Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in Machina Labs

Machina Labs announced the completion of an investment by Lockheed Martin Ventures (LMV), the venture arm of global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin Corp. Machina Labs combines artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to rapidly manufacture advanced sheet metal products. This latest funding brings the total raised by Machina Labs to $21.8 million.

The investment will be used to accelerate company growth to meet customer demand and to expand R&D into additional processes and metallurgical offerings.

“At Machina Labs, we are creating the factory of the future; one where a variety of designs and physical products can be produced on-demand and at scale,” according to Edward Mehr, CEO and co-founder of Machina Labs. “With Lockheed Martin’s investment, we can accelerate development of our sheet metal Roboforming to better serve the need of the defense sector and give the United States a competitive advantage in speed of development for national security and defense products.”

“We aim to operationalize and scale solutions with speed and effectiveness so the U.S. and our allies can stay ahead of emerging threats,” said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures. “We are excited to work with Machina Labs in bringing their advanced and agile manufacturing platform to our customers.”

Machina Labs uses robots the way a blacksmith uses a hammer creatively to manufacture different designs and material, introducing unseen flexibility and agility to the manufacturing industry. The companies’ manufacturing platform combines the latest advances in robotics and AI so great ideas can quickly and affordably turn to reality and businesses can benefit from rapid iteration to bring more innovative products to market, faster.

Machina Labs combines the latest advances in AI and robotics to deliver finished metal products in days – not months or years – and gives customers unprecedented time to market and competitive advantage.

Robotic sheet forming is the first process enabled by Machina’s patented manufacturing platform. Using material- and geometry-agnostic technology, the platform outperforms traditional sheet forming methods that rely on custom molds or dies.