# Azul 3D, Inc.

> Azul 3D is a Skokie, Illinois deep-tech manufacturer that builds large-format, high-speed industrial 3D printers powered by its proprietary High Area Rapid Printing (HARP) technology. Spun out of Northwestern University in 2016, the company uses a flowing layer of non-stick fluorinated oil to carry away heat during continuous stereolithographic printing, which lets its machines produce human-sized polymer parts in hours rather than days. Its flagship LAKE printer targets manufacturers who want to make finished goods at scale instead of one-off prototypes.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** Skokie, Illinois, United States
- **Founders:** Chad A. Mirkin (Co-Founder & Board Chairman; Northwestern University professor), David Walker (Co-Founder; researcher at Northwestern University), James Hedrick (Co-Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~23 employees
- **Products:** HARP (High Area Rapid Printing), LAKE Printer, DLP Development Printer, Materials & Applications Services
- **Notable:** Invented High Area Rapid Printing (HARP), published in the journal Science in 2019., Demonstrated record throughput - printing roughly half a yard of material per hour on a ~13-foot-tall prototype., Printed 5,000 face shields in 60 hours for healthcare workers during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

## Products & services

- **HARP (High Area Rapid Printing)** — Proprietary, layerless stereolithography process that flows non-stick fluorinated oil across the print interface to carry away heat and prevent adhesion, enabling fast, crack-free printing of large parts.
- **LAKE Printer** — Azul 3D's first commercial printer, built on HARP, with a tall-format build volume of roughly 254 x 305 x 610 mm for high-speed, large-format production of finished parts.
- **DLP Development Printer** — A newer digital light processing machine aimed at material formulation and application development for customers exploring custom chemistries.
- **Materials & Applications Services** — Custom material formulation, process automation and application development to help manufacturers move parts into production.

## Achievements

- Invented High Area Rapid Printing (HARP), published in the journal Science in 2019.
- Demonstrated record throughput - printing roughly half a yard of material per hour on a ~13-foot-tall prototype.
- Printed 5,000 face shields in 60 hours for healthcare workers during the early COVID-19 pandemic.
- Launched the LAKE printer in 2021 as its first commercial product.
- Raised over $42M total, including a $15M Series A in October 2023 with DuPont participating.

## Latest updates

- **2023-10** — Closed $15 million Series A funding round with investors including DuPont, Beta Lab and GS Futures.
- **2021-09** — Launched the LAKE printer, its first commercial HARP-based machine.
- **2021-08** — Announced leadership changes; Cody Petersen named CEO with James Hedrick moving to a chief product/business development role (James Hedrick is again listed as CEO & Co-Founder on the current company site).

## Links

- Website: https://azul3d.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/azul3d
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/azul3d
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azul3d/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/azul3dprinting/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/azul-3d-inc
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-10