Fabheads Automation

About Fabheads Automation

Fabheads Automation is a deep-tech company tackling inefficiencies in the composite manufacturing sector, particularly for carbon fiber parts. The company was founded in 2015 by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) engineers Dhinesh Kanagaraj and Abhijeet Rathore. Their experience at ISRO, working on critical aerospace projects like the GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle, exposed them to the laborious, expensive, and time-consuming manual processes of fabricating high-performance carbon fiber components. This firsthand knowledge of the industry's bottlenecks was the catalyst for creating Fabheads, with a mission to automate and revolutionize the production of these advanced materials. Akshay Ballal later joined the founding team.

The company's core business revolves around its proprietary robotic automation systems for manufacturing with composite fibers. Fabheads has developed a patented continuous fiber 3D printing process, a technological achievement accomplished by only a handful of companies globally. This technology, which includes patented 'Miniaturised Tow Placement' and Adaptive Tow Placement (ATP), automates key processes like fiber placement and layering. The result is a significant reduction in production costs by up to 50%, a 20% decrease in material waste, and a 30% acceleration of production cycles. Fabheads' product line includes a series of in-house developed 3D printers called 'FibrBots'. The company operates a multi-faceted business model. It sells smaller-configuration 3D printers to organizations like universities and startups that require in-house carbon fiber printing capabilities. It also retains larger machines to provide direct fabrication and prototyping services to clients, which include prominent names like Dell, Tata, ISRO, and The ePlane Company. For high-volume production, Fabheads offers a licensing model, developing custom production lines for clients.

Initially incubated at the IIT-Madras Incubation Cell, Fabheads has achieved significant milestones, including securing a defense development project for the Indian Air Force. The company has successfully raised capital over several funding rounds, culminating in a $10 million Series A round in 2025 led by Accel. This capital is earmarked for scaling manufacturing capacity, including the establishment of a new, larger facility in Bengaluru to primarily serve the aerospace sector and international clients. The company's work has been recognized with numerous awards, such as the National Startup Award and the DRDO Dare to Dream Innovation Award.