The MIT Self Assembly Lab’s liquid-in-liquid 3D printing technology got a lot of press attention and publicity when it was originally introduced.
We were sceptical about it, to be honest. Then BMW began to experiment with it, demonstrating that Rapid Liquid Printing technology held a lot of promise for automotive elastomer applications. That’s when we realized the technology’s full potential.
Now, BMW has taken it even more seriously,
leading investment in the seed round of Rapid Liquid Print (RLP) and its gel-printing technology through BMW I Businesses (which has previously supported other successful AM ventures such as Desktop Metal).
RLP produces soft,
flexible goods without retooling or post-processing by using
industry-standard materials such as soft rubber, silicone, and foams. MassMutual, through its MM Catalyst Fund,
is also taking part in the round (MMCF).
RLP, like other well-known 3D printing companies like Zcorp and ExOne, has an exclusive license from MIT
. It’s for technologies created at MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab in this example.
The researchers have established a new printing method in which a liquid item is “printed” in three dimensions within a gel suspension.
After printing, the object cures and is ready to use with minimal post-processing.
In a couple of minutes, RLP creates large-scale items out of high-grade elastomer
materials including rubber, foams, and plastics.
Traditional 3D printing is constrained by slow speeds,
small build volumes, and poor material quality, making it untrustworthy as a manufacturing technique.
RLP revolutionizes the way large-scale, elastomeric, airtight, and high-quality goods are created in minutes.
A novel revolutionizing technology
“RLP’s groundbreaking technology is revolutionizing the 3D-printing sector by allowing the rapid printing of elastomeric structures of unlimited size and complexity,”
stated Marcus Behrendt, Partner and CEO of BMW I Ventures.
“The RLP team can continue to demonstrate its commitment to creating high-quality,
low-cost elastomer goods with the help of BMW I Ventures.”
Schendy Kernizan,
RLP’s Founder and CEO, previously co-directed and led researchers and students at MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab to deliver projects for companies such as Google, BMW, and Steelcase. Bjrn Sparrman,
RLP’s Co-Founder and CTO, also handled the technical operations at the MIT Self-Assembly Lab and has
led the charge for the development of RLP’s 3D printing technology since its beginnings.
Skylar Tibbits and Jared Laucks, both Directors at MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, are additional co-founders.
“We’ve spent years honing our technology and developing a product that addresses the industry’s pain concerns.” RLP “removes design constraints, can print large-scale and many things at once, and is faster than any other option on the market,” according to Kernizan.
“We will accelerate our capacity to offer a wide array of solutions to a bigger market with this funding from BMW I Ventures and MM Catalyst Fund.”
“The novel technology, the extremely adaptable production process and excellent leadership team at Rapid Liquid Print drew MMCF’s attention,”
stated Liz Roberts,
Head of Impact Investing at MassMutual.
“We’re thrilled to partner with BMW I Ventures to help RLP as it revolutionizes the 3D-printing process and expands its creative capabilities to new clients.”
The new funding will be used by RLP to further enhance their 3D printing solutions,
allowing them to expand inside existing customers as
well as into new markets with new applications and materials.
