- Building on a year of double-digit shipment growth, Mantle’s
precision metal additive manufacturing technology cuts costs by
over 65% and speeds up development cycles by as much as 90% for
manufacturers.
- For American manufacturers tackling reshoring and labor
shortages, Mantle’s metal 3D printing technology has emerged as a
pivotal solution, promising a more agile and self-sufficient future
for the U.S. manufacturing sector.
Mantle, the leader in metal 3D printing technology for precision
tooling, today announced it has reached a significant milestone by
securing $20 million in Series C funding. This achievement, raising
the company’s total funding to more than $61.5 million, marks a
crucial step towards widespread adoption of its precision metal
manufacturing technology.
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Mantle’s metal 3D printers are designed
to deliver unparalleled efficiency, accuracy, surface finish, and
tool steel properties, redefining the production of mold and die
inserts. Tools made with Mantle’s technology have produced millions
of parts, reducing both tooling lead times and costs. (Photo:
Business Wire)
The Series C funding round will be critical in supporting
Mantle’s rapid market expansion, scaling manufacturing to meet
demand, and developing new capabilities and materials. Led by
Schooner Capital, a Boston-based private investment firm, the round
was also joined by the company’s largest existing investors,
including Fine Structure Ventures, Foundation Capital, Corazon
Capital, 11.2 Capital, and Build Collective.
"Mantle is poised to revolutionize the global tooling industry,"
said Alexandra Manick, Principal of Schooner Capital. "The
company’s advanced manufacturing platform, TrueShape, is proven to
deliver significant cost savings and, more importantly,
unprecedented speed for its customers. This paradigm-shifting
solution is readily adoptable and sorely needed to address
persistent skilled labor shortages and accelerate product
development timelines for industrial toolmakers and OEMs
worldwide."
Reshoring Manufacturing with 3D Printing: A Path to Renewed
Independence and Efficiency
The recent push towards reshoring manufacturing back to the
United States has highlighted the urgent need for innovative
solutions to address labor shortages while reducing costs and
improving production efficiencies. Among the myriad of technologies
attempting to step up to this challenge, metal 3D printing has
emerged as a cornerstone, poised to redefine the future of American
manufacturing.
"The fragile state of the global supply chain has triggered a
massive reshoring initiative that sharply increased the demand for
molded parts and thus toolmaking," said Ted Sorom, CEO and
co-founder of Mantle. "We're navigating a twin set of hurdles: a
toolmaking workforce in the U.S. that has shrunk by half over the
past quarter-century, coupled with the rising costs and extended
lead times brought on by constrained toolmaking capacities. This
has driven manufacturers to seek out groundbreaking solutions. For
our innovative customers, the adoption of Mantle’s tooling
technology has emerged as a key strategy to enhance labor
productivity, cut expenses, and drastically shorten lead
times."
Easing Labor Scarcity of Toolmakers
Amid a severe labor shortage of toolmakers and skilled
tradespeople plaguing the manufacturing industry—fueled by a
workforce nearing retirement and a surging demand for the tooling
essential for everyday products—manufacturers are turning towards
automation and cutting-edge technology solutions to navigate these
workforce obstacles.
Heyco Products, a US-based manufacturer of wire protection
products and electrical components, deployed Mantle technology for
its in-house molding and toolmaking capabilities.
“We purchased a Mantle system for two reasons: to reduce
time-to-market for our products and to make our toolroom more
efficient while attracting next-generation talent to Heyco,”
commented Danny Anthony, Heyco’s Vice President of Operations. “By
using Mantle to print mold tooling, we have already brought a new
product to market two months faster than we would have otherwise.
We also increased the throughput in our toolroom by giving our
toolmakers access to the latest technology that makes them
significantly more productive.”
General Pattern, a fourth-generation, woman-owned custom
manufacturer specializing in low to medium plastic forming
operations, has adopted Mantle’s advanced 3D printing technology to
enhance the flexibility to build production tools at prototype
lead-times and minimize the need to build entire tools by the
toolmakers which significantly reduces costs, lead times, and
labor. With Mantle’s technology, the company was able to produce a
tool that not only saved 3.5 weeks of lead time but required just
four active hours of toolmaker time.
"We pride ourselves in our commitment to staying at the
forefront of technology. Tackling both the decline of next
generation toolmakers and the relentless pace of industry demand,
embracing Mantle’s metal 3D printing technology was not just a step
towards innovation, it was a leap towards securing our legacy,"
said Denny Reiland, third-generation CEO of General Pattern.
Positioned for Explosive Growth in Tooling Needs
After a year marked by double-digit growth in shipments,
Mantle’s precision metal 3D printing technology is designed
specifically to print injection mold tools, an application where
other metal 3D printing methods have traditionally fallen short.
This innovation slashes both the time and cost needed to fabricate
high-quality molds and dies. The technology offers unmatched
precision, surface finish, and metal properties while automating
the tool production and reducing the dependence on scarce skilled
labor.
Mantle’s innovative technology has played a crucial role in
producing millions of end-use parts, ranging from medical devices
and deodorant packaging to industrial components. By focusing on
printing tools for mass production rather than the parts
themselves, the company has tackled the longstanding issues of high
costs and lengthy production times associated with tool creation
for mass production. This strategic shift has resulted in cost
reductions for customers exceeding 65 percent and accelerated
manufacturers' development cycles by up to 90 percent.
About Mantle
Mantle accelerates product development by simplifying how mold
tool components are made. Mantle’s TrueShape™ metal 3D printing
technology delivers the accuracy, surface finish, and tool steel
properties required for demanding tooling applications. Tools made
with Mantle’s technology have produced millions of parts while
reducing tooling lead times and costs. Mantle is headquartered in
San Francisco, California. To learn more, visit mantle3D.com.
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Ethan Rejto Ethan.rejto@mantle3d.com 978-844-3161