Machina Labs has announced its latest technology advancements for the customisation of automotive body panels and accessories without need for extra tooling or dies away from the existing production line.
Machina’s RoboForming technology uses a proprietary form of incremental pressure forming – a robot positioned either side of the panel, shaping the design – to customise production body panels, eliminating the need for dedicated tooling per model variation. The use of robotic forming enables on-demand part production in low volumes from cells that can be placed near the existing assembly line, allowing for dynamic batching or broadcast-driven manufacturing all without disrupting existing flow.
“Traditional production tools are often massive, comparable in size to a small car and weighing over 20 tons,” said Machina Labs CEO Ed Mehr. “With our solution, the need for dedicated tooling per model variation is eliminated. That means lower project capital, less storage both in-plant and for past models, which today can last up to 15 years, and faster production changeovers.”
The launch included a pilot of the technology with Toyota Motor North America and announcement of investment from Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth-stage venture investment arm.
“We envision a future where customisation is available for every Toyota driver,” said Zach Choate, general manager of production engineering and core engineering manufacturing at Toyota Motor North America. “The ability to deliver a bespoke product into the hands of our customers is the type of innovation we are excited about.”
The automotive customisation and accessories industry was valued at $2.4 billion in 2024 for trucks alone. George Kellerman, founding managing director at Woven Capital, expects this demand to continue to grow, while design teams and engineers need faster, more cost-effective paths to create them without the constraints of traditional supply chains.
“We’re excited to team up with Machina Labs, supercharge their development roadmap in automotive, and support their journey in accelerating innovations that advance the future of manufacturing,” added Kellerman.
