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Carbon

HardwareRedwood City, CA, USAFounded 2013· One of 1733 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Develops Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology using continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) for high-resolution, engineering-grade polymer parts.

CEO / Founder
Craig Carlson and Philip DeSimone (Office of the CEO)
Team Size
201-500
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$742M
Latest Round
Venture Round
Key Investors
Sequoia China (红杉中国), Silver Lake, adidas, Baillie Gifford, Madrone Capital Partners, Northgate Capital, Google Ventures, Temasek, Arkema, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Fidelity Management & Research Company, JSR Corporation

Technology & Products

Key Products

Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology using Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP); EPU Pro Platform; engineering-grade parts for consumer, medtech, oral health, industrial, and automotive industries.

Technological Advantage

Verified 25-100x speed advantage over standard 3D printers; 10x durability improvement in specific applications like blender nozzles; enables direct production of end-use parts.

Patent position

Carbon filed 21 patent families in 2022-2024, falling 63% from 57 in 2019-2021, steeper than tracked AM filings in the same patent offices, which fell 19%. Vat photopolymerization rose from 90% to 100%, and equipment from 59% to 75%. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
21 families filed 2022–2024, 57 in 2019–2021 (-63%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -19%
Process mix, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
Vat photopolymerization 90% → 100%
Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
Equipment 59% → 75%
Filed in
WO 35%US 33%EP 23%JP 4%CN 4%
Named competitors, AM patent families
Stratasys 4943D Systems 300EOS 185Markforged 83

124 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Produces engineering-grade end-use parts up to 100x faster than traditional additive manufacturing with injection-molding-like properties, eliminating tooling costs.

How They Differentiate

Proprietary DLS process achieves injection-molding-like mechanical properties and surface finish at speeds significantly higher than traditional resin-based processes like SLA. They differentiate by focusing on integrated design-to-production workflows for serial manufacturing in high-growth verticals such as dental and sports equipment.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Consumer products, healthcare, and industrial manufacturers requiring high-volume production of engineering-grade polymer parts.

Industry Verticals

Consumer products; Footwear; Eyewear; Healthcare; Dental; Industrial; Automotive

Competitors

Stratasys, 3D Systems, EOS, Markforged

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

500K+ bike saddles produced; millions of dental parts weekly; #1 most reliable 3D printer by NADL for 6 years; #1 NFL/NFLPA helmet safety testing for 6 years; approaching cash-flow positive (2025); 38 institutional investors

Major Milestones

2013: Founded by Joseph DeSimone, Philip DeSimone, Alex Ermoshkin, and Edward Samulski based on UNC Chapel Hill research; 2014: Series A ($11M) and Series B ($31M); 2015: Joseph DeSimone TED talk on CLIP technology goes viral; M1 printer launch; 2016: Series C ($181M, $1.1B valuation); 2017: adidas partnership for 4D midsole production begins; 2018: Series D ($200M); 2019: Series E ($260M, $2.4B valuation); L1 large-format printer launch; 2022: Phil DeSimone & Craig Carlson appointed Office of the CEO; 2025: $60M growth round; approaching cash-flow positive; 6 of top 10 Tour de France riders on Carbon saddles; 500K+ bike saddles produced

Notable Customers

Adidas, Dinsmore Inc., Midwest Prototyping, Argen

https://www.carbon3d.com

Recent coverage of Carbon

Official records

Filings, certifications, and programme counts AMPulse can show for this company.

  • [C] ISO_9001 · claimed

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
125
Granted
30
Families
124

Leading domains: process (125), equipment (61), material (26)

Filings by year: 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 18

  1. METHOD OF MAKING THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING03600842 · EP
  2. MECHANICALLY ANISOTROPIC 3D PRINTED FLEXIBLE POLYMERIC SHEATH2021080974 · WO
  3. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING METHOD PRODUCING A MATTE SURFACE FINISH3906148 · EP
  4. Bioabsorbable resins for additive manufacturing2024056739 · JP
  5. SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONSTRUCTING LATTICE OBJECTS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING2022212472 · WO

Funding rounds

  • Venture Round$60M2025-11Source: PR Newswire - November 2025
  • Growth Round$260M2019-06Source: Carbon Press Release - June 2019
  • Series C$100M2015-08Source: Fortune - August 2015
  • Series A$11M2013-12Source: Golden - December 2013
  • Series B$41M2014-00Source: Engineering.com - August 2015

Equipment deals on record

Publicly disclosed purchases or installs only.

All equipment activity

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Carbon's Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology, built on continuous liquid interface production (CLIP), targets the gap between prototyping and serial manufacturing of polymer end-use parts. By using oxygen-permeable optics and dual-cure programmable liquid resins, the process achieves injection-molding-like mechanical properties and surface finish without the upfront tooling costs. This positions the company as a digital manufacturing platform rather than a conventional 3D printer vendor.

The core technology uses a continuous photopolymerization process where an oxygen-permeable window creates a dead zone, preventing layer adhesion and enabling continuous part growth. Dual-cure resins provide a secondary thermal cure that delivers isotropic mechanical properties. The EPU Pro Platform and other materials support applications requiring durability, such as blender nozzles where Carbon claims 10x improvement over standard printed parts.

Carbon serves consumer products, healthcare, dental, industrial, and automotive verticals. Notable customers include Adidas for 4D midsoles, Riddell for football helmets, Specialized for bike saddles, and Vitamix for blender components. The company has produced over 500,000 bike saddles and millions of dental parts weekly. The Carbon Production Network extends manufacturing capacity through partners like Jabil.

Carbon's strategic moat rests on its proprietary DLS process, integrated design-to-production software workflow, and a material ecosystem co-developed with partners like Arkema. The company has raised $742 million from investors including Sequoia Capital, Silver Lake, and Google Ventures. Approaching cash-flow positive in 2025, Carbon faces competition from Stratasys, 3D Systems, EOS, and Markforged, but differentiates through speed and focus on serial production in high-growth verticals like dental and sports equipment.