Chicago's Phase3D raises $2.9M for additive manufacturing inspection tech

Phase3D, a Chicago-based startup building quality inspection technology for metal 3D printing, has announced an oversubscribed $2.9 million funding round.

The round was led by Quest Venture Partners, with participation from Trinity Capital, Kinisis Ventures, Leroy Street Capital Partners, Asimov Ventures, New York Angels Investment Group, and the Chicago Booth Angel Network.

Alongside the raise, Phase3D said Ray Farrell is joining its board of directors. Farrell brings more than 25 years of experience advising technology companies on intellectual property strategy and commercial growth, according to the announcement.

Phase3D's flagship product, Fringe Inspection, uses structured-light metrology to generate layer-by-layer heightmap data during metal powder bed fusion builds. The approach is designed to give manufacturers visibility into a part while it is being printed rather than after the fact — a capability the company says becomes more important as additive manufacturing moves from prototyping into production.

"This investment will catalyze faster adoption of real-time quality inspection for additive manufacturing," said founder and CEO Niall O'Dowd.

The company said it currently supports 25 enterprise customers across aerospace, defense, and industrial markets, with deployments and collaborations that include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy.

Farrell pointed to that customer base as a factor in his decision to join the board. "When the Phase3D opportunity came up, what stood out was the early customer traction," he said. "It's special to have aerospace and automotive prime customers while simultaneously addressing top-level initiatives from the Air Force, Navy, and NASA."

Phase3D plans to use the funding to expand its manufacturing capabilities, accelerate deployments, and invest further in software and data science, the company said. It described the change as a move from a high-mix custom build model toward standardized manufacturing at scale.

COO and CFO Ben Ferrar framed the round as the company's next stage. "We have been through some distinct stages of growth at Phase3D," he said. "Initially we worked to develop the technology to ensure robust, repeatable measurements for metal additive manufacturing. Next, we focused heavily on deploying our products to customers to translate metrology data into meaningful decisions. Now, this investment enables us to scale up manufacturing as we drive to become the industry standard for in-situ inspection."

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