9T Labs sees reasons to be optimistic in 2022

Despite supply chain disruptions and other pandemic challenges, 3D printing solution provider OEM 9T Labs saw massive interest in its hybrid system for printing and moulding structural carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTP) expand during the past year.

In response, the company hired more staff, which led to more systems being sold in more markets. As 2022 begins, the company seeks to fill more open positions and anticipates strong sales and market expansion for its hybrid polymer additive manufacturing system.

Last year the company closed on a record number of new collaboration projects in the fields of aerospace (interior components, brackets, and engine components), advanced aerial mobility (rib stiffeners for wings), medical (surgical instruments), luxury (watchmaking, eyewear), and human exoskeletons (ergonomic support for lifting heavy loads). In addition to all the industrial projects, 9T Labs also delivered commercial systems to customers in research centres, universities, the metal-forming industry, and aerospace Tier 1 suppliers. To support the additional business, the company hired 21 new employees, including a number of new sales territory managers to cover all European countries.

“Despite the challenges that all of industry has faced during the past two years, we are entering 2022 full of optimism,” explained Giovanni Cavolina, 9T Labs co-founder and chief commercial officer. “We have new systems out in the field being used to produce both developmental and commercial parts. And now, with many new production applications initiated last year, we have an additional pool of customers who will scale to series production using multiple 9T Labs Red Series systems just as soon as the technology is validated for their particular target application.”

To support the additional growth anticipated for 2022, the company already plans to substantially increase its headcount and to open its first office centre in the US. Additionally, 9T Labs expects that the first series production of advanced composites parts produced using its patented Additive Fusion Technology will become commercially available before end of the year. Furthermore, the company is also working on developing further the technology to cover applications with a production volume beyond 100,000 per annum.

“We are bullish on 2022,” concluded Cavolina. “Two regulated markets — aerospace and medical — will continue to be very important to us since they offer the highest scaling possibility. On top of that, with all the additional production application projects we’ve got underway, we are very excited to have acquired customers in the sporting goods, luxury goods, and general industrial segments as well. This helps us support manufacturers in a variety of industries to produce structural fibre-reinforced composite parts much faster, at lower cost, and still meet demanding performance and dimensional requirements.”

www.9tlabs.com