What IM Technology does

IM Technology, legally IAM AERO Co., Ltd. (주식회사 아이엠에어로), is a South Korean private materials-technology firm that develops and licenses Metalized Super Engineering Plastics (MSEP), a proprietary process that metallizes injection-molded or 3D-printed engineering plastics to produce components that are approximately 50% the weight of aluminum while delivering 130 MPa tensile strength, 250°C working temperature, and EMI shielding performance stated as 200x that of aluminum. The company's IP foundation rests on 12 secured patents covering a combined wet-and-vacuum metallization process applied to super engineering plastics, in contrast to conventional wet-only (40 MPa, 80°C) or vacuum-only competitor approaches. Operations are run from a headquarters in Daejeon and an R&D center in Seoul, with engagement in Korea, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

The company's commercial model is structured around three tiers targeting Tier 1 OEMs and their component manufacturers: free or low-cost Proof of Concept (POC) services, paid manufacturing services and facility design for scale-up, and recurring licensing fees calibrated to material volume, product complexity, and design manufacturing process. Named customer engagements include space-telescope parts supplied to the Korea Astronomy & Space Science Institute (KASI) in 2020, an ultra-light Diplexer developed for a Sunnyvale, USA defense/telecom customer under NDA in 2018, an NDA-based aerospace engagement with a Toulouse, France customer from 2016, and RF parts exports to a UK telecom customer in 2019. The firm participates in defense and telecom ecosystems via AUSA 2019, Plug and Play Sunnyvale (2018), Fed-Tech D.C. (2019), and a 2013 mutual cooperation contract with SK Telecom.

IM Technology (now IAM AERO) operates as a privately-held, founder-led company (CEO Seoungkyun Ryu and co-founder Sook-Eun Baek) without disclosed institutional equity capital; the only recorded capital event is a 2017 SBA grant under Korean government startup support programs, alongside selection into the TIPS program in 2016. Revenue, headcount, and customer concentration are not publicly disclosed. In January 2026 the entity was re-established and repositioned as an aerospace-field specialist company, which is the most recent structural signal in the available data.

Name

IM Technology

Legal name

IAM AERO Co., Ltd. (주)아이엠에어로

Website

https://imtechkorea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IM Technology (IAM AERO) is a South Korean private firm that develops and licenses MSEP, a proprietary plastic-metallization technology producing aluminum-weight components with high strength, heat resistance, and EMI shielding, targeting Tier 1 OEMs in aerospace, defense, and telecom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace and Defense Materials Manufacturing

NAICS

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace & Defense (Production AM Parts) (IMAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Plastic metallization
• Lightweight aerospace components
• EMI shielding materials
• 3D printed metalized plastics
• Engineering plastics manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Seongnam

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Licensing fees based on volume of material, complexity of product, and design manufacturing process. Targets Tier 1 OEM's and their component manufacturers.
2. Proof of Concept (POC) Services: Free or low-cost POC services including small batch production, enabling customers to validate technology before full adoption.
3. Manufacturing Services: Manufacturing service and scale-up support, including facility design services with service fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

IM Technology produces Metalized Super Engineering Plastics (MSEP) by combining proprietary wet and vacuum metallization processes with injection molded or 3D printed super engineering plastics. The resulting components are 50% lighter than aluminum, achieve 130 MPa strength and 250°C working temperature, and provide EMI shielding properties 200x higher than aluminum. The company sells finished metallized plastic components for aerospace, defense, and telecommunication applications and licenses its patented MSEP technology to Tier 1 OEMs and component manufacturers.

