Bright Machines Inc., a robotics startup that helps manufacturers more efficiently make products such as servers and batteries, has secured $126 million in fresh funding.

The Series C round was announced this morning. Bright Machines received the bulk of the capital, $106 million, in the form of an equity investment that was led by BlackRock with participation from Nvidia Corp., Microsoft Corp., electronics maker Jabil Inc. and other institutional backers. JPMorgan Chase & Co. contributed an additional $20 million in venture debt.

Bright Machines sells automated manufacturing systems dubbed Microfactories. Each such system includes robotic arms, various auxiliary hardware components and software for managing that equipment. The software uses artificial intelligence to automate manual tasks such as measuring the frequency at which manufacturing faults occur.

“Optimized manufacturing systems are faster, more resilient and more efficient than their manual counterparts,” said Bright Machines Chief Executive Officer Lior Susan. 

Manufacturers can adapt robotic arms to different projects by changing the so-called end-of-arm tools with which they’re equipped. There are many such tools that lend themselves to tasks ranging from welding to picking up parcels. According to Bright Machines, its Microfactories include end-of-arm tools along with conveyor belts for transporting materials and parts to robots.

Customers can optionally equip their Microfactories with cobots. Those are specialized robots built to operate in close proximity to factory staff. For added measure, Bright Machines offers so-called manual stations, sections of a production line where workers can manually carry out manufacturing tasks and check robot-made components for faults.

The company provides several software tools alongside its factory equipment. According to Bright Machines, those tools use AI to automatically check products manufactured by robots for faults and signs of tempering. The company’s applications also promise to ease several related tasks including the process of troubleshooting manufacturing errors.

One of the newest additions to Bright Machines’ software portfolio is an offering it calls DFAA, or Design for Automated Assembly. It includes manufacturing guidelines and other technical resources designed to ease the task of mass producing servers. Bright Machines claims that its Microfactories can produce 50 servers per hour with a 99% yield.

The company says that its equipment also lends itself to producing other technology products. Microfactories can assemble a collection of battery cells, the building blocks of batteries, into an energy storage system. Making flash and disk storage drives is another use case that Bright Machines’ is targeting with its robots.

According to the company, customers can use their Microfactories not only to make data center systems but also to recycle them. Before scrapping a server, data center operators disassemble it and remove components that could potentially be reused. Bright Machines says that its robots are capable of automating that workflow.

The company will use the proceeds from its Series C funding round to enhance the software that powers its Microfactories. In parallel, Bright Robotics plans to accelerate commercialization efforts by growing its partner ecosystem.

Photo: Bright Machines