AM Business is booming now & into the future.Good Day All Longs, Peter has said before that a # of PYR NDAs tie in with significant players within the global AM business. Eventually disclosures may be made with the NDAs plus new targeted partnerships to be announced in the global 3D powder AM business. Targeted is a very critical part that Peter is very much aware that will shape & ensure a strong future for PYR. Two significant firms getting involved with PYR that we know of is Rolls Royce & the US Navy/Military. Take a moment to review too the PYR board members & notice who is literally tied into the US military. ' Nuff ' said. These 2 PYR customers certainly validate PYR's products/business. Remember too that the US military & PYR collaborated to build the plasma system for the carriers at a cost of greater than $50M in which PYR made good profits on. This $50M plus from the US military certainly points towards/validates the high quality/innovative/ uniqueness & deliverability of the PYR product. Note also that the Navy is well aware of the huge advantages of 3D printing on board ships. Another plus for PYR's 3D powder business. Certainly would be nice to know if any tie ins with Desktop Metal. Desktop Metals $160M funding breaks records in Additive Manufacturing business The MA-based metal 3D printer manufacturer Desktop Metal has closed a new $160 million funding. The Series E round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), venture capital and private equity firm with revenues over $110 billion and helmed by Chase Koch of the famed financier dynasty. Also contributing to the round were GV (formerly Google Ventures), Panasonic, and Techtronic Industries, as well as previous venture capital investors in the company, including Lux Capital, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Kleiner Perkins. The deal brings total funding at Desktop Metal to $438 million, the highest funded private 3D printing endeavor in history. This takes the estimated valuation of Desktop Metal to $1.5 billion. Desktop Metals 3D printing solutions can redefine prototyping and mass production of metal products, which has profound disruptive implications for manufacturers like Koch Industries. .Chase Koch, president of Koch Disruptive Technologies Ric Fulop, co-founder and CEO explained that,This new funding will fuel the continued development of our metal 3D printing technology and rich product roadmap, the scaling of operations to meet a growing demand of orders, and the financing of major new research and development initiatives. Combined, this will set us on a trajectory to become a global leader in metal 3D printing, a key pillar of Industry 4.0. The CEO of Desktop Metal Ric Fulop, presenting office-friendly metal printing. Image: Michael Petch Volume shipping of the Desktop Studio system is now underway, and available in 48 countries through a network of over 85 partners and resellers. Shipping of the Production system is scheduled for Q1 2019. An AM metal fuel nozzle for John Zink with Desktop Metal technology. Image: Desktop Metal. Additive Manufacturing systems from Desktop Metal A Desktop Metal spokesperson would not be drawn on whether this rich product roadmap includes expanding the current range of 3D printing technologies beyond the Studio and Production systems. However, when coupled with statements about major R&D activity and close connections with MIT, it seems reasonable to expect exciting developments are in the pipeline. One such project may see the commercialization of research into 3D printing of amorphous metals such as bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). The company has not disclosed how the latest funding round changes the total valuation of the enterprise. To disrupt traditional manufacturing Desktop Metal said in the news marks an inflection point where metal 3D printing begins to disrupt traditional manufacturing. Certainly, the growing use of metal AM is supported by views from those including the DMG Mori president who expects the 2020s to be the decade of additive manufacturing. The total funding to date of $438 million is a substantial sum, almost than the combined cash on hand at Stratasys (Q3 2018 $348m) and 3D Systems (Q3 2018 $92m). Estimates place Desktop Metals new valuation (around $1.5 billion) in the region of the $1.4 billion paid by GE for Arcam and Concept Laser in 2017. Fulop has chalked up a strong track record in his 15+ years as an entrepreneur. As a General Partner at North Bridge he led a number of Series A rounds, including those of 3D printing related ventures Onshape and MarkForged. He also was an early mover in the energy storage sector specifically lithium ion batteries. In addition to strong connections with finance world, Fulop also has the ear of industrial leaders. This week the Desktop Metal CEO was on several panels at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The latest round continues the trend of including strategic industrial partners and customers. Ford participated in an earlier $65 Million round, adding weight to Desktop Metals earlier identification of the opportunity for additive in the automotive sector. The latest round also brings with it another end-user of Desktop Metal technology. In this case John Zink, a company serving the chemical processing, oil, and gas, manufacturing, power generation, energy transmission, and waste management markets and also part of the Koch Industries family of companies. In addition to substantial sums of money, Desktop Metal has also received a number of prestigious accolades not least the 2017 3D Printing Industry Start-up of the Year........... Best wishes to All Longs, Sincerely, Topseeker