Carbon, Inc. is an American hardware company based in Redwood City, California. It designs an additive manufacturing ecosystem combining machines, materials and software. Its goal is to make 3D printing a tool for producing functional parts, beyond prototyping alone. Marketed under the name Digital Light Synthesis, its technology uses light to transform liquid resins into solid objects with properties suited to various professional uses.
A technology rooted in research
Founded in 2013, Carbon grew out of research to which chemist Joseph DeSimone, one of its co-founders, notably contributed. The company gained visibility in 2015 with the presentation of CLIP technology, short for Continuous Liquid Interface Production. The principle relies on an oxygen-permeable interface that maintains a thin zone of uncured resin between the optical window and the part being formed.
This approach limits adhesion to the window and allows the part to grow as it is drawn out of the resin bath. Carbon has gradually expanded this technological foundation with materials, equipment and software tools designed to make the process usable in production environments.
An integrated suite of machines, resins and software
Carbon does not just sell printers. Its offering includes resins with a range of behaviors, preparation and design tools, and equipment monitoring services. Depending on the material used, heat treatment after printing completes the chemical reaction and contributes to the part’s final properties. This control over the process-material combination is central to its positioning.
The business model relies in part on subscriptions that provide access to equipment and associated services. For customers, manufacturing repeatability matters as much as freedom of form. Lattice structures, for example, make it possible to adjust a component’s cushioning, stiffness or ventilation locally.
The collaboration with Adidas on 4D shoe midsoles has brought particular visibility to this approach. Carbon also operates in the dental sector, where its solutions are used in particular to produce models and certain devices, depending on the materials and their indications for use. Other applications include automotive components, protective equipment and consumer products.
What’s next?
The next step for Carbon is to expand the range of uses for which its technology offers an economic advantage over conventional processes. Customization, complex geometries and reduced reliance on tooling offer opportunities, but are not enough to guarantee the competitiveness of every application.
Its growth will depend in particular on the total cost per part, material availability and the integration of post-processing into production facilities. Part qualification and consistent performance will remain decisive in moving from targeted applications to broader industrial adoption.