Helicon raises $16 million to automate carbon fiber manufacturing

Helicon Industries has emerged from stealth with $16 million in seed funding led by AlleyCorp. The Los Angeles startup is building automated systems to make carbon fiber parts at higher volumes for customers in fields including drones, robotics and aerospace. Helicon says its planned process would let robots place material, remove finished parts and handle trimming and quality checks. It aims to cut manufacturing lead times from six months or more to two weeks, but is still building out production capacity and working toward certifications needed for aerospace and defense programs.