Helicon automates high-volume composites manufacturing

Helicon Industries is advancing the automation of carbon fiber composite manufacturing. The company is developing systems to enable high-volume production of carbon fiber components, addressing the challenges of traditional composite manufacturing, which is typically slow and labor-intensive.

The Los Angeles-based startup has secured $16 million in seed funding, led by AlleyCorp, to support its mission of reducing composite manufacturing lead times from six months to just two weeks. Helicon's approach focuses on automating the manipulation of carbon-fiber textiles, a process complicated by the material's flexibility and the stringent regulations in aerospace and defense.

Edmundo Sanz-Gadea, Helicon's co-founder and CTO, has a background in aerospace and robotics, having worked on projects ranging from autonomous drones to robotics systems. His experience has informed Helicon's strategy to automate composite manufacturing, starting with carbon fiber, to meet the growing demand for lightweight, high-performance structures in industries such as robotics, logistics, and aerospace.

Helicon is expanding its operations into a 36,000 sq. ft. facility in Torrance, California, where it will focus on automation and high-volume production. The company aims to streamline processes so that robots can efficiently handle materials, from placement to quality control, reducing cycle times to under 15 minutes.

The company is collaborating with material suppliers to ensure the availability of carbon fiber at scale. Sanz-Gadea notes that while carbon fiber itself is not in short supply, the challenge lies in scaling up the manufacturing infrastructure to produce finished parts domestically.

Helicon's efforts are part of a broader goal to 'reindustrialize the West,' with a focus on building the capacity to produce advanced composites at an industrial scale. The company is actively hiring across various engineering and manufacturing disciplines to support this vision.