CloudNC привлекла 20 млн долларов для расширения AI‑инструментов в прецизионном машиностроении

CloudNC привлекла 20 млн долларов нового финансирования, стремясь расширить применение искусственного интеллекта в прецизионном производстве, выходя за пределы программирования ЧПУ к другим трудоёмким этапам процесса обработки.

Раунд возглавил американский Nimble