“Flexibility” isn’t a word one often applies to the manufacturing process. Changing things up on the assembly line is a resource-intensive activity, but automation and robotics could go a ways toward removing some friction from the process. That’s effectively the thesis statement behind Machina Labs.
The L.A.-based robotic metalworking firm distills things into the simplest language possible thusly, “Machina Labs uses robots the way a blacksmith uses a hammer to creatively manufacture different designs and material, introducing unprecedented flexibility and agility to the manufacturing industry.”
Machina has been kicking around since 2019, finally coming out of stealth by way of a 2021 TechCrunch post. The company also used the occasion to announce a $14 million Series A. Two years later, it has a $32 million Series B on the books, co-led by Nvidia’s NVentures and Innovation Endeavors, the latter of whom had already invested in the firm. Its total funding to date is now $45 million.
The driving force here is a more software-based approach that lends some of that flexibility to the manufacturing side of things. The firm is focused specifically on metal manufacturing, involving processes like sheeting forming.
“Over the past two years, Machina Labs has demonstrated the impact and scalability of combining robotics and AI in manufacturing,” said Innovation Endeavors’ Sam Smith-Eppsteiner. “We are thrilled to double down on our investment in Machina on the back of demonstrated execution, technology gains and commercial traction. We expect Machina to play an important role in a number of key industrial trends of the next decade: domestic re-industrialization, defense innovation, electrification and commercial space.”
The funding will go toward increased R&D and go to market for Machina’s manufacturing solutions.