Fiberglass · Embedded Heating Wire
Drone composite preform
A net-shape fiberglass drone preform with heating wire placed directly into the layup — fibers and circuit laid down together, ready to be molded into a single functional part.
Composite Tow Placement — Sample Scale
COMPOSITRA-9
Sample-scale tailored fiber placement — design and iterate before production.
A single-head platform configured for tow-placement R&D — develop and iterate fiber paths, evaluate tow size, and prove a preform geometry before scaling to production. Built for sampling and small-batch production of composite preforms, whether thermoset or thermoplastic.
Overview
The COMPOSITRA-9 is a sample-scale tailored fiber placement platform for composite preform development, natural-fiber composite sampling, hybrid layups, and fast design iteration before production.
Why this machine
It is a fast way to prototype and refine an idea and get it ready for production. Composite design groups can sketch a load path, stitch a preform, infuse it, test it, and revise — in a single afternoon. When the design is locked, the same DST file scales to the TOWFORGE-4 for four-up production.
Capabilities
- Tow sizes 1K through 52K — carbon, glass, basalt, natural fiber
- Natural-fiber composites — including hemp, flax, and wool
- Flat preforms that drape onto curved tooling — engineered fiber orientation
- Thermoset epoxy-infused or thermoplastic meltable-fiber preforms
- Hybrid layups: tow + couched wire + flat conductive thread
- Integrated laser cutter for net-shape preforms
Ideal for
Composite R&D, aerospace structures groups, university composites programs, and motorsports innovation labs.
Specifications
- Configuration
- 9 needles × 1 flat head + 1 taping (PD) head
- Functions
- Tow placement • Flat • Cording • Wire placement • Laser cutting
- Embroidery area
- 650 × 1200 mm
- Maximum speed
- 850 spm
- Tow range
- 1K – 52K (carbon, glass, basalt, natural)
- Control
- 12" colour touchscreen LCD
- Power
- Standard 120 V — quiet operation
- Machine size
- 2,470 × 1,630 × 1,600 mm
- Net weight
- 650 kg
The Process · Tailored Fiber Placement
How TFP works
A guiding nozzle lays continuous fiber roving onto a moving base fabric while a needle couches it down with a zigzag lockstitch. The embroidery frame moves in X and Y so the head follows any programmed curve — placing fiber only where the load demands it.
What the platform makes
Sample-scale preforms, materials agnostic
Tailored fiber placement lays continuous tow exactly along the load path and stitches it to a substrate — no cutting, no waste, and fibers aligned to principal stiffnesses. At sample scale, the COMPOSITRA-9 places carbon, glass, hemp, flax and wool natural fibers, and fine heating wire so you can prove a preform before committing to production tooling.
Carbon · Thermoplastic Matrix
Thermoplastic carbon bike seat
A carbon-fiber bike seat built with meltable thermoplastic fibers worked into the layup. Heat consolidates the preform into a finished part — no separate resin infusion required.
Natural Fiber · Thermoset Ready
Natural-fiber bike seat
Bike-seat preforms placed in natural fiber, aligned to principal stiffnesses with no waste material. Infused with an epoxy matrix, each becomes a solid, sustainable finished part.
Hemp · Flax · Wool
Natural-fiber composites
Spiral and woven samples in hemp, flax and wool — proof the COMPOSITRA-9 is materials agnostic, placing sustainable natural fibers alongside carbon and glass.
From idea to production-ready preform. The COMPOSITRA-9 is built to prototype and refine a concept fast — iterate on fiber paths, hybrid layups and embedded heating wire at sample scale, then scale the proven program straight onto a production machine such as the TOWFORGE-4.
Sampling
Bring your spec — we'll stitch a sample on this platform at our showroom.
Pricing
Contact for current pricing and availability.