Carbon Design Engine

Carbon is a leading 3D printing technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company focuses on helping businesses develop better products and bring them to market faster by leveraging advanced materials, software, hardware, and services. Carbon's mission is to enable creators to make what the world needs right now, transforming the way companies design, engineer, and produce goods.

Carbon was founded in 2013 by Dr. Joseph DeSimone, a renowned chemist and entrepreneur. The company has grown rapidly, expanding its customer base to 17 countries and establishing itself as a key player in the 3D printing industry. Carbon's innovative Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS) technology has been widely adopted by global brands in various industries, including healthcare, automotive, and consumer goods.

Carbon has raised significant funding to support its growth and expansion. In June 2019, the company raised over $260 million in a growth funding round co-led by Madrone Capital Partners and Baillie Gifford, bringing its total fundraising to more than $680 million. This funding round valued Carbon at over $2.4 billion. The company has continued to attract investment from prominent venture capital firms and strategic partners, including Sequoia Capital, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and Adidas Ventures.

The Carbon Design Engine is a cloud-based design software that empowers designers to create precisely tuned, high-performance products. Key features include automated lattice generation, performance optimization, and seamless transitions between different zones within a part. The software supports multiple additive manufacturing techniques and outputs generated lattices as STL files ready for 3D printing. Carbon also offers custom production software solutions and a suite of tools for file preparation, nesting, and feature design.

In August 2022, Carbon acquired ParaMatters, a software provider for additive manufacturing. This acquisition expanded Carbon's software capabilities to include topology optimization, enabling product design and development teams to create better products in less time using a wide variety of materials and production systems. The acquisition aligns with Carbon's strategy to enhance its generative design software and provide modern tools optimized for additive manufacturing.

Carbon continuously updates its Design Engine software with new features and improvements. Recent updates include the addition of Boolean operations (Union, Intersection, and Difference) for more complex model manipulation and enhanced design capabilities. The company also focuses on improving user experience and performance through regular software updates and new functionalities.

Carbon's company culture is built on values such as ambition, collaboration, innovation, accountability, and integrity. The company is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with initiatives to support underrepresented communities in tech. Carbon fosters a culture of trust, respect, and accountability, promoting inclusive practices and providing opportunities for professional and personal growth. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at Carbon support diverse groups and create a sense of belonging within the company.

Carbon Design Engine is used by a wide range of industries, including sports equipment, medical devices, and consumer goods. The software has been instrumental in developing award-winning products, such as bike saddles and helmets. Carbon's user base includes global brands like Specialized and CCM, which leverage the Design Engine to create high-performance, innovative products. The company also provides extensive training and support through the Carbon Academy, helping users optimize their use of the software.