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VBN Components

MaterialsUppsala, SwedenFounded 2008· One of 961 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

Produces 3D-printed wear and heat-resistant metal components (Vibenite® materials) with extreme hardness up to 75.5 HRC using patented Electron Beam Melting; enables complex geometries impossible with traditional machining.

CEO / Founder
Magnus Bergman
Team Size
11-50
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$7.45M
Latest Round
Venture Round
Key Investors
Energimyndigheten; Almi Invest; Vinnova; EIT RawMaterials; Paab

Technology & Products

Key Products

VBN Components offers 3D printed metal components made with five unique Vibenite® materials, including Vibenite® 290 (world's hardest steel), Vibenite® 480 (new cemented carbide for AM), and hard-condition stainless steels. They sell metal tools and components in near-net-shape according to customer drawings, as well as license solutions.

Technological Advantage

Patented EBM process + proprietary alloy compositions create defensible moat; high-carbide-content AM capability is unmatched (verified through patent battle win vs. Uddeholms). Technology enables complex geometry + hardness combination impossible with traditional machining, reducing lead time from 18+ weeks to weeks and enabling design optimization (cooling channels, weight reduction). Wear-life improvement (2x gear hob lifespan, 50% better die performance documented) justifies premium pricing and locks in customer switching costs.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces component wear-related failures and production costs (30–40% documented savings on gear hobs; punches/dies achieve ~50% better performance vs. traditional PM steel) by enabling 3D-printed ultra-hard alloys in complex shapes with integrated cooling channels and topology optimization—eliminates expensive machining and improves part lifetime.

How They Differentiate

Only company 3D-printing metals with carbide content and hardness levels matching Vibenite® 290/480; documented 2x gear hob lifespan and 30–40% production cost savings vs. traditional PM steel; unique cemented carbide formulation via AM (Vibenite® 480). License model enables customers to produce in-house, expanding reach beyond VBN's printing capacity. Patented process defensibility demonstrated through patent litigation win.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Industrial manufacturers needing wear-resistant components in aerospace, automotive, energy, food processing, and tool production

Industry Verticals

Aerospace; Automotive; Energy (oil & gas, industrial equipment); Food processing and confectionery (cutting/processing equipment); Tooling and tool manufacturing; Heavy industrial machinery; Injection molding (plastic tools and molds)

Competitors

Uddeholms AB (Swedish tool steel/wear-resistant materials competitor; patent disputed with VBN); GE Additive / GE Research (metal AM materials and systems); Carpenter Technology (specialty alloys for industrial applications); Other EBM system providers (Arcam, now GE Additive; Electron Beam Melting equipment competition)

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Revenue $5M–$10M (as of data collection date); Team 11–20 employees; Completed fully-subscribed funding round (spring, year unspecified); Expanded manufacturing capacity and moving to larger premises to support workforce growth and production equipment investment.

Major Milestones

Founded: 2008; Patent victory vs. Uddeholms AB: 2019; SKAPA Development Award (Swedish invention prize): 2019; German innovation award for materials development: 2019; Vibenite® 480 launch (3D-printed cemented carbide): ~2017–2018; HTL Co. Japan Ltd. distribution partnership: December 2020; Vibenite® 350 launch (stainless alloy): 2022 (supported by Swedish Energy Agency); CEO appointment (Magnus Bergman): September 2022; Fully-subscribed funding round completed: Spring (2022 or later, year not specified)

Notable Customers

SKF (bearing/machinery OEM, multi-year partnership); ORKLA Confectionery & Snacks (food industry component production); Unnamed global engineering group (major series-production agreement for AM-HSS™ manufacturing); Undisclosed exclusive-license customer (niche high-strength components, confidential); HTL Co. Japan Ltd. (distributor, implying Japanese industrial customer base)

https://vbncomponents.se

Recent coverage of VBN Components

Why this company matters

VBN Components occupies a narrow but defensible niche in additive manufacturing: producing metal components with hardness and carbide content that no other AM process can match. Founded in 2008 in Uppsala, Sweden, the company developed a proprietary Electron Beam Melting (EBM) process and a family of Vibenite® alloys that combine extreme wear and heat resistance with the geometric freedom of 3D printing. Its Vibenite® 290 is marketed as the world's hardest 3D-printed steel, while Vibenite® 480 is the first commercially available 3D-printed cemented carbide.

The core technology is a patented EBM process that enables high-carbide-content metal alloys to be printed without cracking or porosity, a limitation that has prevented other AM systems from reaching comparable hardness levels. VBN sells near-net-shape components to customer drawings and also offers a license model for in-house production. Documented customer results include 30–40% cost savings on gear hobs, 50% better die performance versus traditional powder metallurgy steel, and lead time reductions from 18+ weeks to a few weeks.

Target customers are industrial manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, energy, food processing, and tooling that need wear-resistant parts with complex internal cooling channels or topology-optimized geometries. Named partners include SKF, Orkla Confectionery & Snacks, and HTL Co. Japan Ltd. A multi-year series-production agreement with an unnamed global engineering group suggests growing adoption beyond prototyping. The company has raised approximately $7.45 million from investors including Energimyndigheten, Almi Invest, and Vinnova.

VBN's strategic moat rests on its patented alloy compositions and EBM process, which it successfully defended in a patent litigation against Swedish tool steel competitor Uddeholms AB. The combination of extreme hardness and complex geometry creates high switching costs for customers who validate parts for multi-year production runs. The primary risk is that larger metal AM players—such as GE Additive or Carpenter Technology—develop competing high-carbide materials, or that binder jetting advances erode the cost advantage of EBM for certain geometries.