Carbon Design Innovations

What Carbon Design Innovations does

Carbon Design Innovations, Inc. is a privately held nanotechnology manufacturer founded in 2008 and headquartered in Burlingame, California, with a workforce of 1-10 employees. The company specializes in the design and production of Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probes, marketed under its FN Series which includes three variants: the FN (>100nm effective length, 15-25nm diameter, 12-degree tilt compensation), the super-sharp FN-S (<5nm radius of curvature), and the long-reach FN-L (>500nm effective length). According to company-issued performance claims, these probes retain image quality for more than ten times the lifetime of competing silicon probes.

Beyond standard catalog offerings, Carbon Design Innovations provides custom CNT probe fabrication services where buyers can specify probe length, diameter, taper, conductivity, and resolution, including custom CNT EFM tips and customer-supplied tip reconfiguration for applications such as trench measurement, vertical-walled high-aspect-ratio features, roughness characterization, and critical metrology. The company also operates a related sub-brand, nano3Dprint (nano3dprint.com), which extends its CNT-related technology into nanotechnology 3D printing. The company self-positions as 'The Worldwide Leader in Carbon Nanotube AFM Probes'.

The business model is a direct, sales-led motion with no e-commerce checkout, no distributors, and no disclosed list pricing; customers request quotes through the company website or direct contact at [email protected]. Revenue is generated from hardware sales of the FN Series, custom CNT fabrication projects, and nano3Dprint product sales. Marketing is limited to a Wix-hosted company website and organic social profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. The company has not disclosed funding rounds, named institutional investors, patents, awards, named customers, leadership team members, or revenue figures in the available source material.

Name

Carbon Design Innovations

Legal name

Carbon Design Innovations, Inc.

Website

https://carbondesigninnovations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carbon Design Innovations, Inc. is a privately held Burlingame, California nanotechnology manufacturer (founded 2008) that designs and sells Carbon Nanotube Atomic Force Microscope probes under its FN Series and offers custom CNT probe fabrication for metrology and nanotechnology R&D buyers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nanotechnology Instruments / AFM Probe Manufacturing

NAICS

Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713), Carbon and Graphite Product Manufacturing (335991), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology & Dimensional Measurement (CMMs, laser trackers, gauges, surface/roughness) (IMAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional Carbon Fillers (Carbon Black, Graphite) (IMAEAFAO), Materials R&D & Characterization (Powder/Resin Development, Testing) (IMAAAJAG)

Keywords

• Carbon nanotube probes
• AFM probe manufacturing
• Nanotechnology instruments
• Atomic force microscopy
• Nanometrology solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlingame

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CNT AFM Probe Sales: Sale of standard FN Series carbon nanotube AFM probes (FN, FN-S, FN-L models). These are durable, high-quality general-purpose probes sold as finished products with established specifications.
2. Custom CNT Products: Custom carbon nanotube product fabrication and customization services. Customers can specify custom length, diameter, taper, conductivity, and resolution requirements for tailored probe solutions.
3. nano3Dprint Product Line: Sale of nano3Dprint branded products, a related product line under the Carbon Design Innovations umbrella for nanotechnology applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carbon Design Innovations manufactures and sells Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probes, including its FN Series (FN, FN-S, FN-L models) for high-resolution, high-aspect-ratio imaging and metrology. The company also provides custom CNT probe fabrication services with tunable length, diameter, taper, conductivity, and resolution specifications, and operates the nano3Dprint product line for nanotechnology 3D printing applications.

Product overview

Carbon Design Innovations is a nanotechnology R&D company specializing in Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) probes. The core product line consists of the FN Series of CNT AFM probes available in three variants (FN, FN-S, FN-L) offering varying levels of resolution, aspect ratio, and tip geometry for general purpose to specialized applications. The company also provides custom CNT probe fabrication services allowing customers to specify dimensions, conductivity, and application-specific configurations. Additionally, the company offers the nano3Dprint product line extending CNT technology into 3D printing applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• nano3Dprint: Product line for 3D printing solutions offered by Carbon Design Innovations.

