Arc Impact relaunches Desktop Metal, appoints Tom Nogueira as CEO
Following the news that Arc Impact Acquisition Corporation (Arc Impact) has acquired selected assets of Desktop Metal, Inc, the company has announced plans to relaunch as an advanced manufacturing platform. The new business will combine the Binder Jetting of metals and ceramics with production-grade polymers and AI-assisted materials R&D to onshore critical US production. Tom Nogueira will lead the company as its new Chief Executive Officer.
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Arc Impact intends to focus on programmes where domestic, scalable manufacturing is essential to economic competitiveness and national security — including heavy, rare-earth-free permanent magnets, sodium-ion solid-state battery components, solid-state transformer parts for AI data centres and grid modernisation, and other high-consequence applications.
“Our north star is simple: put advanced, automated manufacturing back to work in domestic markets,” stated Nogueira. “By pairing proven additive processes with data-driven, autonomous workflows and AI-accelerated materials R&D, we can shorten development cycles from years to months, and deliver qualified parts at scale to solve our customers’ challenges with high precision and service.”
The Desktop Metal portfolio
The acquired portfolio includes Desktop Metal’s Binder Jetting IP and know-how, covering the Production System and X-Series platforms. The company intends to use these assets in a distributed R&D-as-a-Service network with universities, feeding successful prototypes into centralised, high-throughput manufacturing hubs.
“Binder Jetting’s throughput and per-part economics unlock true production in metals,” said Rick Lucas, Chief Growth Officer. “Coupled with our ceramic capability – including carbides for industrial, energy and defence markets – and elastomer platforms for medical and industrial applications, we can address programmes that conventional methods can’t touch on speed and part complexity.”
Jonah Myerberg, Chief Innovation Officer, added, “AI is a force multiplier. With high-fidelity process data, digital twins, and simulation-led tools, we’ll continuously optimise chemistries, geometries, and sintering profiles to maximise performance and economics.”
Key programmes and applications
Arc Impact plans to immediately build on high-impact government and commercial initiatives already underway, such as:
- A $7.9 million collaborative programme with the US Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), administered by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), to qualify aluminium BJT Additive Manufacturing for defence vehicle components
- Several US Department of Defense projects to develop silicon carbide (SiC) components and SiC Additive Manufacturing techniques to improve missile defence system performance, which includes a related collaboration with Northrop Grumman to additively manufacture SiC optics for high-energy laser systems
These and other government-supported initiatives are said to underscore Arc Impact’s commitment to advancing Additive Manufacturing applications that deliver previously unattainable value in sectors such as clean energy and veteran healthcare. The transaction was approved through the US Bankruptcy Court as part of the Desktop Metal Chapter 11 restructuring process.
