Our take
Machina Labs uses robots differently from most companies we review: it sells metal parts and factory capacity rather than robots. Its RoboCraftsman cells pair two industrial arms with AI control to form, scan, trim, and drill sheet metal straight from a digital design, cutting the months it takes to build dies.2,5
Defense demand is driving growth, with Air Force contracts and a Lockheed Martin qualification contract for JASSM missile fuel tanks. Buyers cannot purchase a cell off the shelf, and pricing is quoted per program.4,5
Scores by criterion
Each criterion is defined on our methodology page.
Who uses Machina and what it's for
Defense primes and the US Air Force use Machina for airframe skins, missile bodies, fuel tanks, and hypersonic structures, including deployable cells that can make parts near the point of need.1,4,5
Automotive makers, led by Toyota, work with Machina on production-quality body panels for customized vehicles, and it has also made parts for NASA, architecture, and energy projects.3,6
History
Edward Mehr, a former SpaceX engineer and Relativity Space founding team member, co-founded Machina Labs in 2019 with Babak Raeisinia. Its first factory was in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.6
Machina raised a $14 million Series A led by Innovation Endeavors, and a $124 million Series C in February 2026 from Woven Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures, and the Strategic Development Fund.6,3
RoboCraftsman
Each RoboCraftsman cell combines 7-axis robotics, autonomous sheet handling, and closed-loop AI control, and changes tools and sensors on the fly to load, form, scan, trim, and drill in one workflow. It forms sheet up to 1/4 inch thick in aluminum, steel, titanium, nickel superalloys, and refractory alloys.2
Every part gets a digital twin of its process data for qualification and traceability. The new Intelligent Factory will add welding and assembly and produce thousands of assemblies a year.2,3
Pricing
Machina does not publish prices. It sells parts, airframes as a service, and dedicated factory capacity, quoted per program.1
Competitive landscape
| Company | Product | Pricing model | Deployment footprint | Where Machina wins or loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machina Labs | RoboCraftsman two-arm cells that form, trim, and drill sheet metal2 | Not published; parts and factory capacity quoted per program1 | Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and Toyota programs; factory for up to 50 cells planned3 | Tool-free robotic sheet metal forming sold as parts and capacity; quotes only |
| Hadrian | Opus software and automated precision machining factories8 | Not published; manufacturing and factories as a service8 | Factories in Torrance, California, and Mesa, Arizona9 | Hadrian wins on machined precision parts at factory scale. Machina wins on formed sheet metal structures without dies. |
| Path Robotics | AI welding cells and Rove mobile welding12 | Offered as a service with no upfront capital cost, priced by quote12,18 | More than $100 million in bookings in 2025; Navy shipbuilding agreements with HII11,10 | Path wins on welding robots that shops buy and run. Machina wins on making whole formed parts for customers. |
| GrayMatter Robotics | AI cells for sanding, grinding, blasting, coating, and inspection15 | Monthly subscription; rate not published16 | HII shipbuilding agreements; users include Riddell14,13 | GrayMatter wins on sanding and finishing cells. Machina wins on forming the metal in the first place. |
| Vention | Modular automation hardware, design software, and AI applications17 | Self-serve design and online ordering17 | More than 28,000 Vention machines running; 90 of the Fortune 500 use it17 | Vention wins on do-it-yourself automation hardware. Machina wins on running the factory for the customer. |
Limits
Prices are not published, and customers buy parts and capacity rather than the robots themselves.1
The large Intelligent Factory is still being built, so production capacity at scale is not yet proven.3
Revenue is not disclosed. CB Insights lists 2022 revenue of $5 million; we estimate current revenue at $10 million to $25 million based on growth in defense contracts since then. This is an estimate, not a reported figure.7,4
What customers say
Where it helps
Machina fits programs that need complex metal parts fast and in low volumes, where building dies would take months and cost more than the parts. Mehr says many parts take only a few hours.6
Defense sustainment teams benefit from deployable cells that can make replacement skins and panels near where aircraft are serviced.4
Where it falls short
Shops that want to buy and run their own welding or finishing robots should look at Path Robotics or GrayMatter Robotics, and buyers that need machined rather than formed parts may prefer Hadrian.
Leadership
Edward Mehr
Co-founder and CEOMehr worked at Google, Microsoft, and SpaceX and was on the founding team of Relativity Space before co-founding Machina in 2019.6
Sources
- Machina Labs, Homepage, accessed November 4, 2026
- Machina Labs, Capabilities, accessed November 4, 2026
- Machina Labs, Machina Labs raises $124 million to scale manufacturing infrastructure for defense and advanced mobility, February 2026, accessed November 4, 2026
- Machina Labs, Machina Labs secures contract with U.S. Air Force, September 17, 2025, accessed November 4, 2026
- Tectonic, Lockheed taps Machina Labs for JASSM missile parts, accessed November 4, 2026
- dot.LA, Inside Machina Labs, the AI robotics startup that wants to transform manufacturing, accessed November 4, 2026
- CB Insights, Machina Labs financials, accessed November 4, 2026
- Hadrian, Homepage, accessed November 4, 2026
- Hadrian, About, accessed November 4, 2026
- Path Robotics, HII signs production agreements with Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics, accessed November 1, 2026
- Path Robotics, 2025 year in review, accessed November 1, 2026
- Path Robotics, Newsroom and company facts, accessed October 31, 2026
- PR Newswire, GrayMatter raises $45M Series B, June 20, 2024, accessed November 3, 2026
- HII, HII signs performance-based production agreements with Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics, August 6, 2026, accessed November 3, 2026
- GrayMatter Robotics, Homepage, accessed November 3, 2026
- GrayMatter Robotics, Robots as a Service, accessed November 3, 2026
- Vention, Homepage, accessed November 2, 2026
- Path Robotics, Homepage, accessed October 31, 2026
