DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, today announced it invested in Seurat Technologies, participating in the metal additive manufacturer’s Series B funding round. The investment will help speed the development and commercialization of Seurat’s patented additive manufacturing technology and is DENSO’s latest move to bolster its digital transformation.

Seurat’s Area Printing technology allows manufacturers to print metal parts at scale, combining unprecedented speed, precision, part integrity and reliability, while still being cost effective. Seurat’s innovative process guarantees high quality and resolution for mass production of metal components across all industries, including automotive. For a supplier like DENSO, this solution could cut production times and improve its ability to quickly support customers’ shifting requirements.

The investment also aides DENSO’s larger efforts to advance manufacturing technologies. In this, DENSO collaborates with companies like Seurat, in addition to creating its own solutions like its Factory-IoT Platform, to help digitize operations. This creates opportunities to optimize workflows, increase efficiency and operate more flexibly.

“DENSO is always looking to stay on top of the latest manufacturing processes and technology so we can deliver for our customers. Working with Seurat will help us continue that,” said Raja Shembekar, vice president of DENSO’s North America Production Innovation Center. “Seurat’s Area Printing technology is a breakthrough, one that dramatically accelerates additive manufacturing production rates. We look forward to helping them develop it further.”
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By collaborating with DENSO, Seurat gains access to DENSO’s rich manufacturing expertise, which it has cultivated by producing quality products at mass volumes for over 70 years.

“We are pleased to have DENSO participate in our Series B round, but more than that, are excited by how they could help propel our technology forward,” said James DeMuth, CEO and co-founder of Seurat Technologies. “DENSO’s deep understanding of what large-scale manufacturers need and what makes them successful will be vital as we commercialize our Area Printing technology.”

The announcement comes after DENSO recently highlighted how the concepts of “Green” – acting environmentally friendly – and “Peace of Mind” – creating a safe and seamless world for all – are guiding the company’s technology development.

Those same principles inform DENSO’s work with Seurat and will help the company achieve its Long-term Policy 2030, which focuses on enriching society by enhancing mobility and achieving sustainability, happiness and peace of mind for everyone. Collaborations such as with Seurat are key in reaching that goal.

“The investment in Seurat continues to demonstrate DENSO’s commitment to establish collaborative partnerships with startups,” said Tony Cannestra, director of Corporate Ventures at DENSO. “Such partnerships have enabled DENSO to aggressively pursue the discovery and development of new advanced technologies that deliver valuable benefits to DENSO and our customers.”

Other collaborations DENSO has pursued include:

• Creating a long-term alliance with aerospace leader Honeywell to develop electric propulsion systems for urban air mobility vehicles;
• Investing in wireless positioning technology developer Lambda:4, helping strengthen DENSO’s passive digital key;
• Investing in Ridecell to give fleet operators digital tools that optimize fleet management; and
• Collaborating with Drishti to advance action-recognition technology, which supports human outputs in manufacturing.