Fabri Founder and CEO, Steven Davis, sits with Balerion Advisor, Doug McAdams, to discuss the rise of next-generation foundries and the revival of U.S. manufacturing.
00:00 – IntroductionDoug opens the webinar, frames the conversation around U.S. reindustrialization, and introduces Steven Davis, Founder & CEO of Fabri.
00:20 – Steven’s Background & Early Engineering InfluencesSteven discusses growing up in Los Angeles, competitive robotics (VEX, FIRST Robotics), STEM outreach, and his family’s deep roots in manufacturing.These experiences led him to MIT and an early fascination with additive manufacturing.
01:20 – Lessons From Relativity SpaceAt Relativity, Steven learned why metal additive manufacturing fails to scale for production.A single nozzle took his entire 3-month internship to print — highlighting the gap between hype and industrial throughput.
02:30 – The State of U.S. ManufacturingSteven describes a decades-long decline in the American industrial base:
* Offshoring
* Severe labor shortages
* A collapse in foundry capacityHe explains why additive manufacturing alone could not reverse these trends.
04:30 – What Fabri Does & Why Casting Still MattersSteven explains investment casting:
* Extremely precise
* Ubiquitous in aerospace/defense
* Historically labor-intensive and dirtyFabri is rebuilding this capability with next-generation automation.
05:00 – China’s Dominance in CastingThe U.S. once led the world; now:
* China controls >50% of global foundry capacity
* U.S. foundries have declined by 70%+The bottleneck is labor, not demand.
06:00 – Fabri’s Core Insight: Don’t Automate the Old Process 1:1Instead of replacing each human task with a robot, Fabri redesigns the entire workflow:
* Delete manual steps
* Replace wax tooling with 3D-printed patterns
* Automate shell-building
* Deploy software intelligence up-front rather than manual rework later
07:30 – The Tooling Bottleneck EliminatedTraditional tooling lead time: 3–6 monthsFabri: print instantly, iterate instantly
08:30 – Why Investment Casting Is Still a Tier-1 Manufacturing MethodCasting remains:
* Among the highest-precision techniques
* Among the highest-volume techniques
* A backbone for aerospace and defense
09:30 – The Flat Cost CurveFabri makes casting behave like additive:
* 1 part ≈ 10 parts ≈ 10,000 parts
* Zero per-unit tooling cost
* Rapid iteration at any scale
10:30 – U.S. Defense Lead Times: A Systemic FailurePrimes often quote 2–3 years for simple cast components.Some legacy aircraft spares are “infinite lead time.”Automation breaks this bottleneck.
11:30 – Demo Parts: Additive-Like Complexity, Casting-Level SpeedSteven shows parts with complex internal features and geometries once considered impossible for castings.
13:00 – “90% of Manufactured Goods Contain a Casting”American Foundry Society statistic underscores Fabri’s market importance.
14:00 – Redefining the Design EnvelopeBy eliminating tooling constraints, engineers can design for performance rather than manufacturability.
15:30 – Fabri’s Automation StackSteven details the system architecture:
* Pattern printing
* Robotic shelling
* Automated burnout and pour preparation
* End-to-end digital traceability
16:30 – Pre-Deformation: Software Instead of Hammering Parts Into ShapeTraditional foundries physically bend parts back into tolerance.Fabri uses simulation to predict warping and prints patterns that warp into spec.
17:45 – Materials CapabilitiesFabri supports:
* Titanium
* Nickel alloys
* Steel
* Aluminum
* Copper
* MagnesiumCapabilities match or exceed legacy foundries.
18:30 – Why Big Foundries Can’t ExpandSteven explains:
* Large incumbents (e.g., PCC, Howmet) would love 2–3× more capacity
* They cannot staff new facilities
* Automation is the only path to rebuilding U.S. supply chains
19:30 – Customer Types & Market BehaviorEarly adopters:
* Aerospace & defense
* Space launch
* Industrial machineryCustomers urgently need short lead times more than low cost.
20:30 – Scaling StrategyFabri will:
* Master one high-precision casting workflow
* Expand into machining
* Move into forgings and billet machining (PCC/Howmet integrated model)
21:30 – What Makes Casting HardSteven describes key challenges:
* Shrinkage
* Ceramic shell dynamics
* Mold permeability
* Alloy-specific defectsFabri’s digital process controls these variables predictively.
22:30 – Full Company Story (Founding → 2025)
* Started while Steven was at MIT
* Toured ~100 foundries
* Incorporated as a student
* Funded early 2025
* Moved into empty facility Jan 1
* Built entire foundry in <12 months
* Expanded from 3 → 13 people
24:00 – “We Could Build a Foundry Faster Than Traditional Foundries Deliver Parts”A striking benchmark demonstrating how broken timelines are in legacy manufacturing.
24:00 – Customer EngagementFabri already has customers across aerospace, defense, and industrial markets — though most are undisclosed.
25:00 – Why Customers Choose FabriTop reasons:
* Lead time
* Freedom to redesign
* Iteration speed
* Quality and repeatability
26:00 – End-to-End Automation VisionDoug and Steven discuss whether Fabri becomes:
* A software-defined foundry
* A distributed network
* A platform for U.S. reindustrialization
27:00 – Advanced Geometries & Space HardwareFabri’s approach is particularly suited to:
* Turbomachinery
* Complex manifolds
* Heat-resistant alloys
* Spaceflight components
28:00 – Long-Term Expansion to Machining and ForgingAs Fabri masters casting, natural adjacencies emerge:
* Precision machining
* Post-processing
* Forging of similar alloys
30:00 – The First 11 Months of FabriSteven describes the rapid buildout and early wins.
31:00 – Scaling the TeamFabri is transitioning from:
* Manual operators → technicians
* Technicians → automation engineers
* Engineers → simulation/controls experts
32:00 – “We Want to Build Copy-Paste Foundries”The long-term vision:
* Repeatable foundry units
* Deployable across the U.S. near aerospace hubs
* High-output, low-labor
33:00 – Energy Requirements & MicroreactorsSteven acknowledges that foundries are power-hungry.Doug raises microreactors (SpaceNukes).Steven confirms small modular reactors would be transformative.
35:00 – Industry Change Requires CollaborationSteven emphasizes:
* Startups push speed
* OEMs push scale
* Both must evolve together
37:00 – Why Adoption Is AcceleratingCritical mass of players:
* Simulation
* Robotics
* AI
* Automation
* Next-gen materials→ inflection point for U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
38:00 – Non–Zero-Sum MindsetEvery company scaling production in America increases resilience for all others.
39:00 – Steven’s Optimism for Manufacturing’s FutureHe highlights ecosystem momentum and capital inflow.
40:00 – Final ThoughtsDoug and Steven wrap:
* Excitement about Fabri’s progress
* Meeting planned in Bentonville
* Thanks to audience
50:19 – Webinar Ends
