NovaCentrix

MaterialsAustin, TX, USAFounded 1999· One of 977 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

Develops conductive inks (Metalon® series), nanopowders, and PulseForge® photonic curing tools for printed electronics and additive manufacturing, enabling high-speed sintering on low-temperature substrates like paper and plastic

CEO / Founder: Charles Munson
Team Size: 51-200
Stage: Active
Total Funding: $34.8M
Latest Round: Series C
Key Investors: European Commission; FlexTech Alliance; Capital Conceptions; Castletop Capital; 180 Degree Capital; Air Products; Eyes of Texas Partners; Techxas Ventures

Technology & Products

Key Products

NovaCentrix develops Metalon® series conductive inks (including silver, copper, and gold inks), nanopowders, and PulseForge® photonic curing tools for printed electronics and additive manufacturing. Their solutions enable high-speed sintering on low-temperature substrates like paper and plastic, and also include PulseForge® Soldering tools.

Technological Advantage

Photonic curing achieves 1000x faster processing than conventional methods, reduces energy use by 90%, and allows printing on paper/plastic substrates; technology is protected by multiple patents in sintering and ink composition

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces production time for printed electronics from hours to milliseconds via photonic curing, cuts energy consumption by 90% compared to thermal ovens, enables printing on heat-sensitive substrates, and lowers material waste through precise ink formulations

How They Differentiate

PulseForge tools offer 1000x faster curing than thermal ovens (milliseconds vs. hours) and work on low-cost substrates like paper, while competitors rely on slower thermal methods; Metalon® inks provide higher conductivity (up to 80% bulk silver) with lower sintering temperatures vs. standard silver inks

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Electronics manufacturers, flexible/hybrid electronics producers, IoT/wearables companies, aerospace/automotive suppliers, academic/research institutions

Industry Verticals

Electronics; Aerospace/Defense; Automotive; Medical Devices; Energy; IoT/Wearables

Competitors

DuPont Microcircuit Materials, Henkel, Sun Chemical (DIC), Elephantech, C-INK, C3Nano.

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Five consecutive years of sales growth (2019-2026); products shipped to customers in 37+ countries; introduced Metalon HPSC-U silver-coated copper inks (Oct 2025)

Major Milestones

Founded in 1999; Developed award-winning ICI copper-oxide reduction inks; Announced partnership with Nanohmics (Sep 2024); Showcased flexible hybrid electronics at ICEP 2024 (Jun 2024); Achieved record ink sales in 2019; Strategic partnership with Optomec announced (Jan 2024); Five consecutive years of sales growth (Jan 2026)

Notable Customers

NovaCentrix ships products to customers in over 37 countries, supporting rapid prototyping, process development, and scalable manufacturing across various industries. While specific customer names are not publicly disclosed, they work with clients at all stages of product development and manufacturing.

https://www.novacentrix.com

Why this company matters

NovaCentrix occupies a distinctive position at the intersection of materials science and production equipment for printed electronics. While most conductive inks require slow thermal ovens that limit substrate choice, NovaCentrix developed PulseForge photonic curing tools that sinter Metalon inks in milliseconds on low-temperature materials such as paper and PET. This combination of proprietary ink formulations and flash-lamp sintering hardware gives the company a vertically integrated solution that competitors offering only inks or only curing equipment cannot replicate.

The core technology is photonic curing: high-intensity pulsed light from xenon flash lamps heats only the nanoparticle ink layer, leaving the underlying substrate cool. This achieves 1000x faster processing than conventional thermal methods and reduces energy consumption by roughly 90%. Metalon inks — available in silver, copper, and gold — are formulated to sinter under these rapid pulses and can reach up to 80% bulk silver conductivity. The PulseForge platform also includes soldering tools for attaching components to flexible circuits.

NovaCentrix serves electronics manufacturers, flexible hybrid electronics producers, IoT and wearables companies, and aerospace or automotive suppliers. Applications include RFID antennas, sensors, medical electrodes, and defense-related flexible microwave circuits. The company ships to customers in over 37 countries and has recorded five consecutive years of sales growth. Key partnerships include nScrypt for integrated 3D printing solutions, Nanohmics for flexible microwave electronics, and the Air Force Research Laboratory for defense applications.

The company's strategic moat rests on its patent portfolio covering PulseForge technology, nanoparticle manufacturing, and methods for sintering metal inks on low-temperature substrates. A key open question is whether alternative approaches — such as laser sintering or direct-write conductive polymers — will narrow the performance gap on paper and plastic substrates. NovaCentrix has raised $34.8 million from investors including the European Commission, FlexTech Alliance, and 180 Degree Capital.