Timothy Pumphrey
Desktop Metal ready to ship to initial Pioneer customers.
Metal 3D printing company, Desktop Metal has begun shipping its first Studio System machines to early pioneer customers including Google’s Advanced Technology and Products (ATAP) group.
Just eight months after the systems were first introduced at RAPID + TCT, Google’s ATAP group is the first pioneer to receive the Studio printer as part of Desktop Metal’s Pioneers Program rollout, along with several other inaugural customers across consumer electronics, heavy machinery, automotive, service bureaus, machine shops and government & education.
“This marks the first time our team will be able to use metal 3D printing for rapid prototyping of our hardware parts,” said David Beardsley, manager of Google’s ATAP. “For prototyping, we have previously relied upon casting or using plastic 3D printing. Now with the Studio System, our team will experience shorter lead times, faster product development cycles and the benefits of functional prototypes in an array of metals on demand and in the lab. We look forward to exploring and developing potential applications for many of our projects.”
The Studio System is the first office-friendly metal 3D printing platform on the market which includes the printer, debinder, and sintering furnace, and is said to be 10 times less expensive than existing technology today.
Fellow Pioneer customers in the USA who have been busy benchmarking Studio parts with Desktop Metal and are set to receive the Studio System in the coming months include the US Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Built-Rite Tool & Die, The Technology House, Medtronic, and Lumenium LLC. In addition, more than 30 USA sales partners will be receiving the Studio System to begin the process of offering product demonstrations and creating benchmark parts for interested customers.
“Since the launch of our Pioneers Program, we have seen really passionate engineers and world-class companies begin to develop benchmark metal 3D printed parts with the Studio System,” said Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal. “We are extremely excited to begin shipping our Studio printer to these early pioneer customers and sales partners, including Google’s ATAP, and, over the next several months, will be working closely with each to learn more about how engineers want to use our system.”
