Paris, June 1st, 2022 – Safran Corporate Ventures announced today that it has made a joint investment with partners in the company Sintermat, as part of a funding round exceeding 6 million euros. The other investors are UI Investissement, Crédit Agricole de Champagne-Bourgogne via its Carvest fund, and the Definvest fund managed by Bpifrance Investissement on behalf of the French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement).
Sintermat is a French startup that has developed expertise in spark plasma sintering (SPS), a process used to make parts out of different types of powder. This powder metallurgy process works with all types of materials, including conducting and magnetic materials, metals, ceramic polymers, composites, biomaterials and more. It compacts these materials in a mold under high pressure, heated by the joule effect1, to produce high-density, high-strength parts. SPS allows the production of parts with complex shapes and a homogeneous microstructure, which makes them highly suited to Safran’s requirements. Sintermat operates in four strategic sectors: aerospace & defense, luxury products, cosmetics packaging and industrial tooling.
Safran will also be teaming up with Sintermat to determine how this technology can be applied to certain strategic parts for airplane and helicopter engines, as well as aircraft equipment.
“This investment and our technology partnership will support Safran’s research and technology efforts,” said Eric Dalbiès, Safran Senior Executive Vice President, R&T and Innovation, “especially concerning the materials and production processes for the components on tomorrow’s aircraft engines, reflecting the disruptive technologies needed to support the development of a more sustainable aviation industry.”
