en.Wedoany.com Reported - Gianni Zitelli, co-founder and CEO of Axtra 3D, outlined the development strategy and technology roadmap of the five-year-old industrial 3D printing company at its new European headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. The 1,600-square-meter independent facility integrates material validation, application development, manufacturing, and customer support. Since its inception in May 2021 through a friends-and-family seed round, the company has grown into a multinational enterprise with two facilities, over 60 machines installed globally, and a customer repeat purchase rate that Zitelli considers the clearest indicator of the company's health.
Axtra 3D's core product is the industrial-grade SLA printer Lumia X1, manufactured using Hybrid Photo Synthesis technology, which simultaneously employs a laser and 4K DLP imaging. The laser handles details and outer walls with a 50-micron spot size, while the DLP projection processes large surface areas at high speed. The proprietary TruLayer layer separation mechanism dynamically manages resin detachment, eliminating the hydrostatic forces associated with traditional DLP and LCD printing, ensuring consistent imaging across the entire build platform without requiring extended curing intervals. The machine can switch between applications with different geometries, such as printing a three-kilogram mold and micro-stents, along with connectors featuring 50-micron through-holes, all on a single tray. The material used for the connectors is BASF's ST45, obtained through Axtra 3D's open access mode. The platform supports 405nm resins and has validated parameters for materials from partners such as Loctite.
Every Lumia X1 printer is equipped with telemetry technology. Encrypted performance data is transmitted to the Axtra 3D operations team for preventive maintenance, but does not expose the content being printed. Zitelli stated that the company can determine whether a printer is functioning normally based on its operational status, and implement predictive maintenance when anomalies occur to ensure efficient customer operations.
Axtra 3D's Series A funding was led by the Herzog family, founders of Concept Laser, who are now the company's primary institutional investors. Zitelli stated that the company's growth is based on revenue and customer scale, rather than relying on financing. 60% of customers placed repeat orders within the first three years of owning a Lumia X1, with Protolabs being one of the company's largest customers. Service is entirely installed and supported directly by Axtra 3D employees, with no partners involved, and the company intends to maintain this model for at least the next two years.
Zitelli believes the target market for high-volume photopolymer printing is the mid-to-low volume production segment, including aftermarket components, spare parts, custom consumer goods, and medical devices. A fully loaded Lumia X1 can produce 50,000 connectors per year. At the AMUG exhibition earlier this year, Axtra 3D jointly showcased a custom truck panel application with Toyota. The current business model is capital expenditure only, offering two hardware configurations: an industrial model and a dental model. Both are supported by the Axtra Workflow post-processing system, which integrates cleaning, drying, UV curing, and heat treatment, monitored by over 155 onboard sensors.
Zitelli expects the additive manufacturing industry to become more serious and stable, similar to CNC or automotive technology. Axtra 3D aims to rank among the top three global photopolymer companies within five years, achieving steady growth.
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