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VulcanForms

ServiceBurlington, MA, USAFounded 2015· One of 2176 Service companies tracked by AMPulse

An industrial-scale digital manufacturing platform utilizing high-power laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to mass-produce complex metal components for critical industries.

CEO / Founder
Kevin Kassekert
Team Size
201-500
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$575.0M
Latest Round
Series D
Key Investors
Eclipse Ventures; Stata Venture Partners; D1 Capital Partners; Standard Investments; Fontinalis Partners; Industry Ventures; Atlas Innovate; Boston Seed Capital; Altimeter Capital; Maor Investments; Ten Eleven Ventures; Eclipse; 1789 Capital; Washington Harbour; IEQ Capital

Technology & Products

Key Products

VulcanOne Digital Foundry (Integrated production service), Proprietary LPBF Systems (Gen 3 systems featuring 40kW-100kW laser power), Automated Precision Machining & Finishing, Digital Thread Software (Simulation, real-time sensing, and closed-loop control)

Technical position · AMPulse analysis

Full-stack 'Digital Foundry' model that integrates additive manufacturing, subtractive machining, and post-processing into a single digital thread, eliminating the need for multi-vendor outsourcing.

Patent position

VulcanForms filed 72 patent families for 2022 to 2024, a count that rose 157% from 28 for 2019 to 2021, while tracked AM filings in the same patent offices fell 21%. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
72 families filed 2022–2024, 28 in 2019–2021 (+157%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -21%
Process mix, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
Powder bed fusion 87% → 91%Directed energy deposition 30% → 20%
Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
Equipment 100% → 93%Materials 93% → 87%
Filed in
EP 31%US 31%WO 29%CN 9%
Named competitors, AM patent families
Velo3D 84Seurat Technologies 100Relativity Space 53Nikon SLM Solutions 196

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

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Delivers the speed and cost-efficiency of traditional mass production (casting/forging) with the design flexibility of 3D printing, while ensuring a secure, U.S.-based digital supply chain.

How They Differentiate

Unlike competitors who primarily sell 3D printing hardware, VulcanForms operates as an integrated 'Digital Foundry.' They combine proprietary 100-kilowatt class laser systems with automated post-processing and machining. Their technology delivers up to 250x the laser power of standard systems, allowing them to compete directly with traditional industrial casting and forging on speed and cost while maintaining additive design flexibility.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs in highly regulated sectors requiring high-performance, flight-critical, or medical-grade metal parts.

Industry Verticals

Aerospace & Defense, Medical Devices (e.g., orthopedic implants), Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, Automotive & E-Mobility, Energy & Space (e.g., rocket thrusters)

Competitors

Velo3D; Seurat Technologies; Relativity Space; SLM Solutions (Nikon SLM Solutions)

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Scaled from a research-driven startup to operating 'VulcanOne,' the world's highest-throughput metal additive manufacturing facility; expanded leadership team in 2024 with former Tesla and Redwood Materials executives to drive high-volume commercialization.

Major Milestones

Founded in 2015 by MIT Professor A. John Hart and Martin Feldmann, Launched VulcanOne digital foundry in Devens, MA (2022), Secured $355M in total funding to scale industrial capacity (2022), Achieved $1B valuation, Appointed former Tesla VP Kevin Kassekert as CEO to lead high-volume production phase (2024), Acquired Arwood Machine Corp to integrate high-precision machining capabilities, Raised Series D round; plans for world's most productive metal AM plant

Notable Customers

GE Aviation; Raytheon Technologies; Honeywell Aerospace; U.S. Department of Defense; major aerospace & defense OEMs; medical device manufacturers; semiconductor equipment manufacturers

https://www.vulcanforms.com

Recent coverage of VulcanForms

Official records

Filings, certifications, and programme counts AMPulse can show for this company.

  • [C] ITAR · claimed
  • [C] ISO_13485 · claimed

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
109
Granted
21
Families
108

Leading domains: process (109), equipment (103), material (97)

Filings by year: 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 12

  1. OPTICAL PATHS FOR LASER ENERGY SOURCES IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS20240184049 · US
  2. OPTICAL FIBER MODULES FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS2023150276 · WO
  3. SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING RECOATING DEFECTS DURING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES2024118871 · WO
  4. OPTICS SHIELD2024118874 · WO
  5. PLATE MOUNTING IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING04171926 · EP

Funding rounds

  • Series D$220.0M2026-01Lead: Eclipse · Source
  • Series C$241.0M2022-07Lead: N/A · Source: Forbes
  • Series B$100.0M2021-05Lead: Eclipse Ventures · Source: PR Newswire
  • Series A$12.0M2019-05Lead: Eclipse Ventures · Source: TechCrunch
  • Seed$2.0M2017-10Lead: Stata Venture Partners · Source: Crunchbase

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

VulcanForms operates as a full-stack digital foundry, combining proprietary high-power laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) systems with automated post-processing and machining to deliver metal parts at production volumes. The company targets the gap between traditional mass-production methods like casting and forging and the design flexibility of additive manufacturing, offering a secure U.S.-based digital supply chain for regulated industries.

The core technology centers on LPBF systems with 40kW to 100kW laser power, achieved through arrays of over 100 choreographed lasers. This architecture delivers up to 250 times the laser power of standard systems, enabling throughput that competes with conventional industrial processes. The integrated digital thread includes simulation, real-time sensing, and closed-loop control, covering additive build, subtractive finishing, and quality assurance within a single production workflow.

Primary customers include tier-1 suppliers and OEMs in aerospace and defense, medical devices, semiconductor equipment, automotive and e-mobility, and energy and space. Named clients include GE Aviation, Raytheon Technologies, Honeywell Aerospace, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Applications range from flight-critical aerospace components and orthopedic implants to rocket thrusters and semiconductor manufacturing hardware.

VulcanForms differentiates from hardware-focused competitors like Velo3D and Seurat Technologies by operating as a production service rather than a machine seller. The company's VulcanOne facility in Devens, Massachusetts, is positioned as the world's highest-throughput metal additive manufacturing plant. Founded in 2015 by MIT Professor A. John Hart and Martin Feldmann, the company has raised $575 million and appointed former Tesla VP Kevin Kassekert as CEO in 2024 to lead its high-volume commercialization phase.