Diabase Engineering
A hardware manufacturer developing hybrid manufacturing systems that combine FDM 3D printing with CNC machining capabilities for lab-scale rapid prototyping and functional part production.
- CEO / Founder
- Austin Reid
- Team Size
- 1-10
- Stage
- Active
- Total Funding
- $10K
- Latest Round
- Grant
- Key Investors
- City of Longmont, Longmont Economic Development Partnership
Technology & Products
Key Products
["Flexion Extruder (Single, Dual, Right configurations)","Flexion HT High-Temperature Extruder System","H-Series Hybrid 3D Printer/CNC Machine (with 5-toolhead rotary turret)","H5 400 Advanced 3D Printing/CNC Milling Platform","X60 Ultra-Soft 3D Printing Filament","Flexion Retrofit Kits for E3D v6 Hotend","Flexion Retrofit Kits for MakerBot Replicator 2x"]
Technological Advantage
Proprietary Flexion Extruder featuring a clamping mounting block design that deforms into contact with the extruder barrel when tightened, providing superior thermal performance compared to traditional set screw methods; rotary turret-style arm accommodating up to five independent FDM extruders enabling multi-material printing with flexible, rigid, and dissolvable support materials; hybrid system achieves better surface finish, accuracy, and minimum feature size than FDM alone with subtractive operations typically adding only 5-15% to total build time; ability to use larger nozzles and coarser layer heights for additive portion while still achieving precise final dimensions through CNC milling
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Enables production of functional, multi-material parts with superior surface finish through integrated additive and subtractive manufacturing in a single benchtop platform; allows complex part geometries with flexible materials, dissolvable supports, and post-processing without machine transfers
How They Differentiate
Diabase differentiates through its machine tool engineering approach rather than consumer-grade design, featuring a proprietary Flexion Extruder with clamping mounting block design that handles extremely flexible filaments (TPU/TPE) that jam traditional spring-based systems. Unlike most competitors offering 2-3 toolheads, Diabase's H-Series features a unique 5-toolhead rotary turret enabling simultaneous multi-material printing with flexible, rigid, and dissolvable supports. The company applies subtractive manufacturing precision to additive processes, achieving better surface finish, accuracy, and minimum feature size than FDM alone with CNC milling typically adding only 5-15% to total build time.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Experienced makers, engineers, researchers, and manufacturers requiring multi-material 3D printing and CNC machining capabilities; customers with prior experience programming and operating CNC machines
Industry Verticals
["Additive Manufacturing","Industrial Design & Rapid Prototyping","Research & Development Laboratories","Footwear Manufacturing (customized shoes, insoles, orthotics)","Educational Institutions","Industrial Manufacturing (custom fixtures and tooling)"]
Competitors
ZMorph VX; FABtotum Personal Fabricator; Industrial hybrid CNC/AM manufacturers (DMG Mori, Mazak, Okuma, Matsuura)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Operating company since 2014 with established product lines and retail distribution; estimated revenue <$5M with 2-10 employees; serves prosumer market including custom footwear, sporting goods, and luxury goods manufacturers
Major Milestones
["Company founded by Austin Reid and Stephen Heston in 2014","Flexion Extruder development for flexible filament 3D printing","Received $10,000 Longmont Ignite! Fund matching grants in 2016","Launched H-Series hybrid 3D printer/CNC machine (5-toolhead rotary turret)","Developed H5 400 advanced 3D printing/CNC milling platform (2021)","Developed prototype N95 mask machine during COVID-19 pandemic (2020)","Established retail distribution through multiple resellers","Flexion Extruder compatibility with E3D v6 hotend and MakerBot Replicator 2x","X60 Ultra-Soft 3D printing filament development"]
Notable Customers
Custom footwear manufacturers; Sporting goods companies; Luxury goods manufacturers; Educational institutions; R&D laboratories; Design houses for rapid prototyping