Volumetric manufacturing

The future of
manufacturing
is volumetric.

We believe in a world where products are made quickly, efficiently and locally. Where things are made for the individual, not the masses. Where overproduction is eliminated, because everything is made on demand.

Support from
Intrepid Oregon
The Engine
Defense Innovation Unit
MIT Startup Exchange
Hello Tomorrow
Onami
Approach

Conventional 3D printing builds parts one slice at a time.
We print the whole part all at once.

Conventional · Layer by layer00/24 layers
Z
Sequential curelayer by layer
MAV · VolumetricEXPOSING
Single exposurewhole-part cure

Every commercial printer in production today is layer-bound. Throughput is set by the time it takes to traverse Z, layer after layer. Hours per part.

MAV projects calibrated light into a volume of resin. Where the integrated dose crosses the cure threshold, material solidifies — everywhere, simultaneously. The whole part appears in a single exposure.

Time per part, typical
3min
Industry standard for engineering-grade parts: roughly five hours.
1Speed

Minutes, not hours

Most 3D printing systems take hours to produce a part, layer-by-layer. MAV projects light images into a rotating vial of resin to form parts almost instantly, with no layer lines.

Time per part · same shape, both processes
01h2h3h4h5hMAVVolumetric0 minIndustry standardLayer printer0 min
2Materials

Engineering-grade parts, not just demos

Conventional 3D printing is constrained to thin, low-viscosity resins. MAV prints with material up to 20x more viscous — producing more structurally sound, engineering-grade parts.

Volumetric cure also removes the layer-adhesion failure mode, which is what disqualifies most 3D-printed parts from real load paths today.

Resin viscosity advantage
20×
MAV can print with resins up to 20x more viscous than traditional 3D.
Material envelope · viscosity range available to each process
Commercial 3D printingInjection moldingCompression moldingMAV10⁻³10⁻²10⁻¹10⁰10¹10²10³WATEROILHONEYBUTTERViscosity (Pa·s, log scale)
3Layerless

Layerless by construction

Structural

Between layers are where conventional 3D-printed parts fail under load. MAV creates layerless, monolithic parts that are stronger and more resilient.

Optical

Layer lines from traditional 3D printing aren’t removable, even with polishing or vapor smoothing. MAV prints optically clear parts, with no layer lines.

Plano-convex lens cross-section · structural and optical consequence
ConventionalScattering centerLayer interfaces · scattering centersOptical · scatteredMAVMonolithic0 interfaces · continuousOptical · clear
4Overprinting

Print directly over electronics and metals

Process

Almost all 3D printing systems cannot print with inclusions. MAV has one of the only technologies that can print on metals or electronic components.

Geometry

The inclusion sits in the resin volume; cured polymer forms around it. Sensors, antennas, magnets, board assemblies — components that would have been added in a second step on a layer printer can be encapsulated in the print itself.

Inclusion in cured volume · single-illumination encapsulation
ConventionalPrint headToolpath collisionCannot print over · second step requiredLayer process · z-axis blocked by inclusionMAVEncapsulatedCures around inclusion · single illuminationVolumetric · no toolpath, no contact
MAV Unlimited founding team
The team

World-class engineering and business expertise

Co-founded by Professor Robert Shepherd (Cornell), Professor T.J. Wallin (MIT), and Aaron Pempel (Harvard Business School)

Meet the team
Updates

Recent updates

The Engine logo
January 30, 2026Cambridge, MA

The Engine

MAV is excited to announce we’ve been accepted into The Engine, an MIT spinout that supports “Tough Tech” startups with mentorship, connections, and lab space.

Build with us

Come Build With Us.

Visionary Investors. Intrepid Engineers. Industry Trailblazers.