SPACE TECH NATION – INTERVIEW WITH HANAN GOTHAIT, CEO AND FOUNDER OF XJET
December 27, 2021
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How did you come up with the idea for this startup?
As the founder of Objet (that became Stratasys, one of the largest 3D companies in the world), I spent a lot of time investigating and learning about trends and future needs of customers in the 3D printing domain. At a certain point it was clear to us that the future of the 3D market was in manufacturing. Parts with strength and properties similar to traditional manufacturing, with the unlimited complex geometries that are provided by 3D printing but were not possible to make before. Parts that could be used without any additional post-processing or extensive manual work. After further investigation, we found out that there are no technologies that could deliver these parts, especially not in production quantities and at commercial cost. We then decided to find out if there could be a technology that could deliver this. We found out that there is a way to achieve it, and started to develop our technology, called NPJ, NanoParticle Jetting.
Is it your first experience with deep tech \ aerospace?
This is my third startup, a deep tech company, but for sure the most innovative one and one that targets the largest market.
Who are the team members? and how did the team form?
Key team members are from Stratasys – a leading 3D printing company – with many years of experience in developing breakthrough technologies, ….
In the future, Would you sell (Exit) or rather build a large company?
Our target is to build a large and successful company to make the aerospace and industrial world much better.
Did Covid have any effect on your decision to start the company or activity?
No, the company was started before Covid
How do you feel about the responsibility of leading such a startup?
It is a huge personal mission, endless challenges and obstacles to overcome, but with the amazing team we have, I believe that we will be very successful.
Who are your ideal partners?
The ideal partner understands the value of additive manufacturing not just as a way to produce parts but as a new paradigm for fabrication that can bring any value to the industry by producing better design parts, reducing tiresome labor, improving quality, reducing material waste, and create sustainable development goals. For instance, in the space industry, additive manufacturing can bring huge benefits, lowering the cost per kilogram for launches.by enabling lightweight structures, and reducing part numbers by enabling more complex parts that could not be produced with traditional manufacturing methods. Aerospace certification of parts is also stringent and the repeatability and accuracy offered by 3d printing, particularly from XJet, can help this process.
Where do you see your company in 5 years from now?
A great success will enable the use of our printed parts to make a difference in aerospace, health care and other sectors. XJet shall be a global player with installations and users in all continents and from innovation perspective. XJet will create the real multi-material AM system that can further open the possibilities for designers to create the impossible.
