Orbital Composites
Orbital Composites builds robotic additive manufacturing systems for continuous-fiber composites, serving defense, aerospace, space, and energy customers. It sells hardware platforms, provides manufacturing services, and licenses AMCM technology to produce aerospace-grade parts at industrial scale.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersCampbell, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Orbital Composites does
Orbital Composites is a private robotics and advanced-manufacturing company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Campbell, California, with a secondary office in San Jose. The company develops robotic additive manufacturing systems for continuous-fiber polymer, ceramic, and metal-matrix composites, built around a family of multi-robot platforms (Orbital e-, Orbital S, Orbital F, Orbital AMCM, SkyBAAM, plus custom cells) all controlled by its proprietary Orb OS real-time software. It pairs these machines with internally developed end-use products such as the StarFighter X modular drone platform, OrbShield spacecraft protection panels, and ThermoFiber high-conductivity composite materials, and has secured exclusive licensing of the AMCM (Additive Manufacturing Compression Molding) technology co-developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The company sells its machines via a quote-based enterprise motion into defense, aerospace, space, and energy customers; separately provides manufacturing services for proof-of-concept, pilot, and high-volume production; licenses AMCM technology for aerospace, mobility, and energy applications; and derives substantial non-dilutive revenue from U.S. government R&D contracts. Total disclosed government contract awards exceed $10 million across 8 awards since April 2021, with the U.S. Space Force, Air Force, and Department of Energy as primary customers and prime contractors (Boeing, RTX, Northrop Grumman, Axiom Space) as commercial partners. Reported unit economics include 75% labor reduction in unmanned systems production, 5X cost and cycle-time reduction for carbon-carbon composites, sub-3-minute AMCM cycle times (with 100 parts in 5 hours demonstrated at ORNL), and a quoted scaling envelope of 1 to 100,000+ units/year in autonomous robotic factories.
Pricing spans from entry-level Orbital e- at approximately $99.9k–$150k (or a $3.99k/month lease) for education and research customers, to the flagship Orbital S starting at $350k for 1–6 robots with up to 36 degrees of freedom, to custom Orbital F mobile factory systems housed in 40-foot shipping containers. Headcount is in the 11–50 range, the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional equity rounds, and its go-to-market is anchored on defense and aerospace enterprise sales complemented by direct-to-research sales to universities and national labs.
Orbital Composites firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Orbital Composites
- Legal name
- Orbital Composites Inc.
- Website
- https://orbitalcomposites.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Orbital Composites builds robotic additive manufacturing systems for continuous-fiber composites, serving defense, aerospace, space, and energy customers. It sells hardware platforms, provides manufacturing services, and licenses AMCM technology to produce aerospace-grade parts at industrial scale.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Orbital Composites industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial 3D Printing / Robotic Additive Manufacturing Systems
- NAICS
- Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326), Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aerospace & Defense (Production AM Parts) (IMAAAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing of Plastics) (IMANAOAO), Electronics & Electrical (Connectors, Housings, Tooling/Fixtures as End-Use) (Production AM Parts) (IMAAAEAF), Metrology Automation & Robotics (Automated Cells, In-Line Gauging) (IMAAAHAH)
Keywords
Where Orbital Composites is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Campbell
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Orbital Composites business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Robotic AM Systems Sales: Sale of robotic additive manufacturing machines including Orbital e-, Orbital S, Orbital F, and custom systems. Machines range from entry-level single-robot systems to multi-robot flagship platforms for high-volume production.
- Manufacturing Services: Proof-of-concept development, pilot production, and high-volume production services for customers. Includes proof-of-concept demonstrations, cost model development, and dedicated production line design for customers.
- Licensing of AMCM Technology: Exclusive licensing of breakthrough Additive Manufacturing Compression Molding technology co-developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for aerospace, mobility, and energy industries.
- Government R&D Contracts: SBIR/STTR contracts and other government awards from DoD, DoE, Space Force, and Air Force for development of space manufacturing, hypersonics, UAVs, and other defense applications. Total government contract awards exceed $10 million.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Entry-level single-robot printer for education and research |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | Flagship multi-robot printer for unprecedented flexibility |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Hybrid additive manufacturing and compression molding system |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
Orbital Composites product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Orbital Composites builds autonomous robotic additive manufacturing (AM) systems that 3D print advanced polymer, ceramic, and metal matrix composite parts at scale. Its product family includes the Orbital e-, S, F, AMCM, and SkyBAAM robotic printers powered by proprietary Orb OS control software, complemented by end products such as StarFighter X modular drones, OrbShield spacecraft protection panels, ThermoFiber composite materials, and dedicated manufacturing services.
