuum, HIP, hydrogen, microwave, quenching), thin film deposition (ALD/CVD/PVD, sputtering, evaporation), and characterization (analytical instruments, gloveboxes). Their product ecosystem spans batteries (coin cell, cylindrical, pouch, prismatic fabrication equipment), perovskite solar cells, fuel cells, and specialty applications including WAAM, thermoelectric materials, rare earth research, and graphene/2D materials. The portfolio also includes comprehensive crystal and substrate materials (oxides, semiconductors, metals, ceramics), nano/chemical materials, evaporation targets, and pre-deposited thin films.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crystals, Substrates, Targets, and Thin Films Materials Portfolio Core consumables catalog of crystal substrates (oxides, semiconductors, metals, insulators including Sapphire, GaAs, Si, Diamond, LiNbO3), metallic substrates (Ag, Al, Au, Cu, Fe, Ni, Ti, W, Mo and alloys), ceramic and glass substrates (AlN, Al2O3, BeO, SiC, Si3N4, YSZ), nanopowders and high-purity chemicals, evaporation targets (YBCO, YSZ, LaNiO3, LiCoO2, LiFePO4), and pre-deposited thin films (graphene on Ni, ITO coatings, GaN templates) for research institutions and industrial R&D.
• Laboratory Furnaces (Tube, Muffle, High Vacuum, High Pressure, Specialty) Complete furnace lineup including tube furnaces (horizontal, vertical, rotary), muffle furnaces, high vacuum furnaces (to 10^-6 Torr), high pressure HIP furnaces, hydrogen furnaces with H2 detection, specialty melting furnaces, microwave furnaces up to 1400°C, quenching furnaces up to 1700°C, ALD/CVD/PVD furnace systems, RTP systems, and glovebox-integrated furnaces. Used by materials researchers for thermal processing including sintering, annealing, graphitization, CVD, and crystal growth.
• Crystal Growth Equipment Crystal growth furnaces and systems supporting CZ, Bridgman, Zone Melting, LPE, Flux, and CVT/PVT methods for producing single crystals for semiconductor, optical, and electronic applications. Targeted at crystal growth researchers in academic and industrial laboratories.
• Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) Systems Cold isostatic pressing systems ranging from compact 15mm ID vessels at 380 MPa to 100T and 200T electric systems with vessels up to 110mm ID at 900 MPa, used for producing uniform powder compacts in materials research.
• Presses (Pellet, Rolling, Laminating) Comprehensive pressing equipment including pellet presses, hot pellet presses, SPS (Spark Plasma Sintering) systems, hot laminators for battery electrode lamination (including roll-to-roll up to 500°C and 40T), and rolling presses for materials processing.
• Slurry Mixers and Mixing Equipment Vacuum planetary mixers, high-shear dispersing machines, ultrasonic processors, planetary centrifugal mixers, jet mills, ball mills, and powder mixers for preparing electrode slurries, dispersions, and powder samples in materials research.
• Crushers and Grinders Laboratory crushers and grinders for sample preparation, including automatic desktop grinders with agate mortars, ceramic jaw crushers, and hammer crushers for breaking down bulk materials into fine powders.
• Thin Film Deposition and ALD/CVD/PVD Systems Atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced CVD, physical vapor deposition (PVD), sputtering systems, and thermal evaporation systems for thin film deposition, plus thin film measurement tools, used in materials research and semiconductor fabrication applications.
• Dispensers, Feeders, and Automation Equipment Precision powder dispensers, volumetric feeders, syringe pumps, slurry feeders, and automated high-throughput materials handling systems for automation of dosing and coating in research laboratories.
• Battery R&D Equipment (Coin, Cylindrical, Pouch, Prismatic Cells) Complete battery R&D equipment line including electrode fabrication tools, cell assembly equipment for coin, cylindrical, pouch, and prismatic formats, battery analyzers, battery safety testers, and split testing cells for laboratory-scale battery development.
• Battery R&D Consumables Recurring battery consumables including anodes, cathodes, separators, binders, electrolytes, additives, coated electrodes, battery cases, sodium-ion and multivalent battery supplies, and tabs, foils, and current collectors for battery R&D laboratories.
• Gloveboxes and Dry Rooms Gloveboxes, dry rooms, integrated glovebox-furnace solutions, and storage chambers/fume hoods for handling oxygen- and moisture-sensitive materials in controlled atmospheres.
• Analytical Instruments (TGA, XRD, Mechanical Testing) Analytical and characterization instruments including thermogravimetric analyzers (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) systems, and mechanical strength/tensile testers for materials characterization in research laboratories.
• Reactors (Fluidized Bed, Fixed Bed, Hydrothermal, Liquid, Molten Salt) Fluidized bed reactors, fixed bed reactors, hydrothermal/solvothermal reactors, liquid reactors, and molten salt electrolysis systems for chemical synthesis and materials processing research.
• Coaters (Dip, Spin, Electrospinning, Roll-to-Roll, Screen Printing) Wet coating equipment including dip coaters, spin coaters, electrospinning coaters, sheet-to-sheet coaters, roll-to-roll coaters, ultrasonic spray coaters, and screen printing coaters for thin film and electrode coating applications in research laboratories.
• Electrolyzers, Fuel Cells, and Perovskite Solar Cell Equipment and Consumables Equipment and consumables for electrolyzer, fuel cell, and perovskite solar cell research including slurry preparation tools, wet coating equipment, hot lamination, performance testing, substrate treatment, ink preparation, vapor phase coating, and laser scribing and encapsulation tools.
• Lab Ware (Hot Plates, Balances, Vacuum Pumps, Microscopes, Chillers) General laboratory equipment and accessories including hot plates, balances, vacuum pumps, recirculating chillers, microscopes, transformers, plugs, and fuses for materials research laboratories.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Oxford Instruments: Oxford Instruments is a larger, established supplier of analytical instruments, cryogenic systems, and materials research equipment. Overlaps with MTI's analytical instruments (TGA-adjacent) and broader materials characterization offerings, though it serves a wider portfolio of customers.
• MKS Instruments: MKS Instruments supplies vacuum and thin film solutions including deposition systems and materials for advanced manufacturing and research. Overlaps with MTI's thin film deposition and high vacuum furnace offerings serving similar semiconductor and materials science customers.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is the largest global lab equipment and analytical instruments provider, with materials science offerings including furnaces, spectrometers, and lab consumables. A broad incumbent whose portfolio overlaps with many of MTI's product categories across a much wider enterprise.
• Bruker: Bruker manufactures advanced analytical instruments including XRD systems that compete directly with MTI's XRD product line. As a much larger established player, Bruker serves a broader scientific instrumentation market but overlaps in materials research customers.

