Phase3D Secures $2.9 Million To Scale In-Situ Inspection For Metal AM
Phase3D has announced the successful completion of an oversubscribed $2.9 million funding round that will accelerate the commercial expansion of its in-situ inspection technology for metal additive manufacturing. The investment will support increased manufacturing capacity, software development and wider deployment of the company’s Fringe Inspection platform as demand for production-scale quality assurance continues to grow.
The funding round was led by Quest Venture Partners, with participation from Trinity Capital, Kinisis Ventures, Leroy Street Capital Partners, Asimov Ventures, New York Angels Investment Group and Chicago Booth Angel Network. As part of the investment, Ray Farrell joins the company’s Board of Directors, bringing more than 25 years of experience in intellectual property strategy, technology commercialisation and business growth.
Founded to address one of additive manufacturing’s most persistent challenges – obtaining reliable dimensional measurement during the build process – Phase3D has developed its Fringe Inspection technology around structured-light metrology. The system generates quantitative layer-by-layer height maps throughout metal powder bed fusion builds, enabling manufacturers to detect process anomalies as they occur rather than relying solely on post-build inspection.
The company believes the additive manufacturing industry is entering a new phase where production qualification and process validation are becoming as important as advances in machine capability. While previous years have focused on increasing build speed, material options and machine size, manufacturers operating in aerospace, defence and other regulated industries are increasingly seeking methods that provide confidence in every component produced.
Phase3D currently supports approximately 25 enterprise customers across aerospace, defence and industrial sectors, including collaborations with NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. According to the company, these organisations are helping drive demand for inspection technologies capable of providing traceable, quantitative process data that can support qualification workflows.
The latest investment marks what Phase3D describes as its transition from technology validation towards commercial scale. Having established its structured-light metrology platform and demonstrated its application across customer deployments, the company now intends to move from a predominantly custom manufacturing approach to more standardised product manufacturing.
Commenting on the company’s next stage of growth, Dr. Niall O’Dowd, Founder and CEO of Phase3D, said the investment reflects growing industry recognition that real-time inspection will become a fundamental element of metal additive manufacturing production.
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Ben Ferrar added that the company has progressed through successive phases of technology development and customer deployment, with the new funding enabling expanded manufacturing capacity and broader adoption of its inspection platform.
Beyond scaling hardware production, Phase3D plans to invest further in software, data science capabilities and customer support while accelerating deployment of Fringe Inspection across enterprise and government manufacturing environments. The company sees in-situ inspection evolving into a standard component of additive manufacturing workflows as manufacturers increasingly require measurable process understanding alongside traditional production metrics.
For more information: www.phase-3d.com
