Carbon: Launching SpeedCell and a New Era of Scaled 3D Manufacturing

Carbon emerged as one of Silicon Valley’s earliest true unicorns — a company whose breakthrough in photopolymer 3D printing promised to collapse the distance between prototyping and production. Operating at the intersection of hardware, software, and molecular science, Carbon envisioned a future where final‑quality parts could be produced at scale using light. When the company prepared to introduce its new SpeedCell manufacturing system and announce a landmark partnership with Adidas, they turned to Watts Media to help tell their story with clarity, ambition, and cinematic impact.

The Challenge

A Transformational Technology Needed a Transformational Story

SpeedCell represented a major leap forward: a connected ecosystem built around Carbon’s M‑series printers and Smart Part Washer, designed to move additive manufacturing from prototyping into true production. The system, powered by Carbon’s Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) process, enabled isotropic parts, complex lattice geometries, and end‑use components that rivaled injection‑molded quality — all at unprecedented speed.

But the technology was complex, and the stakes were high. Carbon needed a film that could:

• Explain CLIP and thermal curing in a way investors and partners could instantly grasp

• Showcase SpeedCell as a production‑ready platform, not a lab experiment

• Support the announcement of their collaboration with Adidas on Futurecraft 4D — the first mass‑produced 3D‑printed midsole, made possible by Carbon’s lattice innovation

• Inspire confidence in Carbon’s vision for the future of manufacturing

A Moment to Signal Category Leadership

This wasn’t just a product launch. It was Carbon’s opportunity to show the world that additive manufacturing had finally crossed the threshold into scalable, industrial production — and that Carbon was the company leading the charge.

Our Approach

Watts Media partnered closely with Carbon’s leadership, engineers, and product teams to understand the science behind CLIP, the engineering behind SpeedCell, and the strategic importance of the Adidas partnership.

From that foundation, we built a creative strategy around three pillars:

1. Clarity Through Narrative

We distilled CLIP — a process involving oxygen‑permeable membranes, continuous photopolymerization, and thermal curing — into a simple, elegant story. The film explained how Carbon’s technology eliminates traditional prototyping cycles and enables direct‑to‑production workflows.

2. Visualizing the Invisible

Because much of Carbon’s innovation happens at the molecular and software levels, we blended:

• Real footage of the M1 and M2 printers

• High‑resolution imagery of isotropic parts

• Abstract motion graphics

• Technical illustration

This hybrid approach made the invisible mechanisms of CLIP and SpeedCell feel tangible, intuitive, and visually striking.

3. Elevating the Brand Moment

We crafted a cinematic tone that matched Carbon’s ambition — a company backed by GE, BMW, and other major partners, poised to redefine how products are designed, engineered, and delivered. The film needed to feel like a category announcement, not a product demo.

The Result

The final film became Carbon’s flagship storytelling asset — used to brief investors, energize partners, and introduce SpeedCell to the world. It helped frame Carbon not just as a 3D‑printing company, but as a manufacturing platform capable of powering global brands.

Clear Communication

The film translated complex engineering into a crisp, compelling narrative that resonated with both technical and executive audiences.

Strategic Alignment

It supported Carbon’s Adidas partnership announcement, showcasing how Carbon’s lattice structures and CLIP‑based production made Futurecraft 4D possible at scale.

A Vision for the Future

By combining live‑action production, technical illustration, and motion design, Watts Media helped Carbon articulate a bold message: Manufacturing has entered a new era - and Carbon is leading it.

CLIP Technology Overview

The technology that makes this kind of 3D printing possible is called CLIP, Continuous Liquid Interface Production. Carbon tasked Watts with explaining CLIP and Thermal Curing, a very complicated but mind-blowing innovation, as clearly as possible. The result is a film that mixes real imagery of the M1 printer, real isotropic parts, and original illustration and animation.