Impossible Objects
Impossible Objects is a privately held U.S. advanced-manufacturing company that has developed a proprietary 3D printing process called CBAM (Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing), combining long-fiber carbon or fiberglass fabrics with high-performance polymer powders to produce industrial composite parts. The company sells the CBAM 25 and CBAM 2 industrial 3D printers, materials, custom parts services, and electronic tooling to aerospace, automotive, defense, and electronics manufacturers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersNorthbrook, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Impossible Objects does
Impossible Objects is a privately held U.S. advanced-manufacturing company that has developed a proprietary 3D printing process called CBAM (Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing). CBAM combines long-fiber fabrics of carbon fiber or fiberglass (at least 12mm in length) with high-performance polymer powders such as PEEK and PA 12, producing composite parts with claimed 15x faster throughput than HP MJF, 3x the strength of competing 3D printing technologies, and 100-micron dimensional accuracy with negligible warpage. The company operates from Northbrook, Illinois and Rochester, New York, has 11-50 employees, and was founded around 2009-2012 by inventor Robert Swartz.
The company's commercial product line centers on the CBAM 25 industrial 3D printer (commercially available since early 2024) and the CBAM 2 printer, supported by a materials portfolio (Carbon Fiber/PEEK, Carbon Fiber/PA 12, Fiberglass/PEEK, Fiberglass/PA 12) with UL 94V-0 flame-resistance certification. Beyond printer sales, Impossible Objects offers custom CBAM parts fabrication services and specialized electronic tooling products such as solder pallets for the EMS market. Customers include Boeing, Honeywell, Siemens, multiple U.S. military branches, Rock Island Arsenal, UAMMI, and electronics manufacturers; the company has also secured multiple DoD SBIR contracts for UAV parts, body armor, and high-temperature ceramics.
Impossible Objects generates revenue through industrial 3D printer sales (CBAM 25 and CBAM 2), custom parts services, electronic tooling (solder pallets), and DoD SBIR contracts. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the sales motion is consultative enterprise field sales with free sample parts for validation. Distribution is direct, spanning North America and Europe after the November 2024 European launch at Formnext Frankfurt. The company is venture-backed (total disclosed funding approximately $13.3M across three rounds from 2014-2019, led by OCA Ventures) with multiple industry awards since 2022.
Impossible Objects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Impossible Objects
- Legal name
- Impossible Objects Inc.
- Website
- https://impossible-objects.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Impossible Objects is a privately held U.S. advanced-manufacturing company that has developed a proprietary 3D printing process called CBAM (Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing), combining long-fiber carbon or fiberglass fabrics with high-performance polymer powders to produce industrial composite parts. The company sells the CBAM 25 and CBAM 2 industrial 3D printers, materials, custom parts services, and electronic tooling to aerospace, automotive, defense, and electronics manufacturers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Impossible Objects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial 3D Printing Equipment
- SIC
- Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Composite & Continuous-Fiber 3D Printers (IMAAAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Large-Format & Industrial Production 3D Printers (High-Throughput Systems) (IMAAAAAK), 3D Printers (Additive Manufacturing) (HDACAEAH), Electronics & Industrial Component 3D Printing Services (enclosures, fixtures, functional parts) (IMAAADAL)
Keywords
Where Impossible Objects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Northbrook
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Impossible Objects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- CBAM 25 3D Printer Sales: Sale of the flagship CBAM 25 industrial 3D printer, commercially available since early 2024. The printer is positioned for industrial settings requiring high-speed large-scale production.
- CBAM Parts/Production Services: Custom parts fabrication service using CBAM technology. Customers can order custom parts to their exacting specifications. Services include free sample parts for validation and testing.
- Electronic Tooling - Solder Pallets: Custom solder pallets and wave soldering equipment for electronics manufacturing. Hundreds of thousands of circuit boards have been made using their solder pallets.
- DoD SBIR Contracts: Multiple Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense for composite-based additive manufacturing development, UAV parts, and high-temperature ceramics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | CBAM 3D Printed Parts - Custom Fabrication |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | CBAM 25 Industrial 3D Printer |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Impossible Objects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Impossible Objects develops and sells industrial 3D printers built on its proprietary CBAM (Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing) technology, which combines long-fiber carbon or fiberglass fabrics with high-performance polymer powders such as PEEK to produce composite parts. It also sells composite materials, offers on-demand custom parts fabrication services, and produces electronic tooling such as solder pallets for electronics manufacturing. Its flagship product, the CBAM 25, is positioned as the world's fastest 3D printer.
Product overview
Impossible Objects is a 3D printer and materials company offering an integrated portfolio of industrial 3D printing products and services centered on its proprietary CBAM (Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing) technology. The core product lineup consists of two industrial 3D printers: the flagship CBAM 25 and the CBAM 2, both utilizing the same CBAM process. These printers are supported by a materials portfolio offering Carbon Fiber/PEEK, Carbon Fiber/PA 12, Fiberglass/PEEK, and Fiberglass/PA 12 composite materials. The company also provides CBAM 3D printed parts and production services, as well as specialized Electronic Tooling products including custom solder pallets for wave and selective soldering applications in electronics manufacturing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CBAM: Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing technology platform and process for producing composite 3D printed parts
- CBAM 25
- CBAM 2
Products and services
- CBAM 25 Industrial 3D Printer Flagship industrial 3D printer using Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing (CBAM) technology. Prints 60-micron thick layers every 4 seconds, producing composite parts 15x faster than HP's MJF technology with 100-micron dimensional accuracy. Built for high-speed large-scale production of long-fiber carbon or fiberglass composite parts with PEEK polymers.
