📌 Carbon Names DDK First Tier 1 Supplier for 3D Printed Saddles in Asia
Carbon, the Redwood City, California-based 3D printing technology company, has announced a strategic partnership with DDK Group, a manufacturer of high-performance bicycle saddles. This collaboration establishes DDK as Carbon’s first saddle-specific Tier 1 contract manufacturing partner in Asia, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of 3D printed cycling components.
总部位于加州红木城的 3D 打印技术公司 Carbon 宣布与高性能自行车鞍座制造商 DDK 集团建立战略合作伙伴关系。此次合作使 DDK 成为 Carbon 在亚洲首家专注于鞍座生产的一级合同制造合作伙伴,标志着 3D 打印自行车部件发展的重要里程碑。

The agreement positions the Taiwanese supplier as a dedicated, vertically integrated production partner for brands bringing 3D printed saddles to market. DDK’s facility combines additive manufacturing of latticed saddles with final saddle assembly under one roof in Asia. Carbon describes this arrangement as a first-of-its-kind model for the company in the region, designed to reduce customer time-to-market and capture the efficiencies associated with vertical integration of the supply chain.
该协议将这家台湾供应商定位为品牌方将 3D 打印鞍座推向市场的专属垂直整合生产合作伙伴。DDK 的工厂在亚洲同一厂区内整合了晶格鞍座的增材制造与最终鞍座组装。Carbon 称这一安排是该公司在该地区首创的模式,旨在缩短客户上市时间,并利用供应链垂直整合带来的效率优势。
3D printed saddles, once positioned as flagship products, are now considered portfolio essentials across leading saddle brands. Carbon’s technology has enabled the production of nearly one million 3D printed saddles, while demand continues to outpace existing capacity. Adding a Tier 1 contract manufacturer focused exclusively on saddle production, with the capability to deliver a fully assembled saddle, expands that capacity significantly.
3D 打印鞍座曾被视为旗舰产品,如今已成为领先鞍座品牌产品组合中的必备品。Carbon 的技术已支持生产近百万个 3D 打印鞍座,而需求仍持续超过现有产能。新增一家专注于鞍座生产、具备交付完全组装鞍座能力的一级合同制造商,将显著扩大这一产能。
“Bringing DDK online as the first Tier 1 supplier dedicated to printing saddles on the Carbon platform is a defining moment for the category,” said Philip DeSimone, Chief Executive Officer of Carbon. “3D printed saddles are no longer a flagship novelty — they’re a must-have in brand portfolios, and our customers need partners who can deliver them at scale, in the right geographies, with the right capabilities. DDK opens the door to a faster path from design to rider, and brings 3D printed performance within reach of a much wider range of riders, budgets, and skill levels.”
“让 DDK 成为首个在 Carbon 平台上专门打印鞍座的一级供应商,对这一品类而言是决定性时刻,”Carbon 首席执行官 Philip DeSimone 表示。“3D 打印鞍座已不再是旗舰级的新奇产品——它们是品牌产品组合中的必备品,我们的客户需要能在合适地区、以合适能力大规模交付的合作伙伴。DDK 为从设计到骑行者开辟了更快的路径,让更广泛的骑行者、预算水平和技能层次都能享受到 3D 打印的性能。”
Expansion of manufacturing capacity in Asia broadens geographic access to 3D printed saddle production and creates a foundation for future entry into the OEM market. This added capacity is intended to make the technology more accessible to brands and end consumers. Carbon develops production systems built around its Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) process, which combines printers, software, and materials for prototyping, low-volume production, and end-use part manufacturing.
亚洲制造产能的扩张拓宽了 3D 打印鞍座生产的地理覆盖范围,并为未来进入 OEM 市场奠定了基础。新增产能旨在让品牌和终端消费者更容易获得这项技术。Carbon 开发了围绕数字光合成(DLS)工艺的生产系统,该工艺结合了打印机、软件和材料,用于原型制作、小批量生产及最终用途部件制造。
Founded in 1970, DDK produces saddles for racing, MTB, trekking, and city commuting. Its manufacturing operation includes foam production, cover processing, plastic injection, and metalwork, reflecting the vertical integration highlighted in the partnership announcement.
DDK 成立于 1970 年,生产用于竞赛、山地车、旅行和城市通勤的鞍座。其制造业务包括发泡生产、外皮加工、注塑成型和金属加工,体现了合作公告中强调的垂直整合能力。
Carbon’s recent moves have focused less on adding new markets than on making polymer additive manufacturing behave like a production system. A recent $60 million funding round, backed by existing investors, was directed toward expanding capacity, improving process efficiency, and supporting new hardware, materials, and automation tools.
Carbon 近期的举措更侧重于让聚合物增材制造像生产系统一样运行,而非开拓新市场。最近一轮由现有投资者支持的 6000 万美元融资,用于扩大产能、提升工艺效率,并支持新硬件、材料和自动化工具。
That push matters because the company’s saddle business was already operating at significant volume before the DDK agreement. Its lattice technology had been used by cycling brands including Fizik, Selle Italia, and Trek to produce hundreds of thousands of saddles, while six of the top ten riders in the 2025 Tour de France used saddles made with that process.
这一推动之所以重要,是因为在 DDK 协议达成前,该公司的鞍座业务已具备可观的产量。其晶格技术已被 Fizik、Selle Italia 和 Trek 等自行车品牌用于生产数十万个鞍座,而 2025 年环法自行车赛前十名车手中的六位使用了采用该工艺制造的鞍座。
In this context, adding a saddle-specific manufacturing partner in Asia reads less like category expansion than a response to an existing production bottleneck. Leadership comments have made this constraint clear, with DeSimone arguing that polymer AM succeeds or fails on utilization, yield, and reliability.
在此背景下,在亚洲新增一家专注于鞍座的制造合作伙伴,与其说是品类扩张,不如说是对现有生产瓶颈的回应。领导层的评论已明确这一限制,DeSimone 认为聚合物增材制造的成功取决于利用率、良率和可靠性。
For 3D printing enthusiasts and cycling fans alike, this development underscores how additive manufacturing is moving from novelty to necessity in high-performance applications. If you’re looking to explore similar cutting-edge designs for your own projects, check out our collection of premium STL files at 3dmis.com, where you can find everything from functional bike parts to creative 3D printing models for every skill level.
对于 3D 打印爱好者和自行车迷而言,这一发展凸显了增材制造如何从新奇事物转变为必需品。
Looking for high-quality STL files? Browse our collection at 3dmis.com!
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📌 编者按:本文改编自行业最新资讯。查看原文

