Addcomposites launches four free online courses in composites design and manufacturing

Espoo, Finland, 12 October 2026. Addcomposites, which builds automated fibre placement systems and software, today launched four free online video courses on how composite parts are designed and manufactured. The courses are at addcomposites.com/learn/course/. Lessons can be watched without an account; a free sign-up saves progress and issues a certificate.

The Addcomposites Learn page showing the four free courses: Composites Design, Automated Fiber Placement, Filament Winding and Large Format Additive Manufacturing — The four free courses on the Addcomposites Learn page. Image: Addcomposites

Predict, then watch the simulation

Every lesson runs a live simulation and asks the learner to predict what will happen next. Lessons also show the underlying maths. Each chapter ends with a five-question check, and learners who pass every chapter of a course receive a free certificate with a serial number anyone can verify, which can be added to a LinkedIn profile.

A Filament Winding lesson paused on a prediction question about the free fibre length at very low winding angles — In each lesson, the learner watches a live simulation and predicts what happens next. Here, a Filament Winding lesson asks whether a fixed free fibre length is too long or too short at very low winding angles. Image: Addcomposites

The four courses

Composites Design (41 lessons)

Composites Design starts with why parts are designed ply by ply, then covers ply materials and weight, stacking rules, laminate stiffness, strength and failure, draping, ply drops, and handing a design over to the shop. Lessons use AddPly, Addcomposites' browser app for laminate design, while failure and drape are taught on the company's own simulations.

The AddPly browser app with a CAD tool loaded and the guided steps for designing a composite part — AddPly, Addcomposites' browser app for laminate design, used in the Composites Design course. Image: Addcomposites

Automated Fiber Placement (46 lessons)

Automated Fiber Placement covers the machine, defects, path planning, inspection, cure and certification. It is based on the book Automated Fiber Placement: Status, Challenges, and Evolution by Ramy Harik and Alex Brasington, and is used with the authors' permission.

Filament Winding (42 lessons)

Filament Winding covers winding patterns, geodesic and non-geodesic paths on domes, sizing a pressure vessel, machine axes, tension and resin control, and testing.

Large Format Additive Manufacturing (50 lessons)

Large Format Additive Manufacturing covers printing metre-scale parts and tools from pellets: the extruder and bead, layer time and weld, fibre and warp, machining and printed tooling.

Who the courses are for

Each course has a short trailer on its course page. The courses are aimed at design and manufacturing engineers, technicians and students, and the first chapter of each course is also on the Addcomposites YouTube channel.

"We wanted engineers to be able to test their intuition about composites before it costs them a part," said Pravin Luthada, CEO of Addcomposites. "Every lesson asks you to predict the outcome, then runs the simulation and shows the maths. Making the courses free means anyone can start straight away."

The courses are available at https://www.addcomposites.com/learn/course/.

About Addcomposites

Addcomposites builds automated fibre placement systems, including the AFP-XS and AFP-X, and the AddPath toolpath software. Its technology is used by manufacturers and research labs in aerospace, automotive, defence, marine and eVTOL. Addcomposites is based at Sähkömiehentie 4E, 02150 Espoo, Finland.

Media contact

Aditya Verma, Head of Brand and Marketing, Addcomposites
aditya.verma@addcomposites.com

Pravin Luthada

CEO & Co-founder, Addcomposites