Product overview

IM Technology (also known as IAM AERO or IMA) is a high-tech materials technology firm specializing in plastic metallization. The company's core product is MSEP (Metalized Super Engineering Plastics), a proprietary technology that metalizes injection molded or 3D printed plastics to create lightweight, high-strength, electrically conductive components. The portfolio includes the MSEP core product for various industry applications (telecommunication parts, aerospace & defense components), 3D printing integration services that combine metallization with additive manufacturing for complex shapes, and technology licensing services targeting Tier 1 OEMs. The company's competitive advantage lies in combining wet and vacuum metallization processes with super engineering plastics, achieving materials that are 50% lighter than aluminum with 130 MPa strength, 250°C heat resistance, and superior EMI shielding properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSEP (Metalized Super Engineering Plastics)
• 3D Printing + Metallization Integration Services
• MSEP Technology Licensing
• Lightweight Cavity Filter
• Ultra-light EMI Shielding Housing
• Ultra-light Diplexer
• Space Telescope Parts for KASI
• RF Parts for Telecommunication (UK export)

Quantifiable outcome

• Weight reduced to 50% of aluminum (51.4% weight of aluminum for MSEP vs 49.7% for plastic alone)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fed-Tech Program (Washington D.C., USA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Participated in Fed-Tech Program in Washington D.C., USA for defense technology business development
• KIC-SV / Plug and Play (Sunnyvale, USA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018Participated in KIC-SV Soaring1 Program accelerator by Plug and Play in Sunnyvale, USA for business development and international partnerships
• N***** (Sunnyvale, USA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018Signed NDA and developed ultra-light Diplexer with N***** company based in Sunnyvale, USA for defense/telecommunication applications
• A***** (Toulouse, France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2016Signed NDA with aerospace company A***** based in Toulouse, France for potential aerospace applications of metallized plastic technology
• SK TelecomminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Signed mutual cooperation contract with SK Telecom in Korea for potential telecommunication applications of metallized plastics technology

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EOS GmbH: German supplier of industrial polymer and metal additive manufacturing systems widely adopted in aerospace for serial production parts. Comparable as an AM-systems-plus-materials platform enabling complex, lightweight aerospace components.
• Stratasys: Polymer 3D printing systems and materials with a dedicated aerospace vertical producing end-use flight parts. Comparable on the 3D-printing-for-aerospace-production-parts axis that IMA's MSEP-on-AM-parts offering sits alongside.
• 3D Systems: US-based 3D printing hardware, software, and materials vendor with explicit aerospace and defense production-parts applications. Comparable in offering 3D-printed production parts to aerospace OEMs, the same customer base IMA targets with its metallized-AM approach.
• Victrex: UK-based supplier of PEEK and other high-performance polymers used as metal replacements in aerospace, automotive, and electronics. Closely comparable value proposition: lightweight, high-strength specialty plastics targeted at the same Tier 1 OEM customers IM Technology serves.
• MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions (Element Solutions): Supplier of surface finishing and metallization chemistries for electronics, automotive, and aerospace components. Comparable as a metallization-on-substrate technology vendor targeting OEMs that need conductive, EMI-shielding, and high-strength surface treatments.
• Atotech (MKS Instruments): Global supplier of specialty chemistry for electroless and electrolytic metallization on plastics and electronics substrates. Most direct comparable on the metallization process side, serving electronics and automotive OEMs with plating/coating solutions similar to IMA's wet+vacuum metallization.

Broad incumbents

• Solvay: Belgian specialty chemicals company supplying high-performance polymers and composites to aerospace and defense. Overlaps with IMA in the lightweight metal-replacement theme and serves the same Tier 1 OEM customer base, but as a broad materials portfolio rather than a metallization specialist.
• Toray Industries: Japanese advanced materials group with carbon-fiber composites and high-performance resins for aerospace structures. Adjacent competitor in the metal-replacement-for-aerospace space; competes for the same lightweighting budgets at Boeing, Airbus, and defense OEMs.
• Hexcel: US aerospace composites supplier (carbon fiber, prepregs, honeycomb) providing lightweight structural materials to aircraft OEMs. Competes with IMA for the same weight-reduction specification slots in airframes and aero structures.
• SABIC: Saudi-headquartered petrochemicals and engineering plastics supplier with aerospace and automotive grades of thermoplastics. Comparable as a large incumbent pursuing the lightweight, high-strength plastic substitution theme IMA addresses, though SABIC is much broader and focused on raw polymers rather than metallized finished parts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 IM Technology