Manufacturing
Deployment record
In the tracker →- Organisation
- US Department of War
- System
- Edge Factories
- Stage
- Pilot
- Function
- local production of drone airframes
- 01The US Department of War has selected Machina Labs to develop a metal airframe for the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) and deploy two pilot sites called Edge Factories.
- 02Machina Labs, founded in 2019, specializes in AI-powered robotic systems for forming sheet metal parts without dedicated dies for each shape.
- 03In 2023, the USS Bataan successfully used a 3D printer to create a replacement part for an air compressor in five days, demonstrating the military's capability for on-site manufacturing.
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- 04The US Army's Jointless Hull project has introduced a machine capable of printing and machining large metal components at Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois.
- 05Machina Labs is planning a 200,000-square-foot factory in the US, supported by a $124 million Series C funding round, to enhance local production capabilities for airframes.
US Department of War
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When a shipping container arrives at one of the US Department of War’s planned pilot sites, the clock starts. A crew will set up the robotic equipment inside and put it to work on a drone airframe. How long it takes to get that first airframe through inspection will show how quickly the factory can start delivering after a move.
Machina Labs recently said that it was selected under the US Department of War’s Organic Industrial Base Modernization Challenge to develop and qualify a metal airframe for the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) class, then deploy two pilot sites it calls Edge Factories. Machina described it as the largest single award in its history.
Founded in Los Angeles in 2019, Machina Labs builds AI-powered robotic systems that form sheet metal parts.
The First Airframe Takes Shape in Los Angeles
Machina Bellator, the company’s defense subsidiary, will lead development and qualification in Los Angeles. Each pilot site will start with a containerized robotic manufacturing cell, with Machina engineers and additional equipment supporting production.
Machina’s robots form sheet metal from a digital design without a dedicated die for each shape. Working with engineering software company nTop, Machina said it completed a demonstrator’s structure within weeks of finalizing the design. The demonstrator went on to fly.
What the Military Has Already Made on Site
In 2023, the crew of the USS Bataan used a permanently installed metal 3D printer to make a replacement part for an air compressor that helps manage the ship’s ballast. The US Navy said the crew fabricated and installed the part in five days with help from Naval Sea Systems Command. The ship could make the part where it was needed, using equipment already aboard.
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The US Army has applied metal 3D printing at a different scale. Its Jointless Hull project brought a machine that can both print and machine large metal components to Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois. The two projects illustrate different reasons to change how the military makes parts. On the Bataan, it was about getting a repair done at sea. At Rock Island, it was about giving an arsenal the equipment to make large components for ground vehicles.
Machina’s pilots introduce another variable. Once the airframe is qualified in Los Angeles, the company will have to repeat the process at two sites that start with a containerized cell and rely on additional equipment and engineering support.
Divergent’s Approach to Drone Structures
In 2023, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems partnered with Divergent Technologies to apply digital manufacturing to its uncrewed aircraft. The companies worked together on the design and build of the Advanced Air-Launched Effects demonstrator, which General Atomics released in flight. In 2025, Divergent said it made the metal core of a small uncrewed aircraft for General Atomics on a program that combined metal 3D printing with conventional manufacturing.
Divergent’s system combines digital design, metal printing, and robotic assembly. Machina forms existing sheets of metal. Both approaches take a structure from a digital design into production, while the Edge Factories pilots add a question about where that work can happen and what it costs to move it.
The Economics of Making It Locally
Machina is also betting on fixed-site production. In February, the company announced a $124 million Series C, with backing from Toyota’s Woven Capital and Lockheed Martin Ventures, to help launch a 200,000-square-foot US factory. The planned facility will house up to 50 RoboCraftsman cells and bring forming, welding, and assembly under one roof.
Making airframes nearby can cut shipping time, but moving and setting up the equipment adds cost. The benchmark is what it costs to make and ship an airframe from a central plant that meets the same inspection standard.
“Producing low-cost systems at scale requires a manufacturing model that can move as quickly as mission requirements change,” said Ed Mehr, Founder and CEO of Machina Labs.
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