Skip to main content

Foundry Lab

HardwareWellington, New ZealandFounded 2019· One of 1708 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

A digital metal casting system that uses microwave energy to produce production-quality, cast metal parts from 3D printed ceramic molds in-house within hours.

CEO / Founder
David Moodie
Team Size
11-50
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$14M
Latest Round
Series A
Key Investors
Blackbird Ventures, GD1, Icehouse Ventures, Autodesk, Movac, Promus Ventures, WNT Ventures

Technology & Products

Key Products

["Digital Metal Casting System"]

Technological Advantage

Speeds up the metal casting workflow from weeks to under 8 hours, enabling rapid design iterations and in-house production.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Enabling same-day, in-house metal casting to dramatically accelerate product development cycles and reduce dependency on external supply chains.

How They Differentiate

End-to-end, in-house digital metal casting platform that combines mold-making and casting at high speed, reducing reliance on external tooling and traditional foundries.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Engineering firms, product designers, and manufacturers requiring low-volume, rapid production of functional metal prototypes and end-use parts.

Industry Verticals

["Automotive","Aerospace/Defense","Industrial Machinery","Medical Devices","Consumer Products"]

Competitors

Desktop Metal (including ExOne); Voxeljet; Aristo-Cast (Investment Casting)

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

First commercial sale of Digital Metal Casting (DMC-3) system to NJII, announced approximately one year after public technology debut (circa 2023). U.S. expansion with demonstration center opened in Fremont, California (Gen 2 system installed by mid-2024 timeline). Plans to accept pre-orders later in the announcement year with shipping mid-2024; accepting letters of intent from interested parties. Recent U.S. expansion highlighted in Eaton collaboration.

Major Milestones

["Closed an $8 million Series A in 2021.","Developed core microwave casting technology and process.","Filed key patents to protect IP.","Began commercialization and began accepting inquiries."]

Notable Customers

Eaton Corporation; New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII)

https://www.foundry-lab.com

Why this company matters

Foundry Lab occupies a niche between traditional investment casting and metal additive manufacturing. Its digital metal casting system uses microwave energy to melt metal into 3D-printed ceramic molds, enabling same-day production of functional metal parts without external foundries. This addresses the gap for rapid prototyping and low-volume production where conventional casting is too slow and metal AM may be cost-prohibitive for certain geometries or materials.

The core technology combines a proprietary microwave heating process with 3D-printed ceramic molds. The microwave energy rapidly and uniformly heats the metal to casting temperature, bypassing the need for large furnaces and lengthy thermal cycles. The entire workflow—from mold design to finished part—takes under eight hours, compared to weeks in traditional investment casting.

Target customers include engineering firms, product designers, and manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and consumer products. Notable early adopters include Eaton Corporation and the New Jersey Innovation Institute. The system is suited for low-volume runs of functional prototypes and end-use parts, particularly where design iterations are frequent. Foundry Lab has expanded to the US with a demonstration center in Fremont, California.

The company's moat lies in its patented microwave casting method and the integration of mold-making and casting into a single platform. Competitors include Desktop Metal, Voxeljet, and traditional investment casting foundries. The key risk is adoption speed: convincing engineers to shift from established foundry supply chains. Partnerships with Autodesk for design software integration may help lower the barrier. With $14M in funding from investors including Blackbird and Autodesk, Foundry Lab is positioned as a disruptor in rapid metal manufacturing.