Dash-CAE
Provides end-to-end engineering, rapid prototyping, composite tooling, and low-volume manufacturing for high-performance automotive, aerospace, and marine sectors using large-format FDM 3D printing and advanced composites.
- CEO / Founder
- Ashley Robathan
- Team Size
- 51-200
- Stage
- Active
- Total Funding
- Bootstrapped
Technology & Products
Key Products
End-to-end engineering, rapid prototyping, composite tooling, and low-volume manufacturing; Dash Bespoke turnkey low-volume performance vehicle programmes; TR01 carbon monocoque chassis; proprietary Dastrude100 and Dastrude165 materials for LFAM pattern, jigging and direct composite tooling; Stratasys F900 PRO / F250mc / F400 large-format FDM; autoclave composites and robotics.
Technological Advantage
CLAIMED: 20+ years F1 engineering expertise combined with Stratasys F900mc large-format printing enables rapid, high-precision composite tooling. VERIFIED: Successfully delivered 75% lighter carbon fiber roof for Falcon Tenders; TR01 chassis commercialized; verified 20,000 sq ft facility expansion. DEFENSIBLE: Process know-how in FDM-to-composite tooling workflow and integrated CAE/design pipeline; REPLICABLE: Hardware (Stratasys FDM) is commercially available, but engineering integration and rapid turnaround create high switching costs.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Cuts composite tooling costs by 60-75% and reduces lead times from 12 weeks to 10 days by replacing CNC-machined aluminum with large-format 3D printed polymer molds, enabling faster iteration cycles and de-risking high-performance vehicle programs.
How They Differentiate
Delivers F1-grade engineering integration alongside AM tooling, achieving 75% weight reduction in composite parts and 6-week full vehicle program turnarounds. Competitors like Protolabs and Stratasys Direct focus on standardized print-on-demand without deep CAE/vehicle integration, resulting in longer iteration cycles and higher tooling costs for bespoke high-performance applications.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
OEMs, motorsport teams, niche automotive brands, aerospace/defense contractors, and marine manufacturers requiring rapid vehicle development and bespoke composite parts.
Industry Verticals
Automotive; Motorsport; Aerospace & Defense; Marine
Competitors
Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; CRP Technology; Protolabs (AM Division)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
60+ employees; 20,000 sq ft facility in Oxfordshire
Major Milestones
Founded 2006 by ex-F1 engineers; Stratasys large-format FDM for composite tooling; TR01 carbon monocoque commercialized; expanded to 20,000 sq ft Oxfordshire facility; leadership succession Nov 2025 (Ashley Robathan sole director / MD; Tim Robathan Founder & CTO/Chairman); Dash Bespoke + SlipStream program; Dastrude100/165 LFAM tooling materials launched Jul 2026; LFAM monocoque demo at Goodwood FoS 2026.
Notable Customers
Falcon Tenders; International Automotive OEMs; Formula 1 & Motorsport Teams; Aerospace & Defense Contractors