15/10/2019 – Structo, a dental 3D printing solutions firm that formulates its own photopolymer materials has secured an undisclosed funding round to further develop its digital additive manufacturing solutions.
Investors that joined in the round include Singapore Economic Development Board’s investment arm EDBI, alongside with Temasek-backed Pavilion Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and GGV Capital.
Founded in 2014 as a project out of the National University of Singapore (NUS), Structo is the only 3D printing company worldwide that focuses on solutions catering the dental industry.
It has designed, developed and built its own unique proprietary Mask Stereolithography (MSLA) technology that enables much higher speed printing as compared to the conventional SLA printers. This revolutionized the field of dental 3D printing with higher throughput and lower costs, all without compromising on print quality.
EDBI’s President and CEO Chu Swee Yeok said, “Structo is a great example of how an idea born in our local university can reach the global market with government-linked and private investors working closely together to provide funding at different stages of its growth.”
With this latest investment, Structo plans to continue pushing the envelope of digital additive manufacturing solutions specifically for the dental industry and launch new products which leverages automation to enable mass production of custom patient-specific products.
Huub van Esbroeck, the Co-founder and CEO of Structo said, “At Structo, we believe there is no one-size-fits-all solution for any specific end-user, in particular for an industry that is as diverse in size and requirements as dental.”
“The recent rise in consumer demand for clear aligners, an orthodontic appliance that can only be produced through additive manufacturing has accelerated the demand for more novel and customized solutions.”
To achieve that, Structo has fostered numerous partnerships in the dental industry that helped them develop a series of application-specific solutions across hardware, software, and photopolymer resin enabling them to offer a start-to-finish workflow to end-users.
“Partners such as EDBI have been instrumental in getting Structo to where it needs to be. EDBI’s support has allowed our team to develop capabilities in Singapore: in engineering, product development, material sciences, and manufacturing,” added Esbroeck.
By leveraging EDBI’s strategic industry partners, the investor community and network of talent, Structo have been able to push the boundaries of additive manufacturing.
Moving forward, the investment will also help the startup to fulfill the dental industry’s need for novel solutions for mass customization through digital manufacturing.
