Post-ProcessingDenver, Colorado, United StatesFounded 2017· One of 132 Post-Processing companies tracked by AMPulse
Developer of Massbox, first commercial Laser Ablation Laser Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer for additive manufacturing quality control
CEO / Founder
Jeffrey Williams
Team Size
11-50
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$8M
Latest Round
Series A
Key Investors
EIC Rose Rock, Boyd Street Ventures, Alchemy Capital, Advantage Capital, 46 Ventures, Cortado Ventures
Technology & Products
Key Products
Massbox: The world's first desktop instrument providing Laser Ablation Laser Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (LALI-TOF-MS) for rapid powder characterization and quality control in additive manufacturing.
Technological Advantage
Simplified chemical analysis equipment making advanced spectroscopy accessible and affordable
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Rapid powder characterization and quality control for additive manufacturing at accessible cost
How They Differentiate
Exum differentiates itself through its Massbox, which is the only analytical instrument to combine dual-laser ionization (LALI) with Time of Flight mass spectrometry, enabling simultaneous quantification and high-resolution mapping. It offers a simplified and cost-effective solution for materials characterization, particularly for additive manufacturing quality control, with lower power usage and no gas requirements compared to traditional instruments.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Additive manufacturing companies, research laboratories, quality control departments
Industry Verticals
Additive Manufacturing, Materials Science, Research, Quality Control
Competitors
Bruker, Roche Venture Fund, Hiden Analytical, LECO Corporation, VUV Analytics, Jeol USA, Buehler, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Agilent Technologies Inc.
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
40 employees, Thermo Fisher distribution agreement, expanded AM industry presence
Major Milestones
Founded 2017, $8M total funding, Series A $6M (2023), Thermo Fisher distribution partnership, Pittcon 2024
Notable Customers
National laboratories, innovative materials developers, manufacturing institutions, defense laboratories, International Space Station, University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Exum Instruments addresses a gap in additive manufacturing quality control: rapid, accessible chemical analysis of metal powders. Traditional spectroscopy tools like ICP-MS are bulky, gas-intensive, and expensive, limiting their use to centralized labs. Exum's Massbox brings this capability to the point of need, enabling faster powder characterization at a lower cost.
The core product is Massbox, a desktop instrument that uses Laser Ablation Laser Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (LALI-TOF-MS). It combines dual-laser ionization with time-of-flight detection to simultaneously quantify elemental composition and generate high-resolution chemical maps. The system requires no carrier gas and consumes less power than conventional alternatives, simplifying deployment in AM production environments.
Target customers include AM companies, research laboratories, and quality control departments. Notable users include national laboratories, defense labs, the International Space Station, and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Exum has a distribution partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific covering Europe and China, expanding its reach beyond North America.
The company's competitive moat lies in its patented LALI-TOF-MS approach, which is distinct from the LA-ICP-MS and GD-MS systems offered by Bruker, Thermo Fisher, and Agilent. However, it faces the challenge of convincing risk-averse AM producers to adopt a new analytical method over established techniques. With $8M in total funding and a Series A of $6M in 2023, Exum is positioned to scale but must prove its instrument's reliability across a wide range of metal powders and AM processes.
Competitive Intelligence
Competitors, SWOT analysis, and investment insights