Origin Introduces Open Additive Production

Origin, a new open platform for additive mass production, has secured $10 million in Series A funding led by Jason Krikorian of DCM. The company previously raised $2.3 million from Floodgate, Stanford University, Joe Montana and other investors. With this round, Jason Krikorian joins Mike Maples, Jr. of Floodgate on Origin's Board of Directors.

The company also announced a new partnership with BASF, to develop material for Origin's “open additive production” platform, which includes extensible software, modular hardware and world-class materials from BASF and other partners.

Origin is creating an open ecosystem, with new chemistries that will allow choice and product customization so companies can scale and meet demand in their market with the material of their choice.

Working closely with BASF over the last year, Origin has developed a new print process for BASF's new photopolymers that produces a combination of surface finish, mechanical strength and throughput that is unmatched in the industry.

“Origin is poised to bring additive manufacturing beyond the current confines of prototyping to make a significant impact on the $600B plastics market,” says Jason Krikorian, general partner at DCM. “We are strong believers that an open approach to materials will be key to unlocking the mass manufacturing potential of additive, and it's great to see BASF as the first example of an industry leader to formally embrace the platform.”

“This is just the start of our partnership with BASF,” says Chris Prucha, Origin CEO and founder. “We're excited to work with BASF to launch new materials that will go way beyond what's available today, and unlock high volume additive production. Our open network approach with BASF and other material partners will fundamentally reshape manufacturing and global supply chains.”

Partnership Highlights

With Origin's flexible printing process and BASF's new photopolymers, customers can achieve a rare combination of customization, strength and throughput that surpasses anything on the market. Parts like this 21x21x114 mm textured sample can be rapidly printed and post-cured in a range of custom textures and colors, with the mechanical strength required for a high-volume manufactured part.  

“We're really excited about Origin's open platform and are investing a lot in this partnership,” says Arnaud Guédou, business director of Photopolymer Solutions at BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH. “We plan to work with Origin to optimize our photopolymers and other additive materials to create a whole series of new options for high volume manufacturers.”

Visit BASF's booth 3.1-F20 at Formnext to learn more, pick up a sample of a new BASF photopolymer printed with Origin and see other parts produced with Origin's system and BASF's photopolymers.

About Origin

Based in San Francisco, CA, Origin features Open Additive Production, a way to build based on open materials, extensible software and modular hardware. The company has worked with a network of material partners for over a year to develop a wide range of commercial grade materials for its system. The company was founded in 2015 and is led by alumni from Google and Apple. Investors include Floodgate, DCM, Mandra Capital, Haystack, Stanford University and Joe Montana. 

About BASF

BASF's portfolio is organized into four segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of more than €60 billion in 2017.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.

More Info

BASF

Origin