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Equispheres

MaterialsOttawa, Ontario, CanadaFounded 2015· One of 1019 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

High-performance, non-explosive aluminum powders engineered for additive manufacturing with consistent particle size distribution and enhanced safety.

CEO / Founder
Kevin G. Nicholds
Team Size
11-50
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$36.5M
Latest Round
Series B
Key Investors
Martinrea International, HG Ventures, BDC Capital, SDTC, Lockheed Martin

Technology & Products

Key Products

Engineered aluminum and oxygen-free copper powders for additive manufacturing, including Production, NExP-1, Precision, and Performance aluminum powder lines.

Technological Advantage

Optimizes powder properties to reduce waste, enhance throughput, and meet stringent non-explosive safety standards in 3D printing.

Patent position

Equispheres filed 4 patent families in 2022–2024, down from 8 in 2019–2021, a 50% fall versus a 21% fall in tracked AM filings in the same patent offices. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
4 families filed 2022–2024, 8 in 2019–2021 (-50%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -21%
Filed in
US 38%WO 31%EP 23%CN 8%
Named competitors, AM patent families
Metalysis 3Elementum 3D 5ExOne 109Optomec 18

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

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Delivers consistent, ultra-high-performance aluminum powders optimized for 3D printing, significantly improving throughput, safety, and part quality.

How They Differentiate

Engineers aluminum and copper powders specifically for additive manufacturing using proprietary control of particle characteristics, improving production speed, consistency, and part quality, with non-explosible aluminum options.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Aerospace, Automotive, Defense, and Advanced Manufacturing industries

Industry Verticals

Aerospace, Automotive, Defense, Industrial Manufacturing

Competitors

Metalysis, Elementum 3D, ExOne, Optomec

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Expanding partnerships and transitioning into revenue generation with integration into Fieldmade's NOMAD03 system.

Major Milestones

Secured $30M Series A funding round in April 2020, Partnered with Fieldmade to enable on-demand aluminum parts production, Achieved successful testing of aerospace-grade, non-explosive aluminum powder, Completed initial close of Series B financing totaling C$20M in May 2024, Launched oxygen-free copper powder for AM applications

Notable Customers

U.S. Army (recognized as strategic enabling technology), MDA, Bombardier, Pratt and Whitney (as part of a Canadian aerospace initiative)

https://equispheres.com

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
13
Granted
1
Families
13

Leading domains: material (13), process (12), equipment (3)

Filings by year: 2024: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1

  1. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING POWDER AND ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PART MADE USING SAME2019213780 · WO
  2. ALLOYS WITH A LOW DENSITY OF PRECIPITATES FOR USE IN APPLICATIONS THAT INCLUDE REMELTING PROCESSES, AND PREPARATION PROCESS THEREOF03921104 · EP
  3. ALLOYS WITH A LOW DENSITY OF PRECIPITATES FOR USE IN APPLICATIONS THAT INCLUDE REMELTING PROCESSES, AND PREPARATION PROCESS THEREOF20220126363 · US
  4. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING POWDER COMPRISING METAL-BASED PARTICLES AND RELATED METHODS20260166621 · US
  5. METAL POWDER-BASED MANUFACTURING PROCESS IN LOW IMPURITY GAS ATMOSPHERE AND SYSTEM03976293 · EP

Funding rounds

  • Series BC$20M2024-04-22Lead: Martinrea International Inc. · Source
  • Series AC$30M2020-04-22Lead: HG Ventures · Source
  • Strategic InvestmentUS$5M2018-05-31Lead: Lockheed Martin · Source

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Equispheres addresses a critical bottleneck in metal additive manufacturing: inconsistent powder quality that leads to variable part properties and process inefficiencies. Its proprietary production technology yields aluminum powders with highly uniform particle size distribution, which improves flowability, packing density, and laser absorption during LPBF. The company also emphasizes safety, offering powders that meet stringent non-explosive standards, a differentiator in a market where fine metal powders pose handling risks.

The core product line consists of ultra-high-performance aluminum powders optimized for 3D printing. By controlling particle morphology and size distribution, Equispheres claims to reduce waste, increase build throughput, and enhance final part quality. The powders are tailored for aerospace, automotive, defense, and industrial manufacturing applications, where repeatability and mechanical performance are critical.

Equispheres has secured notable customers and partners, including the U.S. Army, which recognized the powder as a strategic enabling technology, as well as MDA, Bombardier, and Pratt & Whitney through a Canadian aerospace initiative. A key partnership with Fieldmade integrates Equispheres powders into the NOMAD03 mobile printing system for on-demand aluminum parts production. The company has raised $69.3M from investors including Martinrea International, BDC Capital, HG Ventures, and SDTC.

The company's exclusive focus on aluminum powders for AM creates a clear positioning but also exposes it to shifts in material demand and competition from broader metal powder producers. Its non-explosive powder technology and partnerships with defense and aerospace primes provide a defensible niche, though scaling production to meet industrial volumes remains an open question.