Free Form Fibers

What Free Form Fibers does

Free Form Fibers (Free Form Fibers, LLC) is a privately held advanced materials company founded in 2009 and headquartered at 10 Cady Hill Blvd., Saratoga Springs, New York. The company develops and manufactures high-purity, stoichiometric ceramic fibers, powders, and non-woven preforms using a proprietary process called Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition (LCVD), also branded Rapid LCVD (R-LCVD). Using high-purity precursor gases and laser heating, the LCVD process deposits solid ceramic material directly from the gas phase as free-standing fibers, eliminating the polymer-spinning and pyrolysis steps used in conventional ceramic fiber manufacturing. The company is the only commercial entity in the world producing high-performance ceramic fibers via LCVD.

FFF's product portfolio spans fibers (Silicon Carbide, Boron, Tungsten Carbide, Boron Carbide, Carbon, Boron Nitride, Hafnium Carbide, and Silicon Nitride, in continuous and discontinuous forms), powders (for additive manufacturing, pre-ceramic polymer additives, and SiC boule growth for semiconductors), and preforms (lightweight veils, mats, and dense felts for ceramic matrix composite manufacturing). The fibers are characterized by oxygen-free stoichiometric formulations delivering 3–6 GPa single-fiber tensile strength, 170+ hours creep resistance at 1500 °C / 500 MPa, and survival beyond 2.5 hours under a 1625 °C acetylene torch — performance that materially exceeds polymer-derived SiC fibers such as Ni Nicalon-Type S and Sylramic. The same LCVD hardware produces multiple chemistries by changing input gases, enabling rapid prototyping and material switching.

FFF monetizes through direct B2B enterprise sales of fibers, powders, and preforms on a quote-based engagement model with multi-year contracts, supplemented by R&D services revenue from Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Critical Materials grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of the Navy (NSWC, SSP), and Air Force Research Laboratory. Target segments are Aerospace & Defense (hypersonics, propulsion, thermal protection, rocket nozzles, ballistic nosetips), Industrial (turbomachinery, radomes, optical windows), Energy & Nuclear (accident-tolerant fuel cladding, fiber-embedded sensors), and Semiconductor/Power Electronics (high-purity SiC seed powders for boule/ingot growth for SiC power devices). The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales paired with active participation in industry events (Ceramics Expo, CAMX, NSMMS/CRASTE), trade associations (USACA), and technical publications. Headcount is 11–50 with 14 named team members led by CEO Dr. Shay Harrison (since September 2020) and Chief Scientist and co-founder Joseph Pegna.

Name

Free Form Fibers

Legal name

Free Form Fibers, LLC

Website

https://fffibers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Free Form Fibers is the world's only commercial producer of high-performance ceramic fibers via proprietary Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition (LCVD), supplying fibers, powders, and preforms to defense, aerospace, nuclear, and semiconductor customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advanced Ceramic Fibers & Materials

NAICS

Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (325220), Nonwoven Fabric Mills (31323), Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (31311)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Textile Products (2390)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Technical Yarn Manufacturing (High-Tenacity/Aramid/Carbon/Glass) (IMAOAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Composite Reinforcement Textiles (Carbon/Glass/Aramid Fabrics & Preforms) (IMAOADAH), Protective & Safety Textiles (FR/Arc/Heat/Cut/Chemical) (IMAOADAA), Nonwoven Fabric Mills (Spunbond/Meltblown/Needle-punched) (IMAOABAC), Composite Materials (Fiber-Reinforced Polymers & Continuous Fiber) (IMAAABAH)

Keywords

• Advanced ceramic fibers
• Chemical vapor deposition
• Ceramic matrix composites
• High performance materials
• Silicon carbide fibers

Headquarters

HQ city

Saratoga Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. High Performance Ceramic Fibers: Sale of stoichiometric, high-purity ceramic fibers (SiC, silicon nitride, boron, boron carbide, etc.) produced via LCVD for use in ceramic matrix composites, defense/aerospace applications, and extreme environment uses. Both continuous and discontinuous fiber lengths available.
2. Ceramic Powders: Conversion of LCVD fiber products into high-purity powders for applications including additive manufacturing/3D printing, pre-ceramic polymer additives, and sublimation into high-purity boules (ingots) for semiconductor manufacturing.
3. Preforms and Composites: Novel non-woven preforms in lightweight veils, mats, and dense felts for ceramic composites manufacturers, offering three-dimensional architecture solutions. Includes partnership with industry processors for textile reinforcement concepts.
4. Government R&D Contracts (SBIR): Revenue from Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and awards from Department of Energy, Department of Navy, and Air Force Research Laboratory for technology development programs in nuclear energy, hypersonics, and advanced materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Free Form Fibers manufactures high-purity, stoichiometric ceramic fibers, powders, and non-woven preforms via a proprietary Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition (LCVD) process. The fibers are offered in compositions including Silicon Carbide (SiC), Boron, Tungsten Carbide, Boron Carbide, Carbon, Boron Nitride, Hafnium Carbide, and Silicon Nitride, in both continuous and discontinuous lengths, and are sold to defense, aerospace, energy, nuclear, and semiconductor customers for use in ceramic matrix composites and extreme-environment applications.

