- Aurora Labs (A3D) tracks along steadily towards its fourth and final milestone of a planned technology development pathway
- The 3D printing specialist says it has kicked off talks with TBGA to conduct a “thorough assessment” of A3D’s tech under development
- TBGA specialises in additive manufacturing and will highlight A3D’s core tech strengths and work to match them against market opportunities
- Meanwhile, Aurora Labs says it has kicked off initial printing in accordance with its July printing contract with BAE Systems Maritime Australia
- Shares in Aurora Labs rose slightly in early action but have since settled on the grey line at 17 cents each at 1:57 pm AEST
3D printing business Aurora Labs (A3D) is tracking along steadily towards its fourth and final milestone of a planned technology development pathway.
The company announced this morning it has kicked off talks with additive manufacturing and engineering specialist The Barnes Global Advisors (TBGA) to conduct a “thorough assessment” of A3D’s tech under development.
Aurora said TBGA specialised in systems, techno-economics and strategy in the additive manufacturing (3D printing) space.
As such, the tech assessment from TGBA will highlight Aurora’s core technology strengths and work to match them against market opportunities.
Aurora Labs CEO Peter Snowsill said as the company neared the end of its tech development phase and moved towards commercialisation, it was engaging with companies that could have complementary tech.
“We are looking at accelerating our pathway to market through collaboration and are encouraged by the potential of A3D’s core technology to match and exceed commercially available printer performance,” Mr Snowsill said.
“The team is working hard as we near the completion of Milestone Four, as we look to form the most effective path to commercialisation.”
Aurora said its tech development pathway was already revealing some encouraging outcomes, particularly relating to its technology’s high-power performance. The TBGA review is reaffirming these results, according to Aurora.
The company said TBGA’s work will culminate in strategic recommendations for commercialisation, be this through a licensing model, the sale of “technology packages” or joint commercial printer development with other manufacturers.
The BAE Systems trial print
Along with the news of the TBGA assessment, Aurora also told investors today it had kicked off initial printing on the RMP-1 Beta prototype in accordance with its deal with BAE Systems Maritime Australia announced in late July.
Aurora Labs said it was completing the trial within its high-power printing parameters, and early prints are progressing well.
The company said it was monitoring the demand for more contract printing of high-quality metal parts as these types of projects can give A3D valuable benchmarking of its technology.
Intellectual property developments
As Aurora works towards commercialisation, the company said it was pursuing intellectual property (IP) protection in seven key “patent families”.
The patents, if granted, will protect the company’s print process techniques and its high-power technology.
Aurora said it had recently been granted print process patents in parts of Europe and was now targeting key jurisdictions in Australia, the US, China and more.
Shares in Aurora Labs rose slightly in early action but have since settled on the grey line at 17 cents each as of 12:59 pm AEST. The company has a $26 million market cap.