Carbon is a digital manufacturing company that manufactures and develops 3D printers utilizing the Continuous Liquid Interface Production process.
As a company that has raised $640mn from the likes of Sequoia Capital and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, how did it all start?
In 2013, my dad and his co-founders needed help getting it off the ground, so I joined to assist them, despite my initial reluctance. As I explored the industry, I found myself captivated by its potential, which led me to attend a major trade show in Pittsburgh shortly after our first conversation. At the trade show, I discovered a gap between the excitement around 3D printing and the reality of the technology. The vision was grand—personalized production in every home—but the reality fell short. The existing printers were slow, and the materials lacked the robustness needed for real-world applications. Recognizing these gaps, we focused on developing a faster printer and better materials to meet market demands.
Within two years, you achieved what the industry had not previously. What was your unfair advantage?
Our advantage came from building a multidisciplinary engineering team focused on hardware, software, and materials. Unlike the major players at the time—who invested minimally in R&D and relied on chemical companies for materials—we took a different approach. These larger companies weren't innovating, leaving room for us to challenge the status quo. By controlling both the printer technology and materials, we introduced innovations like digital light synthesis, allowing continuous printing instead of the traditional layer-by-layer approach. Coupled with our materials breakthroughs, we moved beyond prototyping to production-level output, delivering on the promise of 3D printing with faster speeds and higher-quality materials.
Let us take an example of a manufacturing segment you looked to disrupt - the footwear market. What value would you offer to them that they cannot access through traditional manufacturing?
Footwear is a fashion-driven market, with brands striving to predict trends and avoid overproduction. Traditionally, manufacturers had to commit to large production runs before knowing what would sell, which often led to wasted inventory if they guessed wrong. 3D printing offers a solution by enabling smaller production runs and faster iteration. Brands can produce limited batches, assess market demand, and then scale up or adjust designs as needed. This flexibility allows footwear companies to adapt dynamically, bringing new designs to market quickly without the high risks and delays of traditional manufacturing.
What is currently holding industry back from broader adoption of 3D printing?
The main challenge is education and the conservative nature of traditional manufacturing. Established methods like injection molding have been refined over a century, and engineers are trained to work within those constraints. Design schools teach students to work around the limitations of these traditional processes. 3D printing challenges this mindset by offering greater design freedom. With additive manufacturing, complexity is not a cost driver; it enables intricate, customized designs that traditional methods cannot produce. However, getting engineers and manufacturers to embrace this shift remains a significant hurdle, even though the benefits are clear.
The dental industry seems to be leading in adopting 3D printing. Why is that?
The dental industry has adopted 3D printing out of necessity. Traditionally, creating dental products like dentures required skilled artisans, but labor shortages and declining interest in such crafts made this model unsustainable. As a result, digital solutions have become essential for maintaining efficiency. 3D printing has streamlined the patient experience. Now, a digital scan can produce a perfectly fitting denture in a single visit, eliminating multiple fittings. This shift reduces costs for patients and improves workflows for dentists. With millions of denture patients in the U.S. and an aging population, the ability to produce custom dental products quickly and accurately is transformative.
What role can 3D printing play in reshoring manufacturing and building supply chain resilience?
Recent geopolitical events have highlighted the importance of supply chain resilience, encouraging companies to consider reshoring some of their manufacturing. The conflict in Ukraine and concerns about China’s stability have driven businesses to diversify their production locations to mitigate risks. 3D printing supports this shift by offering unparalleled flexibility.
Unlike conventional factories, which take months to set up, a 3D printing facility can be operational in a day. Printers can start producing parts within an hour of installation, allowing manufacturers to respond swiftly to demand changes and supply chain disruptions, making it easier to establish secondary production facilities.
By 2030, how do you think 3D printing will change how we shop and the types of products we buy?
The future of 3D printing is about personalization. It enables products that better meet specific needs, not necessarily through full customization but through more tailored designs. Traditional manufacturing excels at making large quantities of a single product but struggles with producing varied designs in smaller batches. 3D printing changes this dynamic, allowing manufacturers to create diverse products without the high costs of traditional tooling. For example, brands can test new styles, make adjustments quickly, and produce smaller runs to match demand. This shift will allow more tailored products that better fit consumers’ preferences, much like how the automotive industry has evolved to offer more choices.
