HETEROMERGE
Hardware developer enabling automated multi-material 3D micro-printing through patented two-photon polymerization technology, allowing functional additive manufacturing at nano-to-millimeter scale with perfect material alignment.
- CEO / Founder
- Robert Kirchner
- Team Size
- 1-10
- Stage
- Active
- Total Funding
- $810K
- Latest Round
- Seed
- Key Investors
- German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (EXIST program); Sächsische Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbh (SBG)
Technology & Products
Key Products
HETEROMERGE offers the MergeOne printhead system, a patented open-fluidic printhead that enables automated in-situ multi-material exchange on two-photon polymerization (2PP) systems. This technology transforms single-material printers into functional additive manufacturing tools for 3D microstructures.
Technological Advantage
Combines patented fluidic delivery technology with precision mechanical engineering to enable substrate-independent (transparent/opaque), wafer-level multi-material printing without size limitations. The system integrates seamlessly with existing 2PP platforms (e.g., Nanoscribe) as an add-on, allowing customers to upgrade single-material systems to functional multi-material manufacturing tools while preserving the base technology's nanometer-scale resolution and surface roughness capabilities.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Eliminates design and production barriers in functional 3D microstructures by enabling automated, in-situ multi-material printing with <50nm overlay accuracy on existing two-photon polymerization systems—transforming single-material printers into functional additive manufacturing tools.
How They Differentiate
Patented open-fluidic printhead enabling automated in-situ multi-material exchange on two-photon polymerization (2PP) systems with sub-50 nm overlay accuracy—works as a retrofit/add-on to existing 2PP platforms (e.g., Nanoscribe) rather than a standalone printer.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
R&D laboratories, research institutions, and industrial companies in micro-optics, photonics packaging, medical device manufacturing, and micro-fluidics requiring multi-material micro-structures with nanometer precision
Industry Verticals
["Micro-Optics","Photonics and Photonics Packaging","Medical Devices (Micro-needles, Minimally Invasive Tools)","Micro-Fluidics","Optical Data Processing","Tissue Engineering","MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems)"]
Competitors
Nanoscribe (BICO Group); UpNano GmbH; Microlight3D
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Early commercial stage with active sales and demos; exhibiting and presenting at international micro/nano fabrication conferences; note: no post-2021 equity funding rounds are publicly disclosed.
Major Milestones
["Awarded EXIST Transfer of Research grant (German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) starting May 2021","Company founded 2022 as TU Dresden spin-off from MESO3D/cfaed research","Launched MergeOne multi-material printhead for 2PP systems","Demonstrated sub-50 nm overlay accuracy and substrate-independent (transparent/opaque) multi-material micro-printing","Presented and exhibited at SPIE Photonics West; active industry network memberships (OptoNet e.V., EPIC)"]
Notable Customers
University of Nottingham (Nanoscribe GT2 fitted with Heteromerge system, via EuroCurvoBioNet toolbox); Research groups using Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 with Heteromerge add-on (LinkedIn/EPIC/OptoNet posts)