Rose-Hulman Grads Launch Unlayered 3D, a Support-Free Desktop Printer

From Dorm Room to Desktop Factory

Most 3D printing startups are born in garages or makerspaces. Philip Pounds and Alex Stedman started theirs in their college apartment. The two 2026 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology graduates founded Unlayered 3D while still undergrads, and they are now building a five-axis desktop printer they hope will remove one of the most annoying steps in the workflow: removing supports.

Their machine tilts and rotates the print head across five axes, letting it print complex geometry from angles that would normally need a forest of temporary support material. The payoff is cleaner surface finishes, stronger parts, and less wasted filament. It also means fewer trips to the emergency room: Pounds got the idea after a support-removal slip nearly severed a tendon in his finger.

How It Works

Traditional fused deposition modeling printers move the nozzle along three axes and build straight up from the bed. Overhangs need supports, which are then broken away, sanded down, or dissolved. Unlayered's approach lets the nozzle approach the part from multiple angles, so the printer can build features in mid-air without scaffolding.

That is not just a hardware trick. The founders say the software side is just as important. They have built slicing tools designed to handle five-axis toolpaths in a few clicks, which could lower the skill barrier for users who are not used to thinking in multiple orientations.

From Campus to Customers

Unlayered began in February 2025. Pounds, a mechanical engineering graduate, first learned about 3D printing at Rose-Hulman's makerspace and bought his own machine to make go-kart parts. Stedman, a computer engineering graduate, got into printing to prototype robotics parts in small batches. They became roommates, combined their skills, and started iterating in their apartment.

Rose-Hulman did not take equity in exchange for help, which the founders say was a major advantage. The school provided a Sawmill Society ventureship and a professional development grant, plus introductions to mentors and investors. They later pitched to the Rose Angels alumni investor group and won the William A. Kline Innovation Award at the 2026 Rose Show.

By the time they exhibited a pilot unit at RAPID 2026 in Boston, they were already on the fifth iteration of the machine. They are now moving to San Francisco to prepare for a broader launch and have been collecting feedback from hundreds of potential users, trade show attendees, and 3D printing content creators including The 3D Printing Nerd and 3D Printing Doctor.

Why It Could Matter

The founders argue that five-axis printing is where desktop machines are heading. If the slicing problem is solved, they believe most users will prefer printers that do not require supports, produce stronger parts, and waste less material. That is a big claim for a young company, but the hardware industry has seen faster jumps before: a few years ago, carbon-fiber-capable desktop printers were rare; now they are common.

Unlayered still has to figure out pricing, exact specs, and how much of the machine will be made in the United States. But the idea of a support-free desktop printer, built by two engineers fresh out of college, is a good reminder that the consumer and prosumer 3D printing market still has room for real hardware innovation.