Firestorm Labs raises $12.5 million for 3D printing drone production

California startup Firestorm Labs has gotten another big boost in its efforts to scale fast production of high performance drones using 3D printing, with a $12.5 million infusion led by Lockheed Martin’s venture capital unit.

San Diego-based Firestorm Labs announced the fund raising as part of its continued push to scale and commercialize rapid drone production of largely military conception and deployment using 3D printing production methods. Additive manufacturing (as the tech is otherwise known) permits the company to create UAVs in what it says is far less time and lower costs than traditional methods.

The $12.5 million infusion will allow Firestorm Labs to expand its staffing, and add new drone production capacity to its existing 3D printing assets. 

In addition to Lockheed Martin’s financing arm, defense venture capital firms participating include 645 Ventures, The Veteran Fund, Silent Ventures, and Decisive Point. Also stumping up is security and defense UAV company Red Cat Holdings.

Firestorm Labs says 3D printing allows it to cut the design-to-deployment time by a factor of 10, with craft produced “in hours, not weeks.” The process also costs just 20% of habitual methods, according to the startup.

“Firestorm is excited to announce this latest round of funding that will propel the company forward to shape the rapidly evolving needs of a UAS-dominated battlefield and a defense industrial base ripe for revolutionary manufacturing models,” said Firestorm CEO Dan Magy. “Our investors understand the pressing need for delivering technologies quickly and with the interoperability that today’s warfighters demand, and we are thrilled to welcome Lockheed Martin Ventures partnership in this mission.”  

Firestorm’s approach is based on a computer-designed, 3D-printed manufacturing process conceived to easily adapt drone output to evolving mission requirements. That delivers craft faster than otherwise possible – a potentially invaluable capability amid what have become rapidly shifting military scenarios.

The company says its system allows customers to modify drone configuration and operation, and thereby enable a wide array of mission types, from the same company menu. Once specifics of UAV performance have been determined, components are quickly created by 3D printers, and cemented together by a flight computer working with artificial intelligence and machine learning applications.

“There is a clear need within the defense technology sector to build faster and less costly systems, and simply throwing money at the issue won’t change the outcome,” said Chad McCoy, Firestorm Labs chief strategy officer. “We found that coalescing a deep operational understanding of warfighter needs, combined with aerospace pragmatism, and a new rapid manufacturing model, allows us to stand out in a very crowded market. The goal is to create a completely new category that shakes up legacy timelines and cost.”