Thermwood
Pioneer in CNC routers and Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) systems for thermoplastic composite molds, tooling, and large-format parts.
- CEO / Founder
- Ken Susnjara
- Team Size
- 51-200
- Stage
- Public
- Total Funding
- Publicly Traded
- Latest Round
- IPO
Technology & Products
Key Products
LSAM (Large Scale Additive Manufacturing) systems, LSAM 1020, LSAM 510, LSAM Additive Printers, CNC routers for wood/plastics/aerospace, Model 77 Super Control System
Technical position · AMPulse analysis
Two-step near-net-shape production process: prints large thermoplastic composite parts then trims to final spec on same machine; Proprietary AMD technology; 55+ years of CNC expertise; Machines used by NASA for Mars Lander and Boeing 777X tooling.
Patent position
Thermwood filed 19 patent families in 2022-2024, down from 29 in 2019-2021, a 34% fall that outpaced the 25% drop in tracked AM filings across the same patent offices, while its equipment focus slipped from 100% to 86% of its filings and its total of 83 families far exceeds named peers CEAD, Cincinnati Incorporated, and Ingersoll Machine Tools. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 19 families filed 2022–2024, 29 in 2019–2021 (-34%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -25%
- Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
- Equipment 100% → 86%
- Filed in
- US 40%EP 33%WO 28%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- Ingersoll Machine Tools 5Cincinnati Incorporated 6CEAD 9
83 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Industrial-scale 3D printing combined with CNC trimming on same machine for large composite parts up to 40 feet long, enabling rapid tooling production in days vs months.
How They Differentiate
Combined print and trim capability on same machine; Industrial scale (40ft+ parts); Decades of CNC expertise; Vertical integration from controls to machines
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Aerospace manufacturers, marine/boat builders, automotive tooling companies, composites manufacturers, defense contractors
Industry Verticals
Aerospace, Marine, Automotive, Defense, Furniture, Composites Manufacturing
Competitors
Ingersoll Machine Tools, Cincinnati Inc (BAAM), CEAD
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Market leader in LFAM since 2016; Expanded to European market (JEC World); Growing aerospace customer base; 175,000 sq ft manufacturing facility
Major Milestones
Founded 1969; Built first commercial CNC control system (1970s); Introduced LSAM (2016); Boeing 777X tooling partnership; Bell helicopter blade mold (18.5ft); Purdue LSAM Research Lab; JEC World Europe debut (2024)
Notable Customers
Boeing (777X program), Bell Helicopter, NASA, ST Engineering MRAS, Ascent Aerospace, D-J Engineering, Airbus, major boat manufacturers
Recent coverage of Thermwood
- Thermwood: Large-Format AM Tooling Requires a Different Qualification Burden, Not a Lighter One3dadept.com
- D-J Engineering replaces welded-metal aerospace tooling with Thermwood large-scale 3D printing, cutting lead times from...3dadept.com
- Thermwood's Cut Layer Additive System two-year update: what's changed and why it matters for industrials3dadept.com
- Thermwood will 3D print matched carbon-fiber drone molds live at JEC World 2026 using its 5x10 foot LSAM AP510 system.3dadept.com
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 90
- Granted
- 29
- Families
- 83
Leading domains: process (90), equipment (70), material (11)
Filings by year: 2025: 1 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 11
- SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PRINTING COMPONENTS USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING03877147 · EP
- METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMPENSATING FOR THERMAL EXPANSION DURING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING3645250 · EP
- METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PRODUCING BOAT MOLDS BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING04106975 · EP
- IMPROVED COMPRESSION ROLLER DESIGN AND METHOD FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING03706979 · EP
- APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRINTING LARGE THERMOPLASTIC PARTS DURING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING03681693 · EP