Industrial microfabrication as a lengthy process

Today, industrial microfabrication is often a very lengthy process that involves a large number of steps to produce the end product (in particular the etching away of unnecessary material). To avoid this, so-called inkjet manufacturing can be used. This is an additive manufacturing process that uses print nozzles that use an electronic control system to spray ink onto a substrate to produce it. This essentially reduces the above-mentioned process to two steps: Printing and curing in the oven.

In conventional inkjet generation, an electrical charge (static electricity) is used to push ink droplets out of the print nozzles. In piezo printing, this charge is used to change the shape of materials in the print head (piezoelectric materials), which in turn push the droplet out of the nozzle. The result is twofold: the droplets can only be as small as the nozzle, which limits the resolution. Only materials with a relatively low viscosity (thin materials that flow easily like water, not honey) can be ejected. On the one hand, this has a negative effect on dissolution, as the droplet dries more slowly and lies 5-10 times flatter on the substrate. It also means that certain materials that are of interest for production cannot be printed.

What makes Scrona so interesting? 

Scrona offers an electrostatic injection printhead that draws the liquid from outside the nozzle. A charge is applied to the ink droplet, which is then propelled forward using deflection plates charged with an opposite polarity.

This results in the entire energy being concentrated on the tip of the nozzle, also known as the meniscus tip, which is significantly smaller than the nozzle itself. Consequently, the size of the droplets is considerably reduced, increasing the resolution by a factor of ten.
Additionally, the viscosity of the materials that can be printed increases, which also positively impacts the resolution and expands the types of products that can be manufactured due to the greater material flexibility.

Transparency in outpatient care

There are now over 3 million people in need of outpatient care in Germany - and the trend is rising. It is often extremely difficult for insurance companies to manage the provision of outpatient care due to a lack of reliable information. This often results in serious under- or overprovision of care for those in need.

Entyres experienced care advisors from Pflegewegweiser visit those in need of care on a regular basis to ensure that care is running optimally and to train them and their caregivers. They also collect structured data on the care situation on site, which enables insurance companies to make data-based decisions to optimize care.

What makes Entyre so interesting? 

Entyre is characterized by an impressive combination of experienced management and forward-thinking product offerings that specifically address the home care market. The team behind Entyre brings a wealth of relevant experience, including leading other startups and working at top-tier consulting firms. This expertise has proven crucial in helping the company stand out in the highly competitive landscape of Switzerland.

Another convincing aspect is Entyre's positioning on the home care market. The product fills a clear gap in the market and offers solutions that are not available from existing competitors. The financial clout and the "venture DNA" make Entyre unique. Entyre is also characterized by a remarkable revenue recurrence rate, driven by long-term patient retention.

Entyre's economic performance is exceptional, with a very strong unit economics that enables rapid customer recovery. In addition, the company has experienced impressive growth, significantly increasing sales volumes. All of these factors made it clear that an investment in Entyre was a strategically smart decision that not only promised commercial success but also had a lasting impact on the market.

Working with 3D data becomes as simple as sharing a link, simply by referencing it from arbitrary sources e.g., existing PDM/PLM solutions, and without any preparation or simplification efforts. Threedy’ s technology enables new, scalable applications over the entire product life cycle, from engineering to after sales - web-based and with zero-footprint on the client. By streamlining their 3D data utilization and communication, companies can also reduce their ecological footprint: business travel can be largely replaced by virtual exchanges, saving resources and time.

Rapidly growing number of partnerships and application scenarios
Over the first three years, Threedy successfully transformed from a Fraunhofer department to an independent company. Since its foundation in late 2020, Threedy has experienced significant growth, almost tripling its staff to build up a team of more than 50 highly skilled professionals from around the world. The company has not only maintained its strong customer relationships, but also experienced remarkable growth, especially in the Automotive and Manufacturing sectors. Threedy' s cutting-edge technology is valued by numerous industry leaders, including the top-tier German car Manufacturers. Furthermore, Threedy has successfully broadened its network of partnerships, expanding beyond the initial focus areas of Automotive and the German market.

With a substantial $10.4M Series A investment, Threedy is now ready for the next step, backed by the new investors LBBW Venture Capital, TRUMPF VENTURE, Futury Capital, and EquityPitcher Ventures. Existing investors Matterwave Ventures, Fraunhofer and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) renewed their commitment by participating in the Series A investment.

Threedy will continue its commitment to the commercialization of its innovative spatial computing infrastructure, accelerating the adoption across industries and application scenarios. The investment will further enable Threedy to drive the evolution of its product portfolio. Threedy’s expansion plans include further internationalization, while remaining dedicated to excellence and innovation, and making a lasting impact in serving their partners’ digital transformation. Threedy is now actively looking for new people in different roles to join its team, individuals who want to shape the future of the industrial digital twin space.

In 2022, sewts launched its first production-ready product, sewts.VELUM – a robotic unit intended for global industrial laundries to overcome the massive labor shortage and increase efficiency. The robot automatically picks up wrinkled towels and feeds them to the folding machines to reduce manual labor at a human-like speed. The market for industrial laundries is often underestimated, but it actually has a global volume of 100 billion Euros in annual sales. 

At the same time, sewts has already begun to invest in the development of additional use cases along the life cycle of textile production, as there is an unprecedented demand for automation solutions. The new technology will not only be needed to overcome the labor shortage but will also help achieve global climate goals and protect human rights. Bringing the production and recycling of textiles closer to the consumer market will greatly reduce CO2 transportation costs, overproduction, and waste.