One of the best ways to reduce the amount of energy something uses is by making it lighter. That’s the idea that spurred the creation of Wales-based startup PrintFoam. The company, founded by chemical engineer Matthew Pearlson, specializes in 3D printing resins that make foam parts.
Pearlson first came up with the idea while researching alternative jet fuel production at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. He realized the best way for the aviation industry to become more eco-friendly was not by changing the fuel used but by making the parts of a plane lighter. He decided to pursue the creation of a 3D printing system using foam.
“The idea was to print things that were lightweight but still really strong,” Pearlson said. “Nobody was (3D) printing with foam, and I thought it was a really good idea to do that.”
As a side hustle while working at MIT, Pearlson began creating his 3D printing resin formulations. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Pearlson and his family relocated to the village of Wales in Waukesha County. With the help of a National Science Foundation grant, Pearlson set up a mini lab in Lake Country. He also started building a team of junior engineers from area universities.
By speeding up 3D printing times from hours to minutes, PrintFoam is able to serve previously inaccessible markets with large, architecturally sized panels. One application the company is pursuing is acoustic dampening material that can be used in the building and construction space.
“When you look at the pink stuff in your house, it’s really thick because it’s just random fibers trying to catch the sound. If you were to go from a random assortment of fibers to an engineered product, you can do 10 times better at absorbing sound and like a fifth of the normal thickness,” Pearlson said.
PrintFoam offers customers the freedom to design new kinds of printed parts that help streamline processes, often through consolidation. Pearlson pointed to the example of GE’s 3D printed airplane engine that took hundreds of parts and boiled that amount down to a dozen.
“The form follows the function, as opposed to the other way around,” Pearlson said.
In the next few years, he hopes the company will be able to increase its number of production customers. Right now, PrintFoam is doing research and development for several companies and has completed six pilots. The company has brought in $500,000 in revenue and has received approximately $300,000 in grant funding. Pearlson has two patents pending related to his 3D printing resins.
Location: Wales
Founder: Matthew Pearlson
Founded: 2016
Service: 3D printing resins for foam parts
Website: printfoam.com
Employees: 8
Goal: Increase number of customers
Experience: Background in chemical engineering and software development
