T-Works

Pick the right route in

T-Works is a prototyping centre, not a classic incubator, so first decide what you need:

• A place to build every week: apply for an Access Programs pass.
• Parts made from your own drawings: send a job through Proto-Services.
• A team to design and build the product with you: ask for Product Design and Development.
• Help going from idea to a tested prototype: look at the product innovation sprints or the hackathon formats.
• To learn a machine or a method first: book a public workshop.

Choosing a pass

• Startup Pass: for registered startups with an MVP, at technology readiness level 4 or above. You get a dedicated workbench, monthly reviews and mentorship. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 10 PM.
• Maker Pass: for early-stage startups and builders. You get a shared co-building seat. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 10 PM.
• Innovator Pass: for ideators and students. You get a floating seat. Open Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM.

All three passes are paid monthly. Prototyping services and mentorship are charged on top as per T-Works' rate card.

How applications work

• Passes: fill the application form on the Access Programs page and pick the pass you want. There is no deadline; applications are rolling.
• Prototyping and product development: use the form on the service page, or write to enquiries@tworks.in.
• General startup questions: write to startups@tworks.in.
• Group workshop bookings and venue hire: write to workshops@tworks.in.

Before you ask for product development

• Come after a proof of concept. T-Works says projects work best once the idea has been shown to work.
• Plan for three to six months. That is the project length it calls ideal.
• Expect an evaluation first. The first consultation is free, and it may end in a vendor connect or a mentoring session rather than a full project.
• Timing matters. Projects are taken on only when the team has capacity, so ask early.

T-Works is a hardware prototyping centre in Raidurgam, Hyderabad, supported by the Government of Telangana. It is run by T-Works Foundation, a Section 8 non-profit company founded on 28 November 2017. Its 78,000 sq ft building has nine workshops where students, individual innovators, startups, small businesses and companies can turn an idea into a physical product.

T-Works does not take equity. "No Equity" and "IP Protection" are listed among its values, next to fair, non-discriminatory access to its facilities. Most of what it offers is paid: startups rent workspace through monthly passes, and machine time, fabrication jobs and product development work are charged separately.

T-Hub vs T-Works

The two names are often confused. T-Works is the state's prototyping centre, where hardware gets designed, machined, printed and tested. T-Hub is the state's startup innovation hub, which describes itself as an incubator of incubators and runs programmes for startups across sectors. Both sit on the same survey number in Raidurgam, Hyderabad, and both are backed by the Government of Telangana. A founder who needs a physical prototype goes to T-Works. A founder looking for an incubation or acceleration programme usually starts with T-Hub.

How T-Works supports startups

There are four main routes in. The first is the Access Programs, three monthly passes that give a desk or workbench inside the building plus access to the prototyping services. The Startup Pass is for registered startups that already have an MVP, at technology readiness level 4 or above. It comes with a dedicated workbench in the Startup Garage, its own power supply, WiFi and storage, fast-track prototyping, monthly reviews and mentorship, and access to demo days, funding connects and events. The Maker Pass is for early-stage startups and builders and gives a co-building seat in the Maker's Office. The Innovator Pass is for ideators and students and gives a floating seat in the Innovators Cafe. Startup and Maker Pass holders can use the building Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 10 PM. Innovator Pass holders can use it Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM.

The second route is Proto-Services, where T-Works makes parts from your own designs. Jobs cover 3D printing, woodworking, TIG, MIG and spot welding, CNC machining, laser cutting, precision cutting, textiles, ceramics and printed circuit boards of up to 12 layers, with tracking of each job as it moves.

The third route is Product Design and Development. Here T-Works engineers and designers build the product with you, from evaluation to a finished prototype. Its team works on agritech and food processing, electric and hybrid vehicles, drones, medical devices, assistive technology, social innovation, and defence and aerospace. Ideal projects last three to six months and are best brought in after a proof of concept. The first consultation is free, and projects are taken on only when the team has capacity. An evaluation can also end in a vendor connect or a mentoring session instead of a full project.

The fourth route is programmes: product innovation sprints for early teams, a six-month sustainable manufacturing accelerator run with HDFC Bank Parivartan, hackathons, and public workshops.

Facilities

The building is organised into named workshops. The Advanced Rapid Prototyping Lab cuts plastics, fabric and cardboard on a Zund G3 digital cutting system, and also has a Formech vacuum forming machine, a benchtop 3D milling machine, a Pocket NC five-axis CNC, a Cricut Maker 3 and a UV printer.

The Wood Shop runs from hand tools up to a 5 by 10 foot three-axis CNC router with vacuum work-holding and an automatic tool changer, which can also cut non-ferrous metals. It has saws, routers, sanders and planers, including Makita table, band and miter saws.

The Metal Shop has a Haas five-axis CNC mill, a Haas three-axis turn-mill, CNC tube and pipe bending, CNC press brakes, welding equipment, and a conventional mill and lathe.

The PCB Fabrication Lab makes multi-layer boards. Its main machine is a Bungard CNC drilling machine with automatic tool change, and the lab also has a PCB imager, a dry film laminator, an industrial oven, an ATG flying probe tester and a wastewater treatment system.

The Electronics and Testing Lab is split into zones for precision soldering, PCB assembly, bench work and spot welding. It has a NeoDen4 pick-and-place machine, a reflow oven, oscilloscopes, power supplies, spectrum analyzers and function generators.

The 3D Printing Lab has both FDM and SLA printers, including a Bambu Lab X1E, a Form 3L, a Form 3+, and a Form 3B kept for healthcare parts.

The Laser Cutting and Engraving Shop has 80W and 120W CO2 laser cutters with a 900 by 1200 mm bed that cut material up to 12 mm thick, plus a line bender for acrylic.

The Textile Studio has industrial JUKI sewing machines, Brother embroidery systems, fabric printers, cutting tools, looms and dyeing stations, for apparel, smart textiles and soft goods. The Ceramic Studio has Shimpo pottery wheels, a Cone Art electric kiln, a slab roller and a Peter Pugger pug mill, with ceramists on hand for prototypes and commissions.

The building also has event spaces for hire, from a 20-seat conference room and a 60 to 70 seat library up to an atrium for 250 to 300 people and an outdoor space for 400 to 500.

Scale

On its own pages, T-Works reports more than 300 startups and MSMEs supported, more than 35 products delivered, more than 6,000 parts and prototypes made, and more than 45,000 community members engaged. It also lists more than 100 manufacturing partners. Its product showcase includes work for Terrafarmers, Care USA, SunPlower, Holy Waste, Airserve, Opstech and AIG, from drone payloads to a surgical training kit.

Who runs it

T-Works Foundation is governed by a board that includes Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary for ITE&C and Industries in the Government of Telangana; Vishnu Vardhan, VC and MD of the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation; Phanindra Sama, co-founder of Redbus; and Sameul Seelam of GE Appliances. Its website lists open roles on a careers page, and it runs a calendar of workshops, masterclasses, hackathons and events for makers of all ages.

Location

T-Works is at Plot 1/D, 1/E and 1/F, Survey No. 83/1, Raidurgam, Hyderabad 500081. Visiting hours are Monday to Friday, 11 AM to 5 PM.