Big Metal Additive
Provides large-scale metal hybrid additive manufacturing services combining wire-fed arc-based DED with 5-axis CNC machining for aerospace, defense, and industrial parts up to 12 ft x 12 ft.
- CEO / Founder
- Slade Gardner
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Active
- Total Funding
- $7.7M
- Latest Round
- Grant - $74.95K - March 2023
- Key Investors
- Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade; Department of Defense (USAF); Department of Defense (Navy)
Technology & Products
Key Products
2xxx aluminum products, Unitized Monolithic Rotating Detonation Engine, Optimized Additive Manufactured Aircraft Structure, Point of Need UxV Manufacturing.
Technological Advantage
Proprietary hybrid manufacturing system deposits and machines each layer for dimensional accuracy and surface finish, certified to AS9100 and NASA-STD-6033 standards for aerospace applications.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces lead times for large metal parts from months to weeks, enables on-demand production of complex geometries, and eliminates tooling costs for prototypes and low-volume production.
How They Differentiate
Focuses exclusively on large-scale hybrid AM services (not equipment sales) with 3x larger build volume than typical DED systems and integrated 5-axis CNC for in-situ machining.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Aerospace, defense, maritime, energy, and heavy equipment OEMs requiring large, complex metal components
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Defense; Maritime; Energy; Heavy Equipment; Space
Competitors
3D Systems, Stratasys, GE Additive, EOS GmbH, Materialise, Desktop Metal, Formlabs, SLM Solutions.
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Achieved AS9100 certification and NASA-STD-6033 qualification; 14 employees reported.
Major Milestones
Founded in 2016; Joined ADAPT consortium in 2017; Achieved AS9100 certification; Partnership with BAE Systems; NASA-STD-6033 qualification
Notable Customers
Department of Defense (USAF), Department of Defense (Navy), NASA.