Impossible Objects just raised a massive US$40M.
You may not have heard of Impossible Objects, but they’ve been around for quite a while, developing their highly unusual 3D print technology, CBAM.
CBAM is a fascinating technology that is utterly different from anything else in the 3D print world. Here’s how it works:
- A flat sheet (from a roll) of reinforcing fibres shoots into the machine at high speed.
- A liquid is selectively dropped on the fibres as it passes by the print head.
- Polymer particles fall onto the moving sheet and stick where there is liquid.
- The feed is cut into sheets and stacked.
- Stacks are compressed and heated to melting point.
- Polymer forms around the fibres, creating a fibre-reinforced composite object.
- Excess fibre material is removed.
You can see how this all works in their terrific video:
CBAM is one of the few surviving 3D print technologies that is able to print objects at extremely high speed. Most 3D printers are rather slow, producing only low volumes that are unsuitable for mass production. That’s why 3D printing got its start in prototyping.
The company has been around for many years, so why are they suddenly getting a massive investment?
It turns out that they secured a huge government contract for US$20M, apparently to help produce long-range drones. To meet the demands, they need to rapidly expand their production capacity, leading to the new investment.
It may be that the new cash, raised from several investment funds, might provide capacity for work beyond the existing contracts. In other words, this is probably the best news possible for Impossible Objects.