Direct peers

• MSE Supplies: MSE Supplies offers a comparable one-stop-shop catalog of materials research equipment, crystal substrates, and lab consumables serving academic and industrial R&D customers globally. Highly comparable to MTI in product breadth, customer base, and direct e-commerce distribution model.
• Angstrom Engineering: Angstrom Engineering specializes in thin film deposition systems (thermal evaporation, sputtering, ALD) for research applications. Directly comparable to MTI's ALD/CVD/PVD and sputtering product category serving similar academic and R&D customers.
• Ted Pella: Ted Pella supplies consumables, substrates, and preparation equipment for electron microscopy and materials research laboratories. Comparable to MTI in serving academic and industrial research customers with a broad catalog of consumables and lab equipment.
• Kurt J. Lesker Company: Kurt J. Lesker manufactures and distributes vacuum and thin film deposition equipment plus materials including targets and substrates. Directly comparable to MTI's thin film deposition and targets product lines serving materials science and semiconductor researchers.

Regional players

• Neyco (Now part of Luxel): European supplier of vacuum and thin film deposition materials including sputtering targets and evaporation materials. Comparable to MTI's targets and thin film deposition product categories but primarily serving European research customers.
• MTI Corp Korea / Y.M. Tech: Korean regional distributor and competitor providing crystal substrates and lab equipment to the East Asian materials research market. Comparable product lines to MTI but primarily serving Korean academic and industrial research customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mtixtl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mti-corp.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 MTI