What CADworks3D does

CADworks3D is a privately held Canadian company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Concord, Ontario, that develops and commercializes specialized DLP/SLA 3D printing systems purpose-built for microfluidics research and biotechnology applications. The company's product platform consists of two proprietary printers (the ProFluidics 285D flagship and the H-Series entry-level unit) and a portfolio of four specialized photopolymer resins (Cyto-Clear, Clear Microfluidic Resin, Master Mold for PDMS, and Master Mold for PDMS Rapid HD), complemented by a validated methodology covering CAD file preparation, print parameter tuning, and post-processing. Technical specifications include minimum open channels as small as 50µm, enclosed channels as small as 80µm, surface roughness of approximately 0.18µm RA, and over 90% cell viability with the Cyto-Clear material, enabling fabrication of functional microfluidic devices at benchside within approximately one day without cleanroom access, outsourced prototyping, or manual polishing.

The company's revenue model combines hardware sales of 3D printers, recurring consumable revenue from proprietary photopolymer resins, and professional services for training and technical support. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with a free sample program available to qualified academic and government researchers to support product evaluation. CADworks3D employs a consultative, sales-led go-to-market motion targeting academic and research institutions as its primary segment (250+ universities and institutes), with secondary reach into biotechnology/life sciences firms and medical device developers (7+ Fortune 500 customers). Distribution blends direct quote-based sales with a global network of distributors spanning 25+ countries, supported by content-driven marketing including academic case studies, research highlights, and the 'Big Ideas at µScale' podcast.

The customer base is geographically diversified across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, with named deployments including Sungkyunkwan University, University of Hawai'i, University of Virginia, University of Toronto, University of Technology Sydney, German Jordanian University, and University of Porto. The company has one disclosed technology partnership with FLUI'DEVICE, a CAD design solution aimed at researchers without prior CAD experience. Ownership structure, funding history, and revenue figures are not disclosed in the available sources, and the company operates with a small eight-person headcount relative to its global customer footprint.

Name

CADworks3D

Legal name

CADworks3D

Website

https://cadworks3d.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CADworks3D is a privately held Canadian company that develops specialized DLP/SLA 3D printers and photopolymer resins for microfluidic device fabrication. It serves academic researchers, biotech firms, and medical device developers across 25+ countries, enabling benchside device production within one day.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microfluidics 3D Printing Equipment

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Polymer 3D Printers (FDM/FFF, SLA/DLP/LCD, SLS, Material Jetting) (IMAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Micro/Nanoscale & Precision 3D Printers (Two-Photon, Micro-SLA) (IMAAAAAI)

Keywords

• Microfluidics 3D printing
• DLP photopolymer printers
• PDMS mold fabrication
• Lab-on-chip prototyping
• Biocompatible resin materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 3D Printers: Sale of specialized 3D printers (ProFluidics 285D and H-Series) designed specifically for microfluidics applications.
2. 3D Materials: Sale of specialized photopolymer resins including Cyto-Clear, Clear Microfluidic Resin, Master Mold for PDMS, and Master Mold for PDMS Rapid HD. These materials are optimized for the company's printers and microfluidics applications.
3. Professional Services: Training, technical support, and consultation services provided to customers using the 3D printing system.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CADworks3D designs, manufactures, and sells specialized DLP/SLA 3D printers (ProFluidics 285D and H-Series) paired with proprietary photopolymer resins (Cyto-Clear, Clear Microfluidic Resin, Master Mold for PDMS, and Master Mold for PDMS Rapid HD) purpose-built for microfluidics research. The complete system enables researchers to design, iterate, and fabricate functional monolithic or PDMS-cast microfluidic devices at the bench in one day, eliminating the need for cleanrooms, outsourced soft lithography, or polishing. The company also provides training, technical support, and consultation services to academic and biotech customers.

Product overview

CADworks3D offers a complete 3D printing system for microfluidics consisting of advanced 3D printers and specialized photopolymer materials. The core products include the ProFluidics 285D and H-Series 3D printers, which are specifically designed for microfluidics applications. These printers work in conjunction with four specialized 3D material offerings: Master Mold for PDMS Resin and Master Mold for PDMS Rapid HD Resin (for indirect 3D printing where PDMS is cast in 3D-printed molds), Clear Microfluidic Resin (for direct 3D printing of non-biocompatible monolithic devices), and Cyto-Clear Photopolymer Resin (for direct 3D printing of cell-viable monolithic devices). The complete system enables researchers to design, iterate, and produce fully functional microfluidic devices at benchside in one day without the need for cleanrooms, outsourcing, or polishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ProFluidics: 3D printer product line designed specifically for microfluidics applications
• H-Series
• Cyto-Clear
• Clear Microfluidic Resin
• Master Mold for PDMS
• Rapid HD
• Big Ideas at μScale

