KORTHOS / ECOSYSTEM / PRODUCT

RoboCraftsman

About

About RoboCraftsman

RoboCraftsman is Machina Labs' software-defined robotic manufacturing cell for forming complex sheet-metal parts from digital designs. Two industrial arms on linear rails work around a central sheet fixture, with automated tool and sensor changes supporting loading, incremental forming, scanning, trimming, drilling and heat treatment inside one containerised system.

Closed-loop controls compare scans with target geometry and correct the process as the part develops. Machina states that RoboForming handles parts up to 3.7 metres long and 1.5 metres deep, sheet up to 6.35 millimetres thick and a range of aluminium, steel, titanium and nickel alloys. The cell can move between geometries through new CAD-derived toolpaths and can deploy in ISO-container form in less than one day.

15 JUL 2026

Machina enters JASSM qualification

Capabilities

Source-backed capabilities

  • Workflows: Robotic metal forming, CAD-to-part production, trimming, scanning, drilling and qualification workflows.
  • Operating environments: Aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial manufacturing programs needing complex metal structures.
  • Target markets: Manufacturers and government programs seeking faster iteration on production-grade metal structures.
  • Deployment model: Factory access, development programs and selected on-premise/platform purchase routes.
  • Robotic metal forming

    Production use - Machina Labs documents RoboCraftsman cells loading, forming, scanning, trimming and drilling production-grade metal parts inside its operated software-defined factories.

    Source

Observed use

Exact-product configurations are shown without inferring supply, purchase, customer status, standard fit, deployment or partnership.

  • NASA toroidal tank demonstration

    Physical Demo - Tested With - Physical - Machina Labs used RoboCraftsman with RoboForming to fabricate a NASA toroidal tank without dedicated molds or dies.

    Source

Timeline

  • Machina wins Lockheed Martin qualification contract for JASSM assembly

    2026-07-15 - Contract Award - The assembly is the first product from a Machina Factory to enter qualification for a defence missile system. Machina produced it in Los Angeles using RoboForming and precision laser welding. Factory 3 is under development as a 200,000-square-foot site designed for up to 50 RoboCraftsman cells and high-rate defence production.

    Source
  • Machina Labs launches defence manufacturing subsidiary Machina Bellator

    2026-07-07 - Org Change - Bellator covers missiles, hypersonic systems, UAVs and aircraft-sustainment applications. The subsidiary brings defence contracting, certification and compliance work under one operating structure. Machina said Factory 3 is designed for more than 50 RoboCraftsman cells and advanced manufacturing from 2027.

    Source
  • Machina Labs and nTop demonstrate tool-free UAV airframe workflow

    2026-06-17 - Demonstration - The teams evaluated 11 structural variants and 15 CFD cases before committing the design to metal. Machina produced the airframe through robotic forming, joining and assembly without dedicated hard tooling. The programme is continuing toward a roughly six-foot flight demonstrator with RCTestFlight.

    Source
  • Machina Labs raises $124M Series C and plans first large-scale intelligent factory

    2026-02-05 - Funding - Woven Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures and Strategic Development Fund invested in the round. The planned U.S. factory is designed for up to 50 RoboCraftsman cells and thousands of aerospace and defence assemblies annually. Machina said the facility will integrate forming, welding and assembly in one software-defined production system.

    Source
  • Machina Labs and Toyota begin pilot for customised automotive body panels

    2025-09-30 - Partnership - The pilot was unveiled at UP.Summit 2025 using a customised Toyota Tacoma tailgate. The work targets automotive-grade quality and throughput for low-volume body-panel production. Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth-stage venture arm, made a strategic investment alongside the pilot.

    Source
  • Machina Labs wins AFRL and ARM Institute contract for automated airframe tooling

    2025-09-17 - Contract Award - The programme applies machine learning to data generated across RoboCraftsman systems. Its initial scope is automated tool-path generation for airframe skins and panels. The work supports deployable production of sustainment parts closer to the point of need.

    Source
  • U.S. Air Force orders second RoboCraftsman for aircraft sustainment

    2025-04-07 - Contract Award - The system was assigned to the University of Dayton Research Institute for training and qualification of replacement aircraft parts. RoboCraftsman combines forming, scanning, trimming and drilling in a portable manufacturing system. Machina said the unit can be deployed in less than a day for depot or forward-site production.

    Source
  • Machina Labs fabricates tool-free toroidal tank for NASA

    2025-03-05 - Capability - NASA selected RoboCraftsman with RoboForming for the toroidal-tank manufacturing challenge. The process combined robotic forming, in-cell scanning, stress relief, trimming and final joining. The demonstration revisited a tank geometry whose conventional manufacturing cost and lead time had limited practical use.

    Source
  • Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex deploys Machina system for aircraft parts

    2024-04-03 - Deployment - The system was installed at Robins Air Force Base for repair and sustainment work across aircraft platforms. Its two seven-axis robotic arms form metal parts from materials including titanium and Inconel. Warner Robins said the system could produce selected parts up to six months faster than traditional forming methods.

    Source
  • Machina Labs launches its portable Deployable System for commercial availability

    2023-09-11 - Product Launch - The system made its public debut at FABTECH 2023 in Chicago. The commercial launch made Machina’s RoboForming process available as an on-premise standalone system. Its portable architecture was designed for installation in existing or remote production environments without major foundation work.

    Source
  • Machina Labs wins $1.6M U.S. Air Force contract for robotic composite tooling

    2023-03-16 - Contract Award - The programme focused on metal tooling for a fast-cure, out-of-autoclave composite process. Earlier AFRL work had validated Machina tooling for vacuum integrity, dimensional stability and thermal response. The contract advanced a large-envelope two-robot forming process intended to reduce tooling cost and lead time.

    Source

Context

Market context

RoboCraftsman is Machina Labs robotic manufacturing cell for flexible die-less metal forming.

  • Target environment: Aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial manufacturing programs needing complex metal structures.
  • Workflow context: Robotic metal forming, CAD-to-part production, trimming, scanning, drilling and qualification workflows.
  • Customer context: Manufacturers and government programs seeking faster iteration on production-grade metal structures.
  • Deployment model: Factory access, development programs and selected on-premise/platform purchase routes.
  • Commercial maturity: Commercial manufacturing platform used through Machina-operated factories and selected platform purchase channels.
  • Adoption constraints: Adoption depends on material qualification, part geometry, certification requirements and production volume fit.
  • Market position: Software-defined factory platform for rapid metal-part production without dedicated dies or presses.

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