Products and services

• FN Series CNT AFM Probes A family of durable, high-quality general-purpose carbon nanotube AFM probes for high-resolution roughness measurements and general surface imaging; sold as finished products by quote to AFM users in research and metrology.
• FN CNT AFM Probe High-resolution, high-aspect-ratio carbon nanotube AFM probe with >100nm effective length, 15-25nm diameter, 12-degree tilt compensation, and industry-leading wear resistance retaining image quality for 10X longer than competition; for general-purpose AFM imaging and roughness measurements.
• FN-S CNT AFM Probe Super-resolution FN variant with purpose-built taper geometry, >10:1 aspect ratio, and <5nm radius of curvature for enhanced data accuracy combined with industry-leading wear resistance; for ultra-high-resolution AFM imaging.
• FN-L CNT AFM Probe Long-length FN variant combining high resolution with highest aspect ratio, featuring >500nm effective length for specialized measurement applications requiring extended reach without degrading image quality; for trench and deep-feature measurements.
• Custom CNT AFM Probes Custom carbon nanotube probe fabrication service for AFM users; customers specify length, diameter, taper, conductivity, and resolution requirements, with options including custom CNT EFM tips, CNT tips on customer-provided probes, and application-specific configurations for trenches, vertical-sided high aspect ratio measurements, roughness measurements, and critical metrology.
• nano3Dprint Product Line A related product line branded nano3Dprint that extends Carbon Design Innovations' carbon nanotube technology portfolio into nanotechnology 3D printing and additive manufacturing applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Probes retain image quality for more than 10X the lifetime of competition
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• NT-MDT Spectrum Instruments: NT-MDT manufactures AFMs and also produces its own probe consumables, with a strong presence in materials science research markets. It is a relevant incumbent comparator because it controls both the instrument and probe sides of the AFM stack.
• Park Systems: Park Systems is a major AFM manufacturer serving both research and industrial/ semiconductor metrology customers. It is a relevant comparator because it pushes down into the high-resolution probe space that CDI's products serve.
• Oxford Instruments (Asylum Research): Oxford Instruments, through its Asylum Research division, manufactures AFMs and supplies proprietary probes. It is one of the most cited competitors in CNT AFM probe technology papers and is a direct incumbent in the same metrology instrumentation space.
• HORIBA Scientific (related AFM probe lines): HORIBA Scientific distributes and manufactures scientific instrumentation including surface analysis and AFM-related consumables through its broader portfolio. It is included as a broad incumbent that participates in the research instrumentation ecosystem in which CDI's probes are deployed.
• Bruker Nano Surfaces: Bruker is a major manufacturer of atomic force microscopes and supplies its own line of AFM probes (including the TESPA and ScanAsyst families) bundled with its instruments. It represents the largest incumbent presence in the AFM probe market that CDI competes against.

Direct peers

• NanoWorld AG: NanoWorld is a specialist manufacturer of AFM probes (including high-resolution and custom probes) sold globally to research and industrial metrology users. It is the closest direct competitor to CDI in the third-party AFM probe market, with overlapping product breadth and customer segments.
• Nanosensors (Nano and More): Nanosensors (part of Nano and More) produces specialty AFM probes including super-resolution and high-aspect-ratio tips, competing directly with CDI's FN, FN-S, and FN-L product positioning. It serves identical research and metrology end-users globally.
• MikroMasch (now part of Nano and More): MikroMasch produces silicon, silicon nitride, and specialized AFM probes widely used in research labs and is a comparable niche/standard probe supplier to CDI in the third-party AFM consumables market.
• AppNano (Applied NanoFluorescence): AppNano manufactures AFM probes including high-resolution and application-specific variants for life sciences and materials research. It is a comparable specialty probe competitor with similar customization options and research-focused customer base.

Emerging players

• Nanonics Imaging: Nanonics Imaging builds multi-probe AFMs and offers specialized probe consumables for nanomanipulation applications. It is an adjacent specialty peer, intersecting with CDI in advanced probe geometries used in research-grade nanometrology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/carbondesigninnovationsinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carbon-design-innovations
• Instagraminstagram.com/carbondesigninnovations
• Xx.com/CDI_Nano

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 Carbon Design Innovations