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Carbon Announces $200 Million in Funding to Accelerate Digital 3D Manufacturing

Silicon Valley-based digital 3D manufacturing company, Carbon, announced Wednesday the first closing in a total raise of $200 million in Series D funding.

Carbon intends to use the funds to fast-track its global expansion plans and product roadmap. The company, which brings a scalable digital 3-D manufacturing platform for polymeric products, plans to double down on its commitment to disrupting traditional analog injection molding production techniques with digitally-enabled design and fabrication capabilities.

In April, Adidas partnered with Carbon for the launch of Futurecraft 4D product line. The performance footwear is made with midsoles manufactured with digital light synthesis, Carbon’s process that fuses light and oxygen to rapidly produce products from a pool of resin. The innovation allows Adidas to eliminate traditional prototyping and speed up its manufacturing process.

With the cash injection, personalized products and a host of new job opportunities may be on their way from Carbon.

In a statement, Carbon CEO and co-founder Dr. Joseph DeSimone said, “This funding will help us realize new classes of workers and business models, where product design and engineering is facilitated by cloud-based computing and a wide range of scanning, sensor, and simulation technologies that enable the creation of perfectly tuned—even personalized—products that have been previously impossible to produce.”

The funding is supported by a mix of financial institutions, strategic industry partners like Hydra Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of Adidas, and Emerson Elemental, the environmental practice of Emerson Collective.

“We were inspired by Carbon’s commitment to innovating environmentally sustainable supply chains, dematerializing and minimizing waste streams, while scaling engines of additive manufacturing that can support economic growth in communities everywhere,” said Andy Karsner, Emerson Elemental managing partner. “We see the potential to enable a new class of workers and tools for 21st century opportunities that strengthen our communities and the environment.”

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