Liverpool-based Atomik AM, a female-founded superior manufacturing enterprise, has raised €713k from the Northern Powerhouse Funding Fund II to scale-up the options it supplies to producers internationally.
Atomik AM has raised the cash from NPIF II – Praetura Fairness Finance, which is managed by Praetura Ventures as a part of the Northern Powerhouse Funding Fund II, to develop its Liverpool Metropolis Area-based group by 40% and discover bigger premises, because it appears to scale additional in area.
Professor Kate Black, CEO and Founding father of Atomik AM, mentioned: “At Atomik AM, we imagine that true innovation begins with placing supplies and sustainability first. This funding will enable us to develop our group and scale our patented applied sciences, accelerating our capacity to ship cleaner, extra environment friendly manufacturing options. From our base in Liverpool, we’re proud to guide this transformation and work with world companions to set a brand new benchmark for sustainable, materials-led innovation in superior manufacturing.”
Based in 2022 by Professor Kate Black, a professor of producing on the College of Liverpool, Atomik AM creates sustainable supplies and patented applied sciences to help scalable and environment friendly superior manufacturing.
Since then, Black has scaled the enterprise to a group of 10 folks, working in partnership with multi-nationals Unilever and Ricoh, in addition to growing and patenting its personal IP.
Louise Chapman, NPIF II Fund Principal at Praetura Ventures, mentioned: “Atomik AM prides itself on a solutions-focused means of working. In different phrases, taking a holistic strategy to vastly enhance current processes as a substitute of fixing particular person issues. Kate’s enthusiasm and dedication to make the superior manufacturing house really sustainable is mirrored within the unimaginable work achieved by Atomik AM to date. Due to this, we jumped on the alternative to help a feminine founder scaling a enterprise of this nature from the Liverpool Metropolis Area, an space with an extended historical past and repute for manufacturing.”
According to the latest UK government statistics, revealed in 2024, the manufacturing sector contributed 16% of the UK’s greenhouse fuel emissions in 2022, demonstrating the chance to assist corporations cut back their carbon output and contribute to assembly internet zero.
At present Atomik AM is within the technique of patenting a collection of producing merchandise, together with its Common Binder, a “glue” used particularly in 3D steel printing to assist firms within the automotive, aerospace and vitality sectors produce key components at scale.
Atomik AM has additionally reportedly developed a sustainable course of for turning aluminium steel waste into extra sturdy merchandise than their aluminium alloy counterparts, with the surplus waste from this course of then recycled into vitality, representing a extra end-to-end strategy to sustainability.
The corporate, which additionally produces inks for 2D sensor printing and specialist pastes used to in digital coatings, has delivered options to assist firms take away pointless assets like water out of their manufacturing processes.
Sue Barnard, Senior Funding Supervisor at British Enterprise Financial institution, mentioned: “Discovering methods to decrease our greenhouse fuel emissions throughout all sectors is of paramount significance, and it’s incredible to see a fast-growing North West enterprise, backed by NPIF II, look to do that within the manufacturing space. Its plans for growth and group progress are among the transformational change that having access to finance can unlock.”
This newest funding additionally follows a €148.7k funding from Liverpool Metropolis Area Mixed Authority-backed LYVA Labs, who invested in Atomik AM earlier this 12 months.
Akshay Bhatnagar, Head of Funding, LYVA Labs, added: “We’re delighted that Atomik has secured funding from NPIF II and Praetura. That is nice information for the Liverpool Metropolis Area. We’re excited to be working with Praetura to help Kate and the group to speed up the additive manufacturing revolution which is underway.”
