Absora Micro-perforated material

ABSORA, a materials startup based in Bopfingen, has closed a pre-seed funding round of €1.25 million. The fresh capital is intended to transition its patented HSA3 micro-perforation technology into scalable mass production and to ramp up initial industrial flagship projects in the fields of lightweight construction, noise protection, and filtration.

Industrial Noise Dampening via Micro-perforation

In many sectors—ranging from power plants and machine rooms to buildings and vehicles—the market is currently dominated by insulation materials that are expensive, heavy, or environmentally harmful. Products such as rock wool or foam are inefficient, difficult to recycle, and offer poor sound absorption at low frequencies.

As regulatory and industrial requirements become more stringent, the demand for lighter, more sustainable, and more effective solutions is growing. ABSORA is thus addressing a market characterized by an urgent need for change and strong growth dynamics.

With HSA3, ABSORA has developed a micro-perforated metamaterial made of sheet metal that combines three key functions: it absorbs sound and vibrations across a broad frequency range, reduces flow resistance, and is simultaneously extremely lightweight and high-strength. Moreover, it is more cost-effective to manufacture than conventional alternatives.

The material is the result of ten years of research and development by the company’s CTO, Johannes Härle. At its core is a patented process that, for the first time, enables the efficient production of micro-perforations on an industrial scale.

The technology did not originate in a Silicon Valley laboratory, but rather in an inventor’s workshop in Bopfingen. CTO Härle comes from a family with a track record of over 150 successful industrial product launches. His father, Hans A. Härle, developed innovations such as the sintered metal soot particle filter for diesel engines, collapsible steering columns, and sound absorbers for the aviation industry.

HSA3 is already being tested in various industrial pilot environments, including gas power plants, HVAC systems, and noise protection applications. Together with the Fläkt Group—part of Samsung—ABSORA is developing products for air handling and climate control technology. In Europe alone, ABSORA’s target markets are valued at over 200 billion euros, with annual growth rates exceeding eight percent.

www.absora.eco