Fabheads Automated Carbon Fibre Composite Manufacturing

Fabheads Automation is a deep tech company from Chennai, India, founded in 2015 and backed by IIT Madras, with a second site in Bengaluru. It tackles the slow, labor-intensive and costly nature of carbon fiber composite part production by combining automation and 3D printing with conventional craftsmanship.

Its patented Adaptive Tow Placement (AToP) continuous carbon fiber 3D printing lets fibers follow custom paths for strength, alongside automated fiber placement, prepreg layup, resin transfer molding, winding and compression molding. In-house pellet printers make large molds and fixtures at up to 10 kg per hour, the C6 slicer software plans fiber toolpaths, and patented material preparation tailors fiber and tow impregnation. Fabheads designs, tools, prototypes, produces and tests parts for aerospace, mobility, marine and robotics customers, and can build dedicated machines or production lines.

• AToP fiber printing: patented continuous carbon fiber 3D printing with customizable fiber paths.
• Automated and hybrid layup: AFP, prepreg layup, RTM, winding and compression molding under one roof.
• PRISM pellet printers: in-house rapid tooling at up to 10 kg per hour and large build volumes.
• C6 slicer software: toolpath planning for continuous fiber printing.
• Material preparation: patented fiber and tow impregnation with tailored resin systems.
• Testing and certification: tensile testing, structural inspection and qualified processes for certification.

Vietnamese drone and electric two-wheeler makers could outsource carbon fiber frames or panels to Fabheads during development and ramp-up. Composite workshops could partner on a dedicated automated line or continuous fiber printing cell, and universities could set up composite printing labs similar to IIT Madras.

Fabheads reports that its automated and hybrid processes reduce part weight and rejection rates while optimizing lead time and cost. Customers can use one partner for design, tooling, prototyping, production and certification support. Rapid pellet-printed tooling with build volumes up to 1000 x 1000 x 500 mm shortens mold lead times for new composite parts.

Aerospace, drone, electric mobility and marine programs need lighter carbon fiber parts at lower cost and higher volume, while manual layup limits capacity. Asian manufacturers are investing in automated composite production to join global supply chains. Vietnam's growing aerospace parts, drone and electric two-wheeler industries share this need.

Founded in 2015 in Chennai, India, with a site in Bengaluru. Raised a USD 10M Series A in June 2025 led by Accel with Trifecta Capital, after a pre-Series A led by Inflection Point Ventures in 2021. National Startup Award 2020 (Industry 4.0), National Technology Startup Award 2020, DSIR-recognized R&D unit; IIT Madras runs a print farm of 25+ FabMachines printers.