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NanoSteel

Former entity

MaterialsProvidence, RI, USAFounded 2002· One of 1019 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

Designs and commercializes patented nanostructured steel alloys for additive manufacturing (metal powders) and automotive lightweighting (sheet steel), delivering exceptional strength, ductility, and wear resistance.

CEO / Founder
David Paratore
Team Size
51-200
Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
$50.7M
Latest Round
Venture Round
Key Investors
GM Ventures; EnerTech Capital; Fairhaven Capital Partners; Lear Corporation; SPDG; Chrysalix Venture Capital

Technology & Products

Key Products

BLDRmetal™ powders for binder jetting; Tool steel powders for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF); Nano-structured sheet steel for automotive; Engineered powders for shot peening/HIP

Technological Advantage

Patented nanostructured steel alloys enable crack-free 3D printing of high-hardness parts (99.9% density vs. industry ~98%) and automotive sheet steel with 2-3x higher strength-to-weight ratio, protected by 400+ patents worldwide.

Patent position

NanoSteel filed 16 patent families across all years, equal to QuesTek Innovations' 16 and below Desktop Metal's 83. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
0 families filed 2022–2024, 0 in 2019–2021
Filed in
EP 31%CN 31%US 25%WO 13%
Named competitors, AM patent families
QuesTek Innovations 16Desktop Metal 83

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

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces production costs by enabling crack-free 3D printing of high-hardness steel parts (99.9% density) and cuts automotive weight by 20-30% via ultra-high-strength sheet steel, accelerating adoption of AM for wear-resistant applications.

How They Differentiate

Achieves 99.9% density in crack-free steel powders vs. Modumetal's laminated nanostructures; offers broader alloy portfolio for binder jetting/LPBF than QuesTek's integrated design; 30% higher wear resistance than conventional tool steels per customer benchmarks.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Industrial manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, and heavy equipment sectors seeking high-performance metal components

Industry Verticals

Automotive; Aerospace; Oil & Gas; Industrial Equipment; Additive Manufacturing

Competitors

Modumetal; QuesTek Innovations; Desktop Metal (via materials division)

Growth & Milestones

Major Milestones

Founded as spin-out from Idaho National Laboratory (2002); Launched first AM powders for binder jetting (2015); Spun out Formetrix for AM powders commercialization (2018); U.S. Steel acquired flat-rolled sheet patents and trademarks (March 2021); Company status changed/April 2022 per SEC filings

Notable Customers

General Motors; Lear Corporation; Trinity Rail Corporation

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
16
Granted
3
Families
16

Leading domains: material (16), process (16), equipment (3)

Filings by year: 2017: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 2

  1. LAYERED CONSTRUCTION OF METALLIC MATERIALS03142855 · EP
  2. Infiltrated segregated ferrous materials108349214 · CN
  3. 3D PRINTABLE HARD FERROUS METALLIC ALLOYS FOR POWDER BED FUSION03535086 · EP
  4. INFILTRATED FERROUS MATERIALS107427924 · CN
  5. Layered construction of metallic materials10654100 · US

Funding rounds

  • Venture Round$15M2017-02Source
  • Series CUndisclosed2012-08Source: AutoNews - August 2012
  • Venture Round$8M2009-08Source: Global Venturing - August 2012

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Nanosteel designs and commercializes nanostructured steel alloys for additive manufacturing and automotive lightweighting. Founded in 2002 as a spin-out from Idaho National Laboratory, the company targets industrial manufacturers needing high-strength, wear-resistant metal components without the cracking and density issues common in conventional tool steels.

The company's core technology is a proprietary Rapid Alloy Design process that leverages nano-scale microstructures to combine hardness, ductility, and wear resistance. Key products include BLDRmetal powders for binder jetting and tool steel powders for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). These materials enable crack-free printing of high-hardness steel parts at 99.9% density, compared to the industry average of roughly 98%. Nanosteel also produces nanostructured sheet steel for automotive lightweighting, offering 2-3x higher strength-to-weight ratio than conventional steels.

Nanosteel serves automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, and industrial equipment sectors. Named customers include General Motors, Lear Corporation, and Trinity Rail Corporation. The company has raised $50.7 million from investors including GM Ventures, EnerTech Capital, and Fairhaven Capital Partners. In 2021, U.S. Steel acquired Nanosteel's flat-rolled sheet patents, and the company spun out Formetrix in 2018 to commercialize AM powders.

Nanosteel's strategic moat rests on over 400 patents covering nanostructured steel compositions and manufacturing processes. Its powders achieve 30% higher wear resistance than conventional tool steels per customer benchmarks. However, the sale of its sheet steel IP to U.S. Steel may limit growth in automotive lightweighting, and competition from QuesTek Innovations and Desktop Metal's materials division pressures the AM powder segment.