LOS ANGELES, Calif., October 8, 2026 — Machina Bellator, the leader in advanced manufacturing and robotics for defense, today announced that it has achieved AS9100 certification, a first in robotics-based metal forming and marking a major milestone in the company’s work to bring software-defined manufacturing to aerospace-grade quality systems.
Passing Stage 2 underscores Machina Labs’ commitment to the highest levels of manufacturing quality as it scales its RoboCraftsman™ platform for flight-critical hardware including airframes, hypersonics, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and unmanned surface vessels (USVs).
“Speed and agility matters only if customers can count on the quality of every part,” said John Borrego, President of Machina Bellator. “AS9100 certification is an important step in scaling our manufacturing capabilities with the process discipline, traceability, and repeatability aeorpsace and defense customers demand. Our focus is turning manufacturing innovation into dependable production capacity for the programs that need it most.”
AS9100 is the internationally recognized Quality Management System (QMS) standard for the aviation, space, and defense industries. Managed by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), the standard builds on ISO 9001 with aerospace-specific requirements for safety, reliability, traceability, and risk management. Certification is a pre-requisite for operating as a trusted Tier 1 supplier for defense primes, proving repeatable controlled processes and production-grade quality.
For Machina Bellator customers and partners, the certification provides a formal quality benchmark programs where compliance, repeatability, and production readiness are essential. It also reinforces repeatable, mission-critical quality across the company’s robotic manufacturing systems, from initial toolpath generation through final inspection.
Software-defined manufacturing and rapid iteration are transforming how sheet metal components are designed, qualified, and produced. By pairing agile manufacturing technologies like Robotic Forming and Laser Welding with an AS9100-certified quality system, Machina Bellator enables aerospace and defense innovators to move more seamlessly from rapid prototyping into flight-ready production without compromising reliability.
The achievement reflects a broader shift in manufacturing: quality and flexible production capacity are increasingly inseparable. As customers seek to shorten development cycles, strengthen supply chains, and produce complex metal structures faster, Machina Labs is building the intelligent, adaptive factory needed to deliver production-ready hardware at the speed of program requirements.
The company recently formed Machina Bellator to support defense primes and the Department of War with ITAR-controlled advanced manufacturing facilities. Machina Bellator was recently awarded a qualification contract for JASSM as a Tier 1 supplier, and its edge factories are actively deployed to support ongoing missions.
About Machina
Machina reinvents metal manufacturing with AI and robotics, constructing intelligent factories capable of rapidly forming and assembling aerospace- and defense-grade metal structures from digital design. The company's RoboCraftsman platform combines advanced robotics, machine learning, and proprietary RoboForming technology to deliver software-defined manufacturing at production scale. Established in 2019 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Machina serves commercial mobility and industrial leaders
Machina Bellator is a fully-owned defense subsidiary that serves the U.S. Department of War and defense primes. Visit http://machinalabs.ai for additional information.