About Lucent Additive
From Imagination To Production.
Better Parts. Brighter Possibilities.
Validated additive solutions that meet the rigorous standards of demanding applications.
Engineering-Led
Production-Focused
Backed By Labconco
Got an idea, a design, or a production headache? We’ll help you turn it into a real part you can count on, fast. Our team pairs industrial 3D printing with hands-on engineering and production experience, so we can stick with you from the very first prototype all the way through repeat manufacturing.
Nice To Meet You
Who We Are
We’re a Midwest-based additive manufacturing team with one simple goal: helping you close the gap between what you can imagine and what you can actually produce.
We’re not just a 3D print shop.
We’re engineers, makers, and problem-solvers who know manufacturing from the inside. Whether you need one prototype, a part that’s tricky to make any other way, bridge production, or thousands of repeat parts, we start every project the same way: figuring out the right way to make and deliver it, then delivering parts you can depend on.
And because we’re part of Labconco, we have more than a century of manufacturing know-how behind us, plus the speed and flexibility of a small, responsive team that’s easy to work with.
From Prototype To Production
How We Work
Additive manufacturing is incredibly powerful, but only when the process, material, design, and application are the right match. That’s where we come in.
We learned all this on a real production floor, where a part has to do a lot more than look good coming off the printer. It has to fit, work, hold up, and earn its keep.
So instead of just asking, “Can we print it?” our engineers look at the whole picture:
How will the part be used?
What does it need to withstand?
Which manufacturing process makes the most sense?
Can the design be improved for additive manufacturing?
How do we make the process repeatable?
How will the part be inspected and validated?
How do we get you the best value for your budget?
Asking those questions up front is what lets us help at every stage of your product’s life, from quick prototypes and design tweaks to tooling, end-use parts, replacement parts, and ongoing production.
The Right Tool For Every Job
Technology and Materials
We run a growing fleet of industrial 3D printers across several technologies, including powder bed fusion, material extrusion, and vat photopolymerization. (Don’t worry, we’ll help you sort out which is which.) That means we choose the process that fits your part, instead of forcing every project onto the one machine we happen to own.
On the materials side, we work with everything from engineering polymers and high-performance thermoplastics to flexible materials, silicones, filled and reinforced polymers, and production-grade resins. Add professional post-processing, inspection, and testing, and you’re getting a lot more than a printed part.
You’re getting parts that are ready for the real world.
Built By Engineers
Engineering at the Table
Engineering is at the center of Lucent Additive.
Our team knows design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), mechanical performance, material selection, process development, inspection, and validation inside and out. Every day, we look at how a part’s geometry, orientation, print settings, material, and finishing will affect how it performs once it’s in your hands.
That really pays off when you’re wondering whether a part you’ve always machined, molded, or fabricated could be made better, or for less, with additive.
We won’t just print what you send us. We’ll sit down with your team (in person, if you’re nearby) and look for ways to combine parts, cut material, skip tooling, shorten lead times, simplify assemblies, and make the whole thing easier to build.
Production, Not Just Prototypes
Repeatable Manufacturing
Most people think of 3D printing as a prototyping tool. We think that’s just the beginning.
We were built to put additive to work in real production. We’ve brought 3D printed parts into established manufacturing operations, developed repeatable processes, qualified materials and parts, and used additive to cut costs and solve supply-chain headaches.
What Changes When Volume Grows
Scale With Confidence
When a project grows from one part to ten, a hundred, or thousands, the conversation changes. Suddenly, repeatability, inspection, traceability, capacity, post-processing, documentation, and process control matter much more.
Those are manufacturing problems. Good news: they’re exactly the kind we know how to solve.
| Production Priority | What It Means For Your Project |
|---|---|
| Repeatability | Controlled workflows designed to deliver consistent results across builds and orders. |
| Inspection | Dimensional and mechanical verification selected to match the application. |
| Traceability | Documentation that supports part, material, and process accountability. |
| Capacity | Equipment and scheduling planned around dependable delivery. |
| Process control | Defined production and post-processing steps that reduce avoidable variation. |
Quality You Can Measure
Inspection and Validation
Just because a part printed doesn’t mean it’s ready for production.
That’s why we back up our work with dimensional inspection, mechanical testing, process documentation, and validation, so you can feel confident in every part you receive.
We follow recognized ASTM and industry testing practices where they make sense, and we’re always running our own tests and research to learn more.
Honestly, we’re a little obsessed with data. We study our processes, test materials, track variation, write down what we learn, and put all of it to work on your parts.
Backed By More Than A Century Of Manufacturing
A Labconco Company
Lucent Additive is a Labconco company.
Founded in 1925, Labconco has spent more than 100 years designing and manufacturing specialized laboratory equipment used in scientific, research, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and industrial environments around the world.
We started out as Labconco’s in-house additive team. The more we experimented, the more we found: new applications, better production processes, more technologies, and more proof of what additive could do for other industries and products.
Now we’re bringing that experience to you. You get the quick response and flexibility of a specialized team, with the know-how and resources of an established American manufacturer behind it.
Your Additive Manufacturing Partner
Start Where You Are
Some people show up with a finished CAD model and know exactly what they need. Others show up with a problem, such as:
- A component takes too long to source.
- Tooling is too expensive.
- A legacy part is no longer available.
- Production volume does not justify injection molding.
- A prototype needs to be tested tomorrow.
- A design is difficult to manufacture conventionally.
- An engineering team wants to know whether additive manufacturing could provide a better solution.
Either way, we’d love to hear from you. We want to be the team you call when you need parts, engineering help, extra capacity, or just an honest second opinion.
Bring us the CAD file. Bring us the drawing. Or bring us the problem.