The aerospace industry is looking for new ways to make its supply chains crisis-proof. The Californian start-up Solideon is developing mobile 3D printing factories that can produce large aerospace components fully automatically.
Oluseun Taiwo, co-founder and CEO of Solideon, knows the problems facing the industry first-hand. As a propulsion engineer at Virgin Orbit in 2020, he witnessed how supply chain issues during the pandemic contributed to the failure of the LauncherOne project. “With local production, we could have better bridged the global supply bottlenecks,” explains Taiwo. Virgin Orbit only managed to produce three rockets per year instead of the required 30.
After working for Virgin Orbit and 3D printing specialist 3D Systems, Taiwo founded Solideon in 2022. The start-up develops robotic systems for mobile microfactories. These are designed to print and assemble large aerospace structures fully automatically. Solideon has so far raised 6.5 million dollars in venture capital.
The company is currently focusing on defense contracts. The US Department of Defense is currently reviewing its supply chains to prepare for future disruptions caused by natural disasters or conflicts. The Navy in particular is looking for solutions for expensive spare parts.
In the medium term, Solideon wants to develop mobile microfactories for smaller, autonomous systems. These should be able to produce flexibly close to where they are used. The long-term goal is even more ambitious: “We want to be able to manufacture at any point in the solar system without human intervention,” says Taiwo. However, there is still a long way to go before production in space.
The startup recently presented its technology at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 as part of the Startup Battlefield 20 competition. Decentralized production using 3D printing could significantly reduce the space industry’s dependence on global supply chains.
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