MaterialsLondon, United KingdomFounded 2017· One of 955 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse
Highly strain-rate sensitive thermoplastic elastomer designed for extrusion-based FDM 3D printing, providing advanced energy control and impact absorption for industrial applications.
CEO / Founder
Stephen Bates
Team Size
11-50
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$19.9M
Latest Round
Series A
Key Investors
GrowthInvest; LGB & Co; Innovate UK; CITY PARTNERSHIP NOMINEE; Enterprise Hub - Royal Academy of Engineering
Technology & Products
Key Products
RHEON™ thermoplastic elastomer (pellets for FDM printing)
Technological Advantage
Proprietary RHEON Cells auxetic architecture (negative Poisson's ratio) outperforms traditional foam in impact absorption; FDM-printable in standard TPE filament form; 80+ patent filings across 8 generations of IP protection; energy-controlling cell designs registered separately per commercial partner
Differentiation
Value Proposition
RHEON Cells geometry enables 3D-printed impact protection that is both lighter and more effective than foam, with the ability to be customized for any body contour or product form factor
How They Differentiate
RHEON Cells auxetic geometry provides strain-rate sensitivity — soft under normal conditions, instantly stiffens on impact; 3D printable via FDM enabling custom fit and complex geometries impossible with foam
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Industrial manufacturers and product designers requiring advanced material properties in 3D-printed components
Founded 2017 in London, UK; developed RHEON Cells auxetic TPE material for impact protection; £7M Series A July 2019; £4M follow-on equity December 2020; £4.1M Series A March 2021; NFL Helmet Challenge 2021 winner; customers include adidas, Decathlon, Ruroc, Milwaukee Tool, Xenith, FLY Racing; 80+ patent filings globally; Innovate UK NICER Programme 2023
RHEON LABS LTD occupies a narrow but defensible niche in polymer additive manufacturing: strain-rate sensitive auxetic thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) for FDM printing. Unlike conventional foams or rigid composites, its material remains soft under normal conditions and stiffens instantly upon impact, enabled by a proprietary auxetic cell geometry with negative Poisson's ratio. The company positions itself between commodity foam suppliers and custom rigid composite fabricators, offering a 3D-printable alternative that can be tailored to body contours and product form factors.
The core product is RHEON™ TPE supplied in pellet form for FDM extrusion. The material's auxetic architecture, which the company calls RHEON Cells, is the key differentiator: it outperforms traditional foam in energy absorption while enabling complex geometries impossible with subtractive or molding processes. RHEON Labs has filed 80+ patents across eight generations of IP, covering material science, mechanical engineering, and electronics domains, with key filings including WO2020053308A1 (energy absorbing material) and US20230225429A1 (wearable items).
Customers include sportswear and protective equipment OEMs such as FLY Racing, RuRoc, and Decathlon, as well as adidas, Milwaukee Tool, and Xenith. The company won the NFL Helmet Challenge in 2021, validating its technology for high-impact head protection. Applications span athletic gear, helmets, automotive interior padding, and defense equipment. RHEON Labs has raised approximately $19.9M in equity from investors including GrowthInvest, LGB & Co, and Innovate UK, with a Series A round of £7M in July 2019 and follow-on funding through 2021.
The company's strategic moat rests on its proprietary auxetic material chemistry and the breadth of its IP portfolio, which covers both the material formulation and the cell geometry designs registered per commercial partner. However, the addressable market for 3D-printable impact-absorbing TPE remains nascent, and adoption depends on OEMs integrating FDM into production workflows for protective components. RHEON Labs' partnerships with FET (reactive fiber collaboration) and the Innovate UK NICER Programme for circular economy suggest an effort to extend the material's relevance beyond rigid printed parts into textiles.
Competitive Intelligence
Competitors, SWOT analysis, and investment insights