AM Flow raises $4m

AM Flow, a Dutch company that specialises in developing automation systems for additive manufacturing, has raised $4 million in series A investment round that it will use to develop step-change automation for the ‘lights out’ factory of the future.

AM Flow has developed an interesting range of products, including AM Vision, which can recognise and sort 3D-printed parts, as well as AM Logic, which uses AI and machine learning to connect different systems from ERP and PLM through to individual operator consoles. There’s also conveyor belt systems and an autonomous robot as well as an automatic packaging system that can box up parts. 

The main investor was BOM Brabant Ventures, which has invested in other 3D printing ventures, most notably Additive Industries. Other investors include Materialise, which develops 3D printing software, Midwest Prototyping, a US company offering prototyping and manufacturing services,  and Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, which supports local start-ups and SMEs, as well as existing investors Miller Turner and DOEN Participaties.

Stefan Rink, CEO of AM-Flow, commented: “We have a team that is passionate about enabling Additive Manufacturing to live up to its sustainability promise: local, distributed manufacturing. To drive further adoption of Additive Manufacturing, the industry must get to competitive price and quality levels per part, and shift her focus from the 3D-printer to the AM Factory.”

Bart Van der Schueren, CTO at Materialise describes AM Flow’s work as creating “a path towards cost-efficient scaling of the handling process”, commenting: ““The success of scaling Additive Manufacturing as part of an end-to-end digital platform is not just dependant on continued innovation of the printing process itself, but also on whether we’ll be able to handle the high variety of printed components in a cost-efficient way.”

You can find more information at am-flow.com.