Canadian startup specializes in 3D-printing parts with complex geometries

Metafold is focused on 3D-printing lattices and other highly complex geometries. Metafold

GLOBE NEWSWIRE—Metafold is a new company focused on 3D-printing lattices and other highly complex geometries. It was launched by MESH Consultants, a Toronto geometric consulting firm serving the architecture, engineering, construction, and design industries.

According to a press release announcing the spinoff, lattice geometries are defined by a single geometric motif that is repeated in a pattern to fill space. Mathematically engineered materials like lattices, known as metamaterials, have a huge range of industrial applications. Metal lattices used in the aerospace industry are ultralight yet unyielding. Footwear and protective equipment benefit from the compressive properties of lattices. Filtration systems that employ lattice geometries have dramatically increased surface areas.

To date, the challenges of digitally representing complex lattice geometries, along with the task of preparing these representations for input to 3D printers, have created a computational bottleneck and hampered the exploration and application of metamaterials at scale, says the company.

The firm’s CTO, Daniel Hambleton, said, “Metafold’s 3D printing technology takes a fundamentally different approach to geometric complexity,” said, “which unlocks surprising detail in unprecedented print volumes and high resolution. This creates an accelerated and accessible development process for metamaterials.”

Metafold CEO Dr. Elissa Ross added, “As mathematicians working in the design and manufacturing industries, we have seen first-hand how time-consuming and challenging it is to design, print, and test when working with lattice geometries and metamaterials. We believe our new approach to this problem will facilitate printing at the frontiers of scientific discovery and industrial advancements.”