Product overview
Orbital Composites offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on robotic additive manufacturing systems for advanced polymers and composites. The core product line includes the Orbital Machines family (Orbital e-, Orbital S, Orbital F, Orbital AMCM, Custom systems, and SkyBAAM), all powered by the Orb OS control software. The company also manufactures end-use products including Starfighter X modular drones, OrbShield protection panels, and ThermoFiber advanced materials. Orbital's manufacturing services support proof-of-concept, pilot, and high-volume production. The platform enables production of composite parts for aerospace, defense, space, and energy applications at volumes and costs previously impossible with traditional manufacturing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- StarFighter X: A modular drone platform offering high efficiency, forward flight capabilities at high speeds, designed for counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) and cargo resupply missions.
- OrbShield
- Orbital e-
- Orbital S
- Orbital F
- Orbital AMCM
- ThermoFiber
Products and services
- StarFighter X Modular drone platform designed for counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) and cargo resupply missions, available in speed variants up to 200-300 mph. Produced using Orbital's robotic autonomous manufacturing for mass production at reduced cost.
- OrbShield Single-panel solution providing radiation, thermal, and micrometeoroid/orbital debris (MMOD) protection for spacecraft. Enables use of COTS electronics from LEO to cislunar without radiation-hardened components, reducing part count and build time.
- Orbital e- Entry-level single-robot 3D printer for education and research with a 6-axis robotic arm, 1.2m x 1.2m build platform, aerospace-grade thermoplastic filament printing, and Orb OS control software.
- Orbital S Flagship multi-robot printer with 1-6 robots, 6-36 degrees of freedom, and 2.25m x 2.25m x 2.25m print volume. Supports thermoplastic filament, pellet, thermoset, and coaxial continuous fiber end-effectors, starting at $350k.
- Orbital F 10m-scale mobile factory for the largest composite structures; field-deployable, infinitely scalable, and integrates with a 40ft shipping container for massive payloads.
- Orbital AMCM Hybrid additive manufacturing and compression molding system combining AM with precision compression molding to deliver aerospace-quality parts at automotive cycle times with Class A/B surface finish; co-developed with Oak Ridge National Lab.
- ThermoFiber Customizable high-conductivity composite material for structural thermal management, including polymer matrix composites, carbon/ceramic matrix composites (C/C, C/C-SiC), and metal-reinforced carbon composites (nickel, tungsten).
- SkyBAAM Onsite unlimited-size 3D printer designed for uneven terrain, offered in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for large-scale civil and infrastructure applications.
- Orbital Manufacturing Services Contract manufacturing services including proof-of-concept development, pilot production with cost modeling, and design and build of dedicated high-volume production lines for customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 75% labor reduction in high-volume manufacturing of unmanned systems with composites
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Orbital Composites
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Orbital Composites technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature8 records
Orbital Composites partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, major, supporting and strategic.
- Stanford UniversityminorFeatured on ISAM Panel at Spacecom alongside experts from NASA, Axiom Space, Stanford, and Virtus Solis.
- NASAcoreCollaboration on novel radiation shielding techniques and featured on ISAM Panel at Spacecom. NASA reference in various space technology developments including Artemis mission alignment.
- Cosmic ShieldingcoreCollaboration on novel radiation shielding techniques to protect cubesat chassis for advanced radiation-shielded imaging cubesats for GEO and CisLunar applications.
- Relative DynamicscoreCo-development of optical payload for radiation-shielded imaging cubesats under USSF Direct-to-Phase-II SBIR contract.
- Axiom Spacemajor$1.7M Space Force contract partnership to advance ISAM technologies for kilometer-scale LEO antennas, space stations, and GEO applications, targeting space factory in 3-5 years.
- Northrop Grumman Space LogisticsmajorPartner in $1.7M Space Force contract for space factories, advancing ISAM technologies for space infrastructure.
- Virtus SoliscoreCollaboration to construct satellite constellation for transmitting solar power to ground stations on Earth. Orbital providing ISAM platforms to enable space-based solar power stations. MoU for sustainable technologies development.
- REV3RDcorePartnership to offer REV3RD's entire family of pellet extruders on Orbital's robotic AM platform. Enables printing with wider range of materials, especially for larger parts. REV3RD is a leading manufacturer of FGF Additive Manufacturing technologies for Large-Scale AM systems.
- IACMI (Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation)supportingIACMI supported the development of AMCM process, providing investment leverage to create innovative manufacturing technology in the United States.
- Oshkosh CorporationmajorOngoing project with Oshkosh to demonstrate large-scale AMCM parts targeting cost-effective manufacturing of >10k parts/year. Quote from Nick Sonnentag (Principal Engineer) praising AMCM's speed for specialty automotive applications.
