The round is led by the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), managed by Future Planet Capital, which contributed £750,000, with co-investment of £1 million each from the Development Bank of Wales and Parkwalk Advisors.
The investment represents UKI2S’s largest cheque from its Knowledge Assets portfolio to date, which focuses on turning public sector research into commercial businesses.
As part of the investment, the company has relocated from the National Physical Laboratory to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in North Wales, strengthening its access to industrial partners and manufacturing expertise as it moves towards commercial deployment.
In sectors such as aerospace, manufacturers measure large and complex components to extremely tight tolerances. Current processes require production to stop while specialist equipment measures individual points, followed by repeated calibration checks. These interruptions can add significant time to build schedules, increase costs and place heavy demands on skilled engineering teams.
K3Metrology’s technology is designed to transform this approach by allowing manufacturers to measure multiple points simultaneously and continuously, in real time, while components are being assembled. This enables engineers to identify alignment issues as they arise, rather than discovering problems later in the production process when rework is more costly and time-consuming.
By enabling measurement to take place as part of the build process, rather than as a series of stop-start inspections, the technology reduces production downtime, cuts rework caused by late-stage errors, improves the use of skilled labour and supports more automated and digitally enabled manufacturing environments – enabling greater management within smart factories globally.
The technology has been developed at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s national metrology institute, and refined through close engagement with industrial partners in advanced manufacturing and aerospace. The funding will be used to expand the engineering team, accelerate industrial trials and support early commercial deployments.
"We are excited to secure this investment and to have the support of investors who understand both the technical challenge and the industrial opportunity. This funding gives us the platform to scale a technology born from the National Physical Laboratory and apply it directly to some of the most demanding manufacturing environments.
“This investment enables us to move faster, work more closely with industry and deliver a step-change in how large, complex structures are measured and built.”
"K3Metrology is a strong example of what becomes possible when you identify the right opportunity within the UK's public knowledge base and invest the time to help shape it into a credible, investable business. We identified this technology at the National Physical Laboratory and worked closely with the team over time to develop it to the point of investment readiness - that work is central to what UKI2S does in the Knowledge Assets space, and it is not something every investor is set up to do.
"We are backing K3Metrology with our largest Knowledge Assets cheque to date because we have high conviction in the founders, the technology and the solution it offers to the relevant high-value sectors. This is exactly the kind of company the UKI2S Knowledge Assets portfolio was created to support.
“With early investment and long-term support, these technologies can be adopted on the factory floor, strengthening advanced manufacturing capability and delivering lasting global economic impact."
"K3 Metrology Ltd demonstrates how publicly funded science can translate into high value industrial capability for the UK.
“This technology is transformative with the ability to raise industrial productivity, strengthen UK manufacturing competitiveness, and set new international standards in large volume measurement. This seed investment marks an important step in translating 15 years of NPL research into real world impact, and we’re proud to support the K3M team as they take this capability to market."
“Spinouts such as K3 Metrology show how investment in public sector research can be turned into products and services with real commercial value. This kind of innovation demonstrates how targeted investment and support for Knowledge Asset commercialisation leads to UK growth, strengthening industrial capability and delivering economic and societal benefit.”
The investment reflects growing demand from manufacturers for technologies that can improve productivity, reduce waste and support the transition towards more automated and digitally enabled production. By bringing nationally important measurement science into live industrial environments, K3Metrology aims to support manufacturers in building complex structures faster, with greater confidence and fewer interruptions, strengthening competitiveness across high-value manufacturing sectors in the UK and internationally.
© UKI2S and Future Planet Capital (Ventures) Limited. All Rights Reserved. UKI2S is managed by Future Planet Capital (Ventures) Limited which is Authorised and Regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN 148549. Registered in England and Wales. Company Number 2500898. Registered Address: Future Planet Capital (Ventures) Limited, 1 Scott Place, 2 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AA.
