Introducing—Fathom + Desktop Metal
Fathom Partners with Desktop Metal in Go-To-Market Strategy This Year Additive Technology Expert Expands Its Machine Portfolio with Innovative Metal 3D Printing Systems and Will Adopt the Technologies as Part of Its In-House Advanced Manufacturing Solutions and Managed Services
Oakland, California—May 17, 2017—Fathom, an advanced manufacturer with an expertise in additive manufacturing and 3D printing, announced it has signed a partner agreement with Desktop Metal and will adopt the technologies as part of its in-house advanced manufacturing solutions and managed services to further develop its focus on changing the way products are designed and manufactured. Desktop Metal, a company committed to making metal 3D printing accessible to global manufacturers and engineers, recently introduced two office-friendly metal 3D printing systems with an innovative approach to fabricating metal parts faster, safer and more cost effectively.
“Fathom is very excited to partner with Desktop Metal to help bring a lower barrier-of-entry solution for metal additive technologies to a broader engineering and manufacturing market,” said Rich Stump, Co-Founder and Principal at Fathom. “With current metal 3D printing equipment, it is cost prohibitive to 3D print metal prototype parts. Desktop Metal has introduced a solution, the Studio System, which will allow designers and engineers to cost effectively produce metal prototypes.”
“We are excited to be partnering with Fathom both as a manufacturing service center and a sales partner as we look to broaden the adoption of our metal 3D printing systems,” said Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal. “Rich Stump and Michelle Mihevc have built an incredible team who will be integral in expanding market opportunities and driving the growth of our customer base across diverse industries.
The DM Studio System™ is based on the Metal Injection Molding (MIM) process and will start shipping this September. It is the first office-friendly platform for metal 3D printing and is dramatically less expensive than existing technology. The Studio System will be sold as a package, for $120,000, which includes the metal 3D printer, debinder and microwave-enhanced sintering furnace.
“Fathom and Desktop Metal share a passion for additive technologies, as well as a similar vision for finding unique processes that change the way products are designed and manufactured today—so when we heard about what was in development at Desktop Metal, we knew we had to be involved as one of their first customers and now as a go-to-market partner,” said Michelle Mihevc, Co-Founder and Principal at Fathom. “We feel very strongly that by providing this solution, one that is both office friendly and accessible at a lower cost, there will be immediate growth in the adoption of metal 3D printing. Our team already has plans for R&D exploration into furthering application innovations for this technology. For example, we aim to leverage our expertise in 3D printed tooling to develop a process that achieves more robust tools even faster and more economically.”
Desktop Metal also introduced a second platform, the DM Production System™, which is scheduled for release in 2018. It is the fastest machine for mass production of high resolution, 3D printed metal parts and is 100x faster than existing laser-based technology today. Desktop Metal aims to drastically lower cost-per-part using a proprietary Single Pass Jetting (SPJ) technology instead of a laser-based one.
“With the introduction of Desktop Metal’s SPJ Technology for production use, we believe this will contribute to significant growth in our customer’s adoption of metal-based additive manufacturing of end-use parts,” said Mihevc. “By providing more throughput at a lower cost, the opportunity with digital manufacturing will be even greater.”
Fathom has been selling and supporting enterprise 3D printing systems since 2008. Four years later, co-founders Stump and Mihevc opened a full-service additive production center with an expertise in blending foundational manufacturing technologies with digital fabrication. Its customers have an ever-increasing demand for faster speeds and greater design freedom, so the team will also be an early adopter of Desktop Metal’s technology as part of its comprehensive advanced manufacturing services built on an “Outside-In” methodology.
“We help companies focus on how a product should function rather than how it’s made, designing from the outside-in, to drive greater innovation and push the limits of manufacturing,” said Stump. “By not limiting designs based on traditional manufacturing constraints, companies can solve high-value problems and increase product functionality. Solutions from Desktop Metal will provide the industry with additional technologies that support this approach and it will greatly impact how products are designed and manufactured today.”
Fathom is a Stratasys Diamond partner and award-winning advanced manufacturer of prototypes and production parts. To learn more about equipment by Desktop Metal and availability from Fathom, you can sign up to reserve a system.
