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Microfabrica

HardwareVan Nuys, California, USAFounded 1999· One of 1636 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Develops high-volume production micro-scale additive manufacturing systems using proprietary electrochemical deposition (EFAB) technology, enabling complex metal structures with features as small as 40 microns for medical, aerospace, and semiconductor applications.

CEO / Founder
Eric C. Miller
Team Size
51-200
Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
$62.6M
Latest Round
Acquired
Key Investors
Versant Ventures; Interwest Partners; Draper Fisher Jurvetson; Chevron Technology Ventures; DynaFund Ventures; Partech; Threshold Ventures; Technoprobe

Technology & Products

Key Products

High-resolution additive manufacturing systems for complex, microscopic metal parts, including semiconductor devices. Proprietary material: Valloy-120™.

Technical position · AMPulse analysis

Proprietary Electrochemical Additive Manufacturing (EFAB) process achieves 99.7% density in metal parts, protected by 49 patents in additive manufacturing and microfabrication (e.g., US patents held by team members).

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces production lead times for micro-scale components from months to weeks, enables monolithic fabrication of multi-part assemblies eliminating manual assembly, and achieves tolerances within +/- 2 microns for high-precision applications in medical and aerospace.

How They Differentiate

3x higher precision (40-micron features vs. 100+ microns for typical metal AM) and 10x faster production scaling for micro-scale parts compared to traditional MEMS fabrication, with ability to produce multi-part assemblies monolithically.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Medical device manufacturers, aerospace companies, semiconductor test equipment providers, and electronics firms requiring micro-scale precision parts.

Industry Verticals

Medical Devices; Aerospace; Semiconductor; Electronics

Competitors

Xidas; Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; Conrad Electronic

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Revenue estimated at $17.8M to $22.3M with 76-131 employees, serving medical, aerospace, and semiconductor sectors.

Major Milestones

Founded in 1999 as MemGen; Raised $22.5M Series B in 2008; Acquired by Technoprobe in 2019; Developed submillimeter forceps with US Endoscopy; Launched MICA Freeform platform

Notable Customers

US Endoscopy (for submillimeter forceps); Semiconductor test equipment manufacturers (via Technoprobe integration)

https://www.microfabrica.com

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
4
Granted
0
Families
4

Leading domains: process (4), application (2)

Filings by year: 2013: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2003: 1 · 2002: 1

  1. MINIATURE SHREDDING TOOL FOR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS02326266 · EP
  2. METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING PARALLELISM OF LAYERS AND/OR ACHIEVING DESIRED THICKNESSES OF LAYERS DURING THE ELECTROCHEMICAL FABRICATION OF STRUCTURES01711961 · EP
  3. COUNTERFEITING DETERENT AND SECURITY DEVICES SYSTEMS AND METHODS03022064 · EP
  4. METHODS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MOLDING STRUCTURES01576207 · EP

Funding rounds

  • AcquiredAcquisition2019-04-18Lead: Technoprobe · Source: PRNewswire, Technoprobe
  • Venture Round$3M2012-01-05Source: Bounce Watch
  • Series B$22.5M2008-09-04Lead: Versant Ventures and Interwest Partners · Source: Medlatest, BioSpace, PE Hub

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Microfabrica occupies a niche at the intersection of microfabrication and metal additive manufacturing. Its proprietary EFAB process uses electrochemical deposition guided by lithographic masks, enabling features as small as 40 microns with tolerances within +/- 2 microns. This positions the company between traditional MEMS fabrication and powder-bed metal AM, offering design flexibility without sacrificing precision.

The core technology, Electrochemical Additive Manufacturing (EFAB), builds parts layer by layer through selective electrodeposition. It achieves 99.7% density in metal components and supports monolithic fabrication of multi-part assemblies, eliminating manual assembly steps. The company's proprietary Valloy-120 material is tailored for micro-scale applications. Production lead times shrink from months to weeks compared to conventional micro-machining.

Primary customers include medical device manufacturers, aerospace firms, and semiconductor test equipment providers. A notable collaboration with US Endoscopy produced submillimeter forceps. In the semiconductor space, Microfabrica's technology integrates with Technoprobe's probe card manufacturing for wafer test applications. The company was acquired by Technoprobe in 2019 and has raised $62.6M from investors including Versant Ventures, Interwest Partners, and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

Microfabrica's moat rests on 49 patents covering micro heat transfer arrays, thermal management for semiconductors, and multi-layer mask-based fabrication. Its precision advantage—3x finer features than typical metal AM—and ability to scale to high volumes create a defensible position. The primary risk is market education: engineers accustomed to MEMS or micro-CNC may be slow to adopt an electrochemical AM workflow for production.