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)coreCo-development and exclusive licensing of AMCM technology combining additive manufacturing with compression molding. ORNL demonstrated making 100 AMCM parts in 5 hours. Technology validated at ORNL and commercialized by Orbital for aerospace, mobility, and energy sectors.
- Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)majorPartner with Orbital under SpaceWERX Orbital Prime Program for STTR Phase I contract to explore In-space Service, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities. SwRI is one of the oldest and largest independent nonprofit R&D organizations in the US.
- KUKAcoreCollaboration featured at IMTS 2022 where KUKA and Orbital made top ten (#6) out of 1272 exhibitors. Orbital S cell demonstrated high-speed, high-precision composite material printing with KUKA robotics.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)coreInstallation of custom robotic manufacturing system at NREL's CoMET Facility for wind turbine blade manufacturing research. NREL quote praising seamless procurement and commissioning experience.
- LOREminorCollaboration to create most advanced continuous fiber cycling shoe ever, demonstrating consumer applications of continuous-fiber AM technology.
- EatonstrategicWorking with Eaton to develop 3D printed internal aircraft parts including ducts not possible with other conventional 3D printers. Quote praising breadth of capabilities in advanced composite materials and machines.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Orbital Composites competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Markforged: Publicly-traded leader in continuous carbon fiber and metal 3D printing for industrial end-use parts. Closest direct competitor in fiber-reinforced composite AM, overlapping with Orbital's e- and S product tiers across enterprise customers.
- Arris Composites: Developer of high-volume carbon fiber additive manufacturing for consumer electronics, aerospace, and automotive applications. Competes head-to-head with Orbital AMCM in continuous fiber composites with similar throughput ambitions.
- Continuous Composites: Pioneer in continuous fiber 3D printing with CF3D technology, serving aerospace and defense customers. Direct overlap with Orbital on topology-optimized continuous fiber placement and government contract revenue.
- 9T Labs: Swiss-based provider of carbon fiber 3D printing and automation systems for serial production of composite parts. Competes in the same continuous-fiber structural part market, particularly aerospace and medical.
- Impossible Objects: Composite additive manufacturing company using CBAM (Composite Based Additive Manufacturing) for high-strength parts. Overlaps with Orbital's mission of producing production-grade composite parts at scale.
Emerging players
- Arevo: Carbon fiber 3D printing company focused on large-scale structures and consumer goods (notably bicycles). Comparable technology profile to Orbital's continuous-fiber approach, with emphasis on large format.
- Mantle: Metal and composite AM company focused on tooling and production parts. Overlaps with Orbital in serving aerospace and industrial customers with novel production-oriented additive technology.
Broad incumbents
- Stratasys: Large, established 3D printing OEM with broad polymer and composite printer portfolio. Competes on the entry-level and mid-tier of Orbital's machine lineup, especially in education and research segments.
- EOS GmbH: Major industrial AM systems provider for polymers and metals. Competes with Orbital S in industrial composite AM and overlaps in aerospace and defense customer base.
- Carbon (Carbon3D): Digital Light Synthesis 3D printing company with strong enterprise customer base in automotive, consumer products, and industrial. Adjacent in polymer AM for production parts but distinct in core technology.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Orbital Composites social profiles
Digital presenceOrbital Composites financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Orbital Composites leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Orbital Composites funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Orbital Composites M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Orbital Composites
What does Orbital Composites do?
Orbital Composites builds autonomous robotic additive manufacturing (AM) systems that 3D print advanced polymer, ceramic, and metal matrix composite parts at scale. Its product family includes the Orbital e-, S, F, AMCM, and SkyBAAM robotic printers powered by proprietary Orb OS control software, complemented by end products such as StarFighter X modular drones, OrbShield spacecraft protection panels, ThermoFiber composite materials, and dedicated manufacturing services.
Is Orbital Composites a public or private company?
Orbital Composites is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Orbital Composites founded?
Orbital Composites was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Orbital Composites based?
Orbital Composites is headquartered in Campbell, United States, in the North America region.
How does Orbital Composites make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Robotic AM Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are manufacturing Services, licensing of AMCM Technology and government R&D Contracts.
Who are Orbital Composites's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Markforged, Arris Composites, Continuous Composites, 9T Labs and Impossible Objects. Emerging players are Arevo and Mantle. Broad incumbents are Stratasys, EOS GmbH and Carbon (Carbon3D).
Does Orbital Composites have an API?
No public API is recorded for Orbital Composites.
What industry is Orbital Composites in?
Orbital Composites's product category is Industrial 3D Printing / Robotic Additive Manufacturing Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAAEAA, Aerospace & Defense (Production AM Parts), with a secondary code of IMANAOAO, Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing of Plastics). Its NAICS code is 336419 and its SIC code is 3760.