- CBAM 2 Industrial 3D Printer Industrial 3D printer using the same CBAM composite-based additive manufacturing technology as the CBAM 25. Prints composite parts using long-fiber fabrics (carbon fiber or fiberglass) bonded with thermoplastic matrix materials such as Carbon Fiber/PEEK, Carbon Fiber/PA 12, Fiberglass/PEEK, and Fiberglass/PA 12.
- CBAM Materials Portfolio Advanced composite materials portfolio including Carbon Fiber/PEEK, Carbon Fiber/PA 12, Fiberglass/PEEK, and Fiberglass/PA 12. Materials offer tensile strengths up to 180 MPa, tensile modulus up to 12 GPa, heat deflection temperatures greater than 300°C, and UL 94V-0 flame retardancy, engineered for demanding industrial and aerospace applications.
- CBAM Parts Fabrication Services Custom CBAM 3D printed parts fabrication service for prototyping, functional test parts, tools, and production parts. Customers submit designs for parts printed using CBAM technology with high production speeds, fast turnaround, lower cost, better dimensional tolerances, chemical resistance, and greater strength-to-weight ratios. Free sample parts offered for testing and validation.
- Electronic Tooling (Solder Pallets) Custom 3D printed solder pallets and wave soldering fixtures for electronics manufacturing. Uses CBAM technology to produce high-temperature, chemical-resistant tooling with zero setup costs, fast turnaround, and flatness/dimensional accuracy of +/- 0.4mm and +/- 12 mils. Hundreds of thousands of circuit boards have been made using these solder pallets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15x faster than HP MJF technology - parts printed in seconds vs days for competitors
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Impossible Objects
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Impossible Objects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Impossible Objects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- UAMMI (Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative)coreStrategic collaboration with Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative for creating composite additive parts for the U.S. Air Force. UAMMI Executive Director Jeff Edwards noted that CBAM parts significantly reduce both time and cost of aircraft repairs.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Impossible Objects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- EOS GmbH: European-headquartered industrial polymer and metal AM leader with broad systems, materials and services. Comparable as an incumbent competing in the same aerospace, automotive and industrial customer base across Europe and North America.
- 3D Systems: Long-established broad-line industrial 3D printing company with plastics, metals and composite-adjacent offerings. Competes in the same aerospace, defense and industrial manufacturing segments.
- HP (Multi Jet Fusion): Competes via Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology, the explicit performance benchmark Impossible Objects uses for its '15x faster' claim. HP is a broad incumbent with a much larger industrial printing installed base.
- Desktop Metal: Broad AM portfolio across binder jetting, DLP and material extrusion systems. Comparable as a publicly traded competitor in industrial additive manufacturing systems and materials.
Emerging players
- Renishaw: UK-headquartered industrial AM and metrology company with metal and polymer 3D printing systems. Comparable as a peer in industrial additive manufacturing systems for aerospace and medical end markets, also named in European market coverage.
- ARBURG: Industrial plastics processing equipment manufacturer with Freeformer additive manufacturing system. Comparable as a peer in industrial plastic/composite part production, also named in European 3D printing market coverage.
Direct peers
- Markforged: Directly comparable composite 3D printing peer using continuous carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcement with polymer matrices. Competes head-to-head for industrial strength-to-weight applications in aerospace, automotive and defense.
- Stratasys: Largest independent industrial polymer 3D printing company, offering FDM, PolyJet and SAF systems. Directly comparable as a competitor in industrial 3D printers and materials, and Impossible Objects' CCO Jeff DeGrange previously served as VP at Stratasys.
- Carbon (Carbon3D): Industrial polymer 3D printing company using Digital Light Synthesis. Competes for high-performance polymer parts production in similar end markets including automotive, industrial and consumer products.
- CEAD: Netherlands-based large-format composite 3D printing company explicitly named alongside Impossible Objects as a new entrant in the European 3D printing market. Comparable focus on large-scale continuous-fiber composite printing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Impossible Objects social profiles
Digital presenceImpossible Objects compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Impossible Objects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Impossible Objects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Impossible Objects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Impossible Objects 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 Impossible Objects
What does Impossible Objects do?
Impossible Objects develops and sells industrial 3D printers built on its proprietary CBAM (Composite-Based Additive Manufacturing) technology, which combines long-fiber carbon or fiberglass fabrics with high-performance polymer powders such as PEEK to produce composite parts. It also sells composite materials, offers on-demand custom parts fabrication services, and produces electronic tooling such as solder pallets for electronics manufacturing. Its flagship product, the CBAM 25, is positioned as the world's fastest 3D printer.
Is Impossible Objects a public or private company?
Impossible Objects is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Impossible Objects founded?
Impossible Objects was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Impossible Objects based?
Impossible Objects is headquartered in Northbrook, United States, in the North America region.
How does Impossible Objects make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. CBAM 25 3D Printer Sales are the primary driver. The others are CBAM Parts/Production Services, electronic Tooling - Solder Pallets and doD SBIR Contracts.
Who are Impossible Objects's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are EOS GmbH, 3D Systems, HP (Multi Jet Fusion) and Desktop Metal. Emerging players are Renishaw and ARBURG. Direct peers are Markforged, Stratasys, Carbon (Carbon3D) and CEAD.
Does Impossible Objects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Impossible Objects.
What industry is Impossible Objects in?
Impossible Objects's product category is Industrial 3D Printing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAAAAD, Composite & Continuous-Fiber 3D Printers, with a secondary code of IMAAAAAK, Large-Format & Industrial Production 3D Printers (High-Throughput Systems). Its SIC code is 3555.