What are the best 3D startups of 2020?

Startups are young companies with innovative business ideas. They serve as drivers and integrators of digitalization and promote competitiveness and innovation. As the 3D printing market still has a great potential for growth, startups are of great importance in the development of the industry. For this reason, we have been introducing you to a new startup in additive manufacturing every month. The end of the year is approaching so we want to elect the most innovative 3D startup of 2020. To do this, we are launching a competition: until January 4th, you can vote HERE for the 3D startup that you think is worthy of the title of Startup of the Year. We will announce the winner on January 5th! Like every year, you can find a summary of the 12 startups below!

January: AdditiveLab

Belgian startup AdditiveLab offers simulation software for additive manufacturing. This means that the software allows customers to create specific models for AM process simulation. This gives customers insights into expected material and machine costs and the length of the manufacturing process. This is especially beneficial for metal 3D printing, as metals are more expensive to purchase and produce than polymers. The versions of the software are available: AdditiveLab RESEARCH and AdditiveLab LITE. AdditiveLab RESEARCH is aimed at advanced simulation engineers and provides access to in-depth simulation capabilities. AdditiveLab LITE is particularly targeted at engineers without simulation experience due to its ease of use and is also the more cost-effective option.

February: 3DQue Systems

The Canadian-based startup 3DQue Systems has developed a system that enables permanent production. This consists of the QPod 3D printer and the accompanying QSuite software. The solution enables in-house production of plastic parts with little or no maintenance. For example, it is said to allow on-demand production of parts made from PLA, ABS, TPU, PETG and Nylon. According to the manufacturer, lead times can be reduced by 95% (from months to hours) and inventories can be reduced by 85%, ultimately reducing costs. With their solution, they aim to show that FDM printers are very much capable of manufacturing beyond prototypes, making them our Startup of the Month for February 2020.