Host Fabian Alefeld interviews Erin Mastroni, President and founder of I3D Manufacturing (founded 2013), about building one of the largest additive-focused contract manufacturers and the industry’s shift from prototyping to production. Mastroni describes moving from fashion retail and trend forecasting to an MBA in sustainable business, spotting production AM as a key trend, and launching a metal powder bed fusion business in Oregon with limited traditional manufacturing experience. She recounts early funding challenges, using SBA/New Market Tax Credits, and landing Blue Origin as an early customer, which helped establish I3D as a fast-moving development partner known for tackling difficult materials like titanium and new nickel alloys with EOS. I3D grew from 5 people and two machines to two campuses, ~30 machines, and 54 employees, is launching an internal “I3D Academy,” navigated a severe COVID revenue drop without layoffs, and was acquired in 2023 by BTX Precision (L Squared Partners), expanding into turnkey CNC and broader capabilities while discussing PE’s role, production scalability, and emerging AI opportunities.

00:00 Podcast welcome

01:47 Fashion to additive

04:27 Funding and mission

06:52 Blue Origin breakthrough

08:27 Becoming a dev partner

12:19 I3D today scale

15:29 Growing talent academy

17:05 Growth phases and pandemic

20:22 Acquisition and turnkey expansion

22:06 Private equity tipping point

27:43 Private Equity Momentum

28:41 Flow Driven Applications

32:54 Supply Chain Use Cases

35:12 Scaling Production Know How

40:21 One Stop Shop Strategy

43:14 Customers Get Smarter

47:31 Next Wave Breakthroughs

53:03 AI In Additive Manufacturing

57:25 Closing Thanks