Desktop Metal receives $9M printer order

One of several frontrunners in the race for additive manufacturing prevalence, Desktop Metal Inc. has garnered a $9 million order from a major German automaker for its binder jet 3D metal printing systems to support digitally casted powertrain components for a popular car line.

Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and robotics, Desktop Metal sought to address the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make additive manufacturing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world.

Selected as one of the world's 30 most promising technology pioneers by the World Economic Forum and named in MIT Technology Review's list of 50 Smartest Companies, Desktop Metal has made incredible headway in cementing its position as a 3D printing powerhouse.

"The additive manufacturing industry continues to grow for mass production applications, with the most innovative companies in the world leading the way," said Desktop Metal founder and CEO Ric Fulop. "Our team is working with a significant number of global OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to expand adoption of our differentiated AM technologies for end-use car components, and this most recent order further demonstrates our customer's success changing the way they make products and supports Team DM's vision for Additive Manufacturing 2.0."

The new $9 million order marks the second from the same unnamed German automaker in less than 12 months, which brings the total amount of production AM systems ordered to $16.9 million.

This windfall comes timely against the backdrop of a generally dismal 2022 for American equity markets, with OEMs in the AM sector having an especially difficult year.

Although unnamed, the manufacturer sits alongside automotive companies such as BMW and Ford Motor Company on the list of Desktop Metal customers.

In addition to these agreements, the company recently announced a partnership with Siemens aimed at accelerating the adoption of additive manufacturing for production applications, with a focus on the world's largest manufacturers.

Desktop Metal also recently launched its latest Shop System Forust Edition in late October, with the machine debuting at Formnext 2022 in Frankfurt a few weeks later. This new system is a platform that enables additive manufacturing of end-use wooden parts using upcycled sawdust, according to the company, possibly the first case of 3D wooden printing to date.