Former Anduril engineer raises $42 million to revolutionise composite parts manufacturing

Layup Parts co-founder Zack Eakin, with a background in motorsports and experience working under Palmer Luckey and Elon Musk, has raised $42 million to create a faster, cheaper, and better composite parts manufacturing platform. The company aims to become the "Amazon" of the composite parts sector.

A US-based startup, Layup Parts, has raised $42 million in funding to make composite parts manufacturing faster, cheaper, and higher quality. The company's co-founder and CEO, Zack Eakin, previously worked at defence technology company Anduril and has experience in teams led by Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey.

Motorsports experience drives innovation

Eakin drew heavily on his motorsports background, where he gained expertise in how composite materials work and identified the biggest bottlenecks in the manufacturing process. Composite materials — such as carbon fibre — are essential in modern manufacturing, found in aircraft, automobiles, and defence technology, yet their production remains time-consuming and expensive.

Ambition: the Amazon of composite parts

Layup Parts' vision is to create a platform that works like e-commerce giant Amazon — fast order fulfilment, wide selection, and competitive pricing. The company wants to make ordering composite parts as simple for engineers and manufacturers as buying everyday goods online.

With the $42 million raised, Layup Parts plans to expand its manufacturing capacity and develop software that automates order processing and quality control. The team hopes their approach could transform the accessibility of composite materials across multiple industries, including aerospace and defence sectors.