Business Alliance Invests in Freshmade 3D
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Mahoning Valley Business Alliance announced Monday that it made an investment in Freshmade 3D for an undisclosed sum.
Freshmade 3D provides 3D-printing design, scanning and reverse engineering services, including medium- to large-scale finishings. In October 2017, the company made news by printing a functional bowling ball using its proprietary printing material, AMClad.
AMClad’s sand composite – isotropic engineered particulate composite in industry terms – is designed to have higher tensile, flexural and compression strengths, which allows it to stretch further, bend more and be subjected to more weight than other materials. When added to 3D-printed silica mediums, AMClad adds strength and durability to the finished product, which can be used for tooling, functional parts, prototypes, artwork, models and displays.
“Additive manufacturing has really just begun making an entry into the marketplace,” said Joe Danyi, a partner with the Mahoning Valley Business Alliance, or MVBA. “There is so much room for development and growth as these new technologies for manufacturing start to make their impacts. I think Freshmade 3D has the right services and product offerings to start making strides of integrating printed 3D technology into traditional production of manufactured goods.”
Chris Jaskiewicz, MVBA partner, complimented the work and knowledge of Freshmade 3D’s executive team, including CEO Rich Wetzel, president and chief operations officer, Christopher Tomko and chief technical officer, Brett Conner.
“When you invest in a company, you are really investing in the people,” Jaskiewicz said. “We will help Freshmade grow by increasing their presence in the market and aligning them with manufacturing companies that will benefit from their services.”
Freshmade 3D has been in talks with MVBA for about four months now, Wetzel said. He declined to disclose an exact number for the investment, but said the funds would go toward sales and marketing efforts to improve its branding, as well as some financial planning.
“We’re really excited to begin working with MVBA. They bring a lot of expertise from different backgrounds,” Wetzel said.
Pictured at top: Freshmade 3D officers Brett Conner, chief technical officer, Rich Wetzel, CEO, and Christopher Tomko, president and chief operations officer.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
