en.Wedoany.com Reported - RYSE 3D founder Mitchell Barnes has become the youngest person ever to win the King's Award for Enterprise twice, with the company receiving the King's Award for International Trade following its 2024 win in the "Innovation" category.
Mitchell Barnes founded RYSE 3D in 2017 after convincing his university friends of the importance of additive manufacturing (AM) in future production technologies. Since then, he has built one of the UK's major disruptors in additive manufacturing, supplying high-performance production parts for 23 global supercar projects and providing complex components for new contracts in aerospace, defense, and energy sectors.
These orders have brought the Shipston-on-Stour-based company's annual turnover to nearly £5 million, with nearly half coming from international orders in the United States, Denmark, and Latvia. Global sales have grown by 2,322% since 2023.
Mitchell, who runs the company with his brother Cameron, said that when he first ventured into additive manufacturing, the goal was to move from prototyping to mass production, supplying batches ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of parts for the most complex automotive, aerospace, and renewable energy components. RYSE 3D's export growth has enabled it to reinvest over £1 million in new printers, research and development, lighter materials, and the launch of the UK-designed 3D 'LANDR' printer.
The company's production process is highly scalable, requiring no mold investment, and extensively uses engineering polymers. The combination of its own large-format printers with industry-leading technology has increased its capacity to print up to 4 million parts per year. Its team has grown to 18 people, some of whom have transitioned from baristas to 3D printing engineers.
While automotive and motorsport provided the initial market opportunities, the company has also demonstrated that 3D printing can deliver production parts for aerospace, construction, energy generation, medical, and defense sectors. Adam Archer, who transitioned from making coffee in the market town to leading a team of 3D printing engineers, said that RYSE's evolution has been incredibly fast, and the second King's Award is recognition of the team's efforts. He looks forward to leveraging this honor to help the company secure more orders globally, exporting Shipston-on-Stour's additive manufacturing expertise around the world.
