Impossible Objects CBAM 25 Composite 3D Printer

Impossible Objects is a 3D printer and materials company based in Northbrook, Illinois, with an office in Rochester, New York. It developed Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) to bring 3D printing from prototyping into volume production of strong, lightweight composite parts without the tooling costs of machining or injection molding.

CBAM builds parts from long-fiber carbon or glass fabric sheets combined with thermoplastic powders such as PA 12 and PEEK, then consolidates them by bulk thermal processing. The CBAM 25 printer prints each layer in under four seconds with roll-fed substrate, AI-based in-situ process control and real-time defect detection, reaching 100 micron accuracy with little warpage. The company sells printers and also prints parts as a service, including wave solder pallets for electronics, drone bodies and automotive parts, for aerospace, defense, electronics and industrial customers.

• CBAM process: long-fiber carbon or glass fabrics combined with thermoplastic powders for composite parts.
• High-speed printing: each layer printed in under four seconds, up to 25 layers per minute.
• Material portfolio: carbon fiber PA 12, carbon fiber PEEK, fiberglass PA 12 and fiberglass PEEK.
• Smart quality control: AI-based in-situ process control with real-time defect detection and Smart Yield correction.
• Dimensional precision: bulk thermal processing gives 100 micron accuracy and large flat parts with little warpage.
• Parts services: on-demand printing of electronic tooling, wave solder pallets, drone and automotive parts.

Electronics assembly plants in Vietnam could print carbon fiber PEEK wave solder pallets and fixtures quickly in-house. Drone makers could produce airframe parts in volume without molds, and automotive or machinery suppliers could replace small machined aluminum brackets with lighter printed composite parts.

Impossible Objects states that CBAM 25 is 15 times faster than competing production additive technologies, printing up to 25 layers per minute. Parts reach strength up to 200 MPa, up to four times other additive processes, with heat resistance above 300 degrees C for PEEK grades and UL 94 V-0 flame resistance. Room-temperature printing avoids wasted powder and the system runs on standard shop utilities.

Manufacturers want lighter parts and shorter lead times without investing in molds, and drone, aerospace and electronics production is scaling quickly. Additive manufacturing is shifting from prototypes toward end-use production. Vietnam's large electronics assembly base and emerging drone sector create demand for heat-resistant tooling and lightweight composite parts made on demand.

Offices in Northbrook, Illinois and Rochester, New York; founder and chairman Robert Swartz, CEO Steve Hoover. Raised a USD 40M Series B in September 2026 led by Inflection Equity and holds about USD 20M in US government contracts. Users include the U.S. Air Force, Rock Island Arsenal, the National Institute for Aviation Research and Rochester Institute of Technology. CBAM 25 won the 2024 Mexico Technology Award.