New investment supports launch of Surface Builder and development of tools that preserve critical shop-floor knowledge by empowering new manufacturing workers with surface expertise

Surface Design Solutions, a leader in next-generation manufacturing software, announced it has secured $365,000 in funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to support the next generation of skilled manufacturing workers while advancing its mission to modernize surface engineering. The investment will support Surface Design Solutions’ efforts to scale their newly developed software—especially to manufacturers with aging workforce challenges—as well as to co-develop effective training materials with both experienced and newer employees, and build intuitive software interfaces tailored to the needs of production workers.

“With the rise of retirements in manufacturing and a clear need to train new talent faster, Surface Builder is designed to bridge that gap,” said Dr. Tevis Jacobs, president and co-founder of Surface Design Solutions. “Thanks to the Richard King Mellon Foundation’s support, we’re not just building smarter tools; we’re helping ensure the knowledge of today’s experts becomes the foundation for tomorrow’s workforce. The funding allows us to preserve critical shop-floor knowledge, reduce onboarding time, and drive long-term manufacturing resilience.”

Surface quality and texture play a critical role across many manufacturing industries. Beyond influencing the look and feel of products, surface condition affects their performance. In automotive and aerospace components, for example, surfaces determine the efficiency of cars and planes. The surface condition of the manufacturing equipment itself also controls the amount of scrap and downtime that manufacturers face. The surface quality of production tooling is poorly controlled and degrades over time, contributing significantly to equipment downtime, which drives up costs and cuts into profits.

Surface Design Solutions uses advanced physics-informed machine learning (PIML) technology to predict how a surface will perform, helping manufacturers avoid costly problems and boost their bottom line. This unique approach also allows Surface Design Solutions to deliver actionable predictions with just a fraction of the data required by conventional AI systems. The result is interpretable and impactful insights even in complex, small-data manufacturing environments.

“Surface finish has long been treated as an afterthought, measured only to check a box,” added Jacobs. “Our platform shifts that thinking, empowering manufacturers to see surface quality as a powerful lever that can be precisely refined to improve performance and profitability.”

The funding from RKMF will accelerate the rollout of Surface Builder, Surface Design Solutions’ new shop-floor software that gives production workers real-time feedback on surface performance and eliminates the need for slow or destructive testing. As part of the rollout, Surface Design Solutions is working directly with experienced machinists and technicians to create training materials that help new hires ramp up quickly and work more effectively. By capturing and passing on expert insights, the company helps preserve critical skills that would otherwise be lost to an aging workforce, reducing disruptions and speeding up onboarding for new hires.

Early partners using Surface Design Solutions’ software have already seen significant results. One customer, a global high-volume manufacturer, reported a 35% increase in production efficiency by using its software to optimize the surface finish of tooling. With its strong focus on training, Surface Design Solutions is prioritizing new partnerships with manufacturers where knowledge transfer and workforce development are critical.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation’s investment in Surface Design Solutions is made through its Social-Impact Investment Program, through which the Foundation invests in for-profit startups with a social mission that aligns with the Foundation’s philanthropic strategy.

To learn more about Surface Design Solutions, visit https://surface.design/.

About Surface Design Solutions

Surface Design Solutions, Inc. aims to transform the manufacturing industry with its cutting-edge physics-informed machine learning (PIML) technology. The company’s technology empowers manufacturers to optimize surfaces to increase production yield, improve product performance, and enhance production efficiency while realizing dramatic cost savings. Its Surface Designer platform guides engineers through the design of tooling surfaces and the creation of manufacturing specifications. Its recently released Surface Builder software works on the shop floor, enabling the in-line inspection of surfaces to guarantee performance. Whether surface-finishing operations are done by in-house technicians, external vendors, or automation, Surface Design Solutions ensures that parts have the optimal surface to maximize the profitability of each product line and the performance of every part. Learn more at https://surface.design/.

About the Richard King Mellon Foundation

Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation’s 2024 year-end net assets were $3.1 billion, and its Trustees in 2024 disbursed more than $155 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation focuses its funding on six primary program areas, delineated in its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan.

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