SAEKI's 'microfactories' help large manufacturing scale up

The architecture, engineering and construction industries involve giant concrete molds that are expensive, slow to manufacture and often only used a few times before being disposed. Robots-as-a-service startup SAEKI says its tech makes creating these molds not only faster, but also more cost-efficient. The Lupfig, Switzerland–based company is building what it says will be fully automated plants with industrial robots that use 3D tech to create components like aircraft wings and construction site installations.

SAEKI launched from stealth today with $2.3 million in seed funding led by Wingman Ventures, along with participation from Vento Ventures, Getty Capital and angel investors.

It is currently building its first production hub, which will have industrial robots that are capable of combining digital manufacturing methods, including 3D printing, milling and inspection. SAEKI says the robots each act as “microfactories,” which means they are self-contained units that can do all manufacturing steps.

SAEKI was founded in 2021 by Andrea Perissinotto, Oliver Harley and Matthias Leschok. Perissinotto told TechCrunch he became interested in manufacturing when he was a child, learning metalworking at his uncle’s workshop and building his first 3D printer when he was 12. He met Harley while building a large 3D printer for the maker space at ETH Zurich, where they were both studying, and they began working with Leschok to combine 3D printing and industrial robots.

The three were completing their studies during the pandemic when Perissinotto decided he wanted to leave academia and become an entrepreneur. SAEKI was founded in February 2021 to combine robotics with 3D printing, machining and inspection. During that process, Perissinotto said he and his co-workers learned that 3D printing for large items, like wind turbine blades, airplane and car parts, was still early in development and not at industry quality and scale yet. They decided to focus their new startup on the issue by creating fully automated factories with independent robotic cells that customers can book.