AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, February 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Creative 3D Technologies (C3DT), an Austin based advanced manufacturing company, has raised a $5 million seed round with participation from NJP, MetaLucks, Sher, Greenwood, and Tech Bricks to expand its modular “Factory in a Box” platform, designed to deliver industrial grade production in places where traditional factories are too slow, costly, or impractical.
C3DT is addressing a persistent gap between prototyping and mass production—where products are too complex or time-sensitive for centralized factories, but require more capability than conventional labs can provide. C3DT refers to this layer as Single-Cell Manufacturing.
A FACTORY LINE, REDUCED TO ONE CELL
EVO, today, is a rugged, large-format, heated-chamber additive manufacturing system designed to process a very wide range of polymer, fiber-based, and metal-filled materials at industrially relevant scales. It is optimized for organizations that need large parts, material flexibility, environmental robustness, and controlled processing, without the infrastructure burden of traditional factory-scale systems.
Moving toward the vision of the “Factory-in-a-Box,” C3DT’s core EVO platform is built to consolidate what would typically require a full factory line into a single, modular manufacturing system. Ultimately, EVO will move to offer more than 20 production functions—including additive manufacturing, CNC machining, electronics assembly, and pick-and-place—via additional toolheads within a single, reconfigurable unit.
This comprehensive approach allows teams to manufacture industrial components locally, without coordinating multiple machines, vendors, or facilities. The result is faster iteration, shorter lead times, and greater control over production—particularly in environments where supply chains are constrained or unreliable.
VALIDATED DEMAND ACROSS DEFENSE AND INDUSTRY
C3DT reports successful early pilots with customers including the U.S. Army and Disney, reflecting demand for flexible, localized manufacturing in both mission-critical and commercial settings.
The company is also in early R&D on a semiconductor-focused version coined Fab-in-a-Box platform aimed at specialty and prototype applications. Unlike traditional semiconductor fabs optimized for high-volume output, this system is designed for rapid, maskless fabrication of custom and low-volume microelectronics, where long lead times remain a major bottleneck.
RETHINKING HOW MANUFACTURING SCALES
Rather than pursuing scale through larger factories, C3DT is building infrastructure for a hybrid manufacturing model—one where centralized production is complemented by distributed, modular systems that can be deployed quickly and operated closer to demand.
“We’re not competing with mega-factories,” said Ethan Baehrend, founder and CEO of Creative 3D Technologies. “We’re building the layer that sits alongside them—manufacturing capacity that can move faster, operate independently, and remain productive when centralized systems can’t.”
WHAT’S AHEAD
The Seed funding will support expanded production of the EVO platform, continued development of the company’s semiconductor roadmap, and additional deployments across defense, energy, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
ABOUT CREATIVE 3D TECHNOLOGIES
Creative 3D Technologies (C3DT) is an advanced manufacturing company developing modular, all-in-one production systems designed to bring industrial-grade manufacturing closer to where it’s needed.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, C3DT pioneered what it calls Single-Cell Manufacturing—an approach that consolidates the capabilities of a traditional factory line into a single, modular unit. The company’s platform integrates additive manufacturing, machining, electronics assembly, and other core production processes into a reconfigurable system that can be deployed outside of centralized factory environments.
C3DT’s technology is built for applications where speed, flexibility, and resilience matter as much as scale. Its systems are designed to support industries ranging from defense and energy to advanced manufacturing and R&D, enabling localized production without the overhead or rigidity of traditional factory expansion.
Founded by a AM Veteran, Ethan Baehrend, Creative 3D Technologies focuses on building practical manufacturing infrastructure for a hybrid future—one where centralized factories are complemented by distributed, software-defined production systems that can operate independently when traditional supply chains fall short.
Jack C Whelchel
Lean Mass
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