Metal additive manufacturing technology was once reserved for university research and little else; now, more and more industries are looking to this tool to develop and manufacture products at a faster and lower cost. Until Xact Metal, though, this tool was a privilege reserved primarily for those companies that could afford the associated cost; for small- and mid-sized companies, it was often out of reach.

“We’d like manufacturers to experience the benefits of high-quality 3D metal printing at the best price possible,” says Juan Mario Gomez, CEO. “Xact Metal aims to change the perception that additive manufacturing is only for capital-rich companies.”

So, how fitting that Xact Metal found its home right within Innovation Park, where a growing number of companies exist who are looking for these resources to grow their own startups and initiatives?

“We recognize the need for additive manufacturing to offer higher performance in a sustainable way. More than just spotting a market gap, we are working on a new line of printers to allow more customers access to systems without sacrificing performance,” says Matt Woods, CTO.

Gomez and Woods are certainly the people to bring the solution to fruition. Gomez has a history at GE, traveling the globe to lead startup units and working within the aviation, energy, oil & gas and automotive industries; Woods, a Penn State alum with a mechanical engineering background, brings his experience from both SpaceX and CIMP-3D, another Innovation Park tenant, to the table.

Xact Metal just recently unveiled its first solution to the metal 3D printing price conundrum, in Pittsburgh, during RAPID + TCT 2017. The first 3D printer that it will be offering is XM200.

“Priced at $120,000, the XM200 is our first industrial 3D printer, offering outstanding performance and affordability. We believe it will make a big impact on our customers’ Additive Manufacturing needs,” says Gomez.

“The XM200 is designed with the needs of customers in mind,” adds Woods. “The large build volume gives great flexibility to print a variety of parts. The system is highly accessible and easy to use and its modern software architecture is streamlined, intuitive and supportive of visual workflows. And with a compact footprint, the XM200 allows customers to put one or several systems in their work areas.”

The XM200 does indeed boast a compact footprint, and could easily fit into any lab or facility, but that doesn’t interfere with the large build volume, allowing users to print multiple parts quickly. Additionally, the added technology makes the user experience even better, with a touch screen and cloud connectivity, for monitoring from anywhere that’s convenient.

Now, Xact is taking its brand on the road, visiting tradeshows around the world. If you’re in the industry yourself, you can catch them at the Additive Manufacturing Conference in Knoxville in October, Formnext in Frankfurt in November or the Defence Manufacturing Conference in Tampa in December.