Composite Fabrication Technician – Fiberglass & Carbon

WingXpand, LLC.; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 37,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Unlimited PTO and holidays

Equity participation

Job summary

WingXpand is seeking a hands-on Composite Manufacturing Technician to build fiberglass and carbon-fiber structures for aircraft and robotic systems. You will prep tooling, lay up parts, and finish them to Class A standards, while expanding your skills across the shop and supporting robotic assembly tasks.

The role emphasizes repeatable quality, root-cause thinking, and a growth path into owning the composites process or leading a production area.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in composite fabrication, fiberglass layup, marine repair, boatbuilding, motorsports, or high-end automotive bodywork.
• Hands-on experience with wet layup and vacuum bagging, including bag construction and leak checking.
• Demonstrated Class A finish work — fairing, block sanding, filling, and polishing. Photos or sample parts welcome.
• Experience preparing and releasing molds, and the judgment to know when a tool isn't ready to run.
• Experience reading engineering drawings and using precision measuring tools.
• Comfortable performing demanding shop work with power tools, resins, dust, and required PPE.
• Willing to cross-train and work outside composites when production needs it. No formal robotics or assembly experience required — we'll teach you.
• Reliable, self-motivated, and proud of building work that must perform in the real world.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, clean, seal, wax, and release molds before layup.
• Fabricate fiberglass and carbon-fiber parts using wet layup and vacuum bagging.
• Cut and kit plies and lay them to the specified material, orientation, and sequence.
• Manage debulking, core installation, and cure cycles.
• Demold, trim, drill, and bond parts to drawing.
• Sand, fill, prime, and polish parts to a Class A, production-ready finish.
• Identify and correct surface defects, voids, print-through, and dimensional issues, and determine root cause.
• Maintain molds between pulls and flag wear, damage, or release problems early.
• Read drawings and work instructions to produce accurate, repeatable parts.
• Track material lots, shelf life, and cure records.
• Collaborate with engineers to improve tooling, quality, and production speed.
• Complete training to support robotic assembly tasks, including airframe buildup, subassembly integration, and final assembly.
• Pitch in across other manufacturing areas as production demands shift.

Skills

Composite fabrication

Fiberglass layup

Vacuum bagging

Reading drawings

Precision measuring tools

Job description

WingXpand is seeking a hands-on Composite Manufacturing Technician to build fiberglass and carbon-fiber structures for aircraft and robotic systems. You will prep tooling, lay up parts, and finish them to Class A standards, while expanding your skills across the shop and supporting robotic assembly tasks.

The role emphasizes repeatable quality, root-cause thinking, and a growth path into owning the composites process or leading a production area.