Product overview

Free Form Fibers offers a portfolio of three core product lines: Fibers, Powders, and Preforms. Fibers are the primary product, produced via proprietary Laser Chemical Vapor Deposition (LCVD) technology in various compositions (Silicon Carbide, Boron, Tungsten Carbide, Boron Carbide, Carbon, Boron Nitride, Hafnium Carbide, Silicon Nitride). Powders are derived from the same LCVD process and serve semiconductor and additive manufacturing applications. Preforms are downstream value-added products using the fibers in non-woven architectures. The products serve aerospace, industrial, energy, and semiconductor industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High-Performance Ceramic Fibers

Quantifiable outcome

• FFF SiC fibers survive 1625°C acetylene torch exposure for >2.5 hours vs. <10 minutes for Ni Nicalon and <2 minutes for Sylramic
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Penn State University, Stony Brook University, Argonne National Laboratory, XTrinSiCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2024Collaborators on DOE Critical Materials Program ($925,000 funding) to demonstrate superiority of LCVD-produced silicon carbide powder as feedstock for silicon carbide boule manufacturing and communicate this to the market for high power semiconductor applications.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2021Co-authored paper 'Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Carbide for Nuclear Applications' published in Journal of Nuclear Materials examining different additive manufacturing technologies including LCVD for fabricating silicon carbide products for nuclear applications.
• LARTA (through SBIR program)minorOthersFree Form Fibers has worked with LARTA through the SBIR program for technology development support and commercialization guidance.
• Key Industry Processors (un-named)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with key industry processors to create novel non-woven preforms in lightweight veils, mats, and dense felts for ceramic composites manufacturers, offering three-dimensional architecture solutions for ceramic matrix composites.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Nippon Carbon: Japanese specialty carbon and ceramics producer and the established global leader in SiC fibers (Hi-Nicalon, Hi-Nicalon Type S). Nippon Carbon is FFF's most direct competitor in high-performance stoichiometric SiC fibers for CMCs and is the incumbent benchmark for tensile strength and creep data cited in FFF's own materials.
• Ube Industries: Japanese chemical and advanced materials company producing Tyranno-branded SiC fibers competing in the same ceramic matrix composite reinforcement market. FFF's performance comparison versus Sylramic places Ube's Tyranno family as a primary benchmark, making it a directly comparable peer in ceramic fiber technical specifications.
• COI Ceramics (Rolls-Royce): US-based (San Diego) ceramic matrix composites and SiC fiber manufacturer acquired by Rolls-Royce. COI produces continuous SiC fibers for aerospace and defense CMCs, giving it deep qualification heritage with US primes - the same customer set FFF targets - and making it FFF's closest US-based direct competitor.
• Specialty Materials Inc. US small business producing SCS silicon carbide and boron fibers for defense applications. SMI sits at a similar scale and customer base to FFF, with comparable continuous SiC fiber offerings for ceramic composites, ballistic, and aerospace customers.

Broad incumbents

• GE Aerospace: Major US jet engine OEM and the largest commercial integrator of CMC shrouds and combustor components in the LEAP and GE9X engines. GE is both a potential high-volume customer for FFF's SiC fibers and a developer of in-house CMC capabilities, making it a broad incumbent shaping the addressable market.
• Safran: French aerospace propulsion and equipment OEM investing heavily in CMC technology for next-generation LEAP-class and military engines. As an integrator/buyer of high-performance ceramic fibers, Safran defines qualification specifications FFF must meet for aerospace volume programs.
• Rolls-Royce: UK-based jet engine and power systems OEM that acquired COI Ceramics to secure in-house SiC fiber supply. Rolls-Royce is simultaneously a vertical competitor (via COI) and a potential large-volume customer for differentiated fibers like FFF's silicon nitride for hypersonic-adjacent applications.
• SGL Carbon: German-based global leader in carbon fibers and specialty graphite with growing activity in ceramic precursor materials for CMCs. SGL provides an adjacent incumbent perspective on industrial-scale fiber production, capital efficiency, and the technical textiles market FFF addresses.
• Pratt & Whitney (RTX): US military and commercial jet engine OEM operating a CMC production facility in Carlsbad, CA and developing CMC-rich designs for the F135 and next-gen adaptive engines. Pratt is a prime target customer for FFF's high-temperature SiC and Si3N4 fibers in defense propulsion.

Emerging players

• Ultramet: Small US advanced materials company specializing in chemical vapor deposition of refractory metals, ceramics, and high-temperature composites for aerospace and defense. Ultramet operates in a closely related CVD-based materials niche to FFF and serves overlapping hypersonic and propulsion customers.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-form-fibers-llc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Free Form Fibers