Arc Impact acquires Desktop Metal assets
Relaunching as an AI-driven advanced manufacturing platform
No company ever disappears in additive manufacturing. Even if one company goes bankrupt, its technologies almost always live on, as new entities take over to relaunch it and achieve its initial goals. After ExOne, BCN, Velo3D and others, now all Desktop Metal assets that were not yet acquired by Anzu Partners (ExOne’s sand business and EnvisionTEC/ETEC) have been acquired by Arc Impact Acquisition Corporation out of Chapter 11. Arc is relaunching the business as an advanced manufacturing platform that combines binder-jet metal and ceramic additive manufacturing with production-grade polymers and AI-assisted materials R&D to onshore critical U.S. production.
Under new ownership, the company’s mission is restoring American and domestic manufacturing capacity—from defense, automotive, and aerospace parts to high-performance medical and energy components—by combining binder-jet metal and ceramic printing, production-grade polymer platforms, and AI-assisted materials discovery into a unified platform built for speed, cost efficiency, and domestic resiliency.
Arc Impact will focus on programs where domestic, scalable manufacturing is essential to economic competitiveness and national security—including heavy, rare-earth-free permanent magnets, sodium-ion solid-state battery components, solid-state transformer parts for AI data centers and grid modernization, and other high-consequence applications.
“Our north star is simple: put advanced, automated manufacturing back to work in domestic markets,” said Thomas Nogueira, Chief Executive Officer. “By pairing proven additive processes with data-driven, autonomous workflows and AI-accelerated materials R&D, we can shorten development cycles from years to months—and deliver qualified parts at scale to solve our customers’ challenges with high precision and service.”
Accelerating autonomous manufacturing
The acquired portfolio includes Desktop Metal’s binder-jet IP and know-how (covering the Production System and X-Series platforms), Adaptive3D’s DuraChain elastomers and FreeFoam expandable resins—creating a comprehensive stack for end-use parts across metals, ceramics, and elastomeric polymers. The company will deploy these assets in a distributed R&D-as-a-Service network, collaborating with universities to feed successful prototypes into centralized, high-throughput manufacturing hubs.
“Binder jetting’s throughput and per-part economics unlock true production in metals,” said Rick Lucas, Chief Growth Officer. “Coupled with our ceramic capability—including carbides for industrial, energy and defense markets—and elastomer platforms for medical and industrial applications, we can address programs that conventional methods can’t touch on speed and part complexity.”
“AI is a force multiplier,” added Jonah Myerberg, Chief Innovation Officer. “With high-fidelity process data, digital twins, and simulation-led tools, we’ll continuously optimize chemistries, geometries, and sintering profiles to maximize performance and economics.”
Key programs and applications
Arc Impact will immediately expand on several high-impact government and commercial initiatives already in motion. These include a $7.9 million collaborative program with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), administered by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), focused on qualifying aluminum binder jet additive manufacturing (BJAM) for defense vehicle components.
The company is also advancing multiple U.S. Department of Defense projects aimed at developing silicon carbide (SiC) components and pioneering SiC 3D printing techniques to enhance missile defense system performance. Among these efforts is a collaboration with Northrop Grumman to 3D print SiC optics for high-energy laser systems.
Additionally, Arc Impact is supporting a $2 million program with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to produce FreeFoam parts, including patient cushioning devices, using digital light processing (DLP) technology. Collectively, these initiatives highlight Arc Impact’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing, delivering breakthrough value in critical sectors such as clean energy and veteran healthcare. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved the transaction, enabling these efforts as part of the Desktop Metal Chapter 11 restructuring process.
Current customers with questions about ongoing projects, orders, or service support may contact the organization at info@desktopmetal.com. A dedicated team is in place to ensure continuity, maintain product quality, and support customers.