Products and services

• ProFluidics 285D 3D Printer Advanced DLP/SLA 3D printer designed specifically for microfluidics and biotechnology applications, delivering high precision, fine feature resolution, and exceptionally smooth surface finishes. Sold to academic researchers, biotech, and life sciences customers fabricating microfluidic devices.
• H-Series 3D Printer Entry-level 3D printer designed for microfluidics applications, making the technology accessible to researchers starting their microfluidics journey. Sold to academic labs and biotech researchers new to microfluidic device fabrication.
• Master Mold for PDMS Photopolymer Resin Photopolymer resin for fabricating molds for PDMS device applications. Supports open channels as small as 50µm, is biocompatible and non-cytotoxic for PDMS, and allows smooth PDMS casting and detachment without coatings or salinization. Sold to microfluidics researchers using indirect 3D printing workflows.
• Master Mold for PDMS - Rapid HD Resin Next-generation photopolymer resin for fabricating molds for PDMS device applications. Offers RA ~0.18µm surface roughness for smooth prints, minimal meniscus effect for improved dimensional accuracy, and faster casting times compared to earlier generation material. Sold to researchers needing high-resolution PDMS mold fabrication.
• Clear Microfluidic Resin Clear, high-resolution photopolymer used to fabricate monolithic microfluidic devices with complex, enclosed channel systems. Enables enclosed channels as small as 80µm with high optical transparency for on-chip evaluation. Sold to researchers using direct 3D printing of non-biocompatible monolithic devices.
• Cyto-Clear Photopolymer Resin Broad-spectrum biocompatible photopolymer resin for fabricating monolithic microfluidic devices without compromising cell health. Supports over 90% cell viability across multiple cell types, with excellent optical transparency and inertness under fluorescent light. Sold to researchers performing cell-based microfluidic experiments.
• Professional Services (Training, Technical Support, and Consultation) Training, technical support, and consultation services provided to customers using the 3D printing system, covering CAD file preparation, print parameter tuning, post-processing, and maintenance. Sold to academic, biotech, and medical device customers alongside printer and resin purchases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minimum open channel size: 50µm
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stratasys: Stratasys is a broad-line 3D printing incumbent with polymer and multi-material systems. While not microfluidics-specialized, it competes for the same research-lab budgets and increasingly offers bio-compatible material programs.
• 3D Systems: 3D Systems offers a wide portfolio of 3D printers and materials, including SLA/DLP and bio-printing lines. It is a broad incumbent whose expanding healthcare and research offerings intersect with CADworks3D's academic and biotech customer base.
• Carbon (Carbon3D): Carbon produces high-end DLP-based 3D printers and proprietary resins for dental, industrial, and life-science applications. It overlaps with CADworks3D in resin DLP technology and biomedical material development.
• Formlabs: Formlabs sells broadly adopted resin-based SLA 3D printers and a large library of engineering and biomedical resins. It competes indirectly with CADworks3D as a lower-cost general-purpose alternative increasingly used in microfluidics labs.
• ETEC (Desktop Metal / EnvisionTEC): ETEC's DLP printers, including the Peractory line, have been widely used for microfluidics and bio-medical prototyping. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same research-lab benchtop printer dollars as CADworks3D.

Emerging players

• microTEC: microTEC produces microfluidic chips, components, and development services. It is an emerging player overlapping with CADworks3D in microfluidic prototyping and custom device development for biotech customers.
• Fluigent: Fluigent provides microfluidic flow control instruments, sensors, and lab-on-a-chip tools. It is an emerging adjacent player serving the same microfluidics research community and could expand into fabrication workflows.

Direct peers

• Dolomite Microfluidics: Dolomite designs and manufactures microfluidic devices, chips, and components. It is a direct peer in serving microfluidics researchers and shares the same downstream customers CADworks3D targets.
• Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF): BMF makes micro-precision SLA 3D printers targeting microfluidics, MEMS, and micro-medical devices. It is the closest direct competitor to CADworks3D's ProFluidics platform in micro-scale photopolymer printing.
• Microresist / Heidelberg Instruments Microfabrication: Microresist (now part of Heidelberg Instruments) supplies photopolymer materials for micro-optics and microfluidics fabrication. It competes with CADworks3D's resin portfolio at the consumable layer of the same value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cadworks3d

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 CADworks3D