Press Release

AON3D Secures $11.5M & Manufactures First 3D Printed Parts for the Moon

By SpaceRef Editor
September 2, 2021
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Leading VC firms invest in AON3D to enable large scale production of end-use thermoplastic parts, including the first 3D printed objects to successfully land on the moon via the Astrobotic Peregrine Moon Lander Mission

AON3D, a 3D printer manufacturer of high-quality, end-use parts, today announced their $11.5M USD Series A funding and a partnership with Astrobotic for their historic Peregrine Moon Lander (PM1) mission. This brings the company’s total funding to $14.2M. SineWave Ventures led the round with participation from AlleyCorp, Y Combinator Continuity, BDC Capital, EDC, Panache Ventures, MANA Ventures, top social-media influencers Josh Richards & Griffin Johnson, and leading Silicon Valley angels. The funding will be used to invest in 3D printing R&D, continue onboarding talent to support a growing enterprise, and provide clients with best-in-class support to achieve their 3D printing needs. The Astrobotic mission is set to become the first US lunar lander to soft land on the moon since Apollo 17. Onboard, there are hundreds of 3D printed parts from the industrial AON3D M2+, which are poised to be the first additively manufactured end-use parts to successfully touch the moon. The lunar hardware includes 3D printed essential bracketry components, including fixtures within integral avionics boxes, which perform all mission-critical command and data handling for the lander. AON3D technology also created the capsules within DHL MoonBox, a light-weight vessel used to transport space-freight payloads for private citizens. The MoonBox is designed to withstand the harsh extremes of space and keep items safe on the lunar surface. AON3D currently supplies printers for 250+ customers in 25 countries around the world, including Blue Origin, NASA, and the United States Air Force.

“Our printers’ ability to 3D print the lightest and strongest end-use parts—from virtually any of the highest-grade available thermoplastics—is what makes AON3D able to manufacture critical components for the most extreme use cases,” said AON3D CEO and co-founder, Kevin Han. “We believe the 3D printing future is more open source and financially accessible so SMBs have access to the same hardware as top firms. That’s exactly how we modeled AON3D and constructed our AON M2+ printer. We have investors that believe in our vision, and partners like Astrobotic that place the highest trust in our hardware.”

AON3D helps businesses achieve their 3D printing needs by manufacturing 3D printers that boast the largest sub-$50k build volume—exemplified by the company’s AON M2+. The AON M2+ offers ungated access to thousands of material options, which is 50x more than other leading 3D printers. With unlimited end-use printing opportunities, AON3D is an ideal partner for businesses of all sizes and needs.

“There is no environment as demanding as the vacuum of space, and we need parts that are able to withstand the immense challenges of launch and spaceflight,” said Astrobotic Mechanical Engineer Clay Inman. “Being able to go from full-scale, economical prototypes to space-ready parts—using PEEK, PEKK, and ULTEM™ on one machine—was huge for achieving our ambitious goals. Now, we can rigorously test our parts, create custom tooling, and then go right into printing proprietary, mission-ready components with engineering grade materials.”

“AON3D is on a mission to 3D print the future by creating solutions that positively affect more business while addressing the pain points in global manufacturing,” said SineWave Ventures General Partner Vivek Ladsariya. “With their printers’ ability to use the best available materials, the sky’s the limit for AON3D—exemplified by their 3D parts going to the moon. We look forward to watching AON3D continue to make history.”

About AON3D:

Founded in 2015, AON3D is a venture capital-backed NYC/Montreal-based manufacturer of industrial-grade 3D printers. Fully unlocked hardware and software provide access to the industry’s largest selection of 3D printable materials, including the world’s strongest thermoplastics.

AON3D is trusted by industry leading organizations and Fortune 500 corporations in 25+ countries around the globe including NASA, Blue Origin, Solvay, Sabic, and more. For more information, please visit: https://www.aon3d.com/contact/

Contacts

Gregg Delman 

415.935.1804 

gregg@gthreemedia.com

SpaceRef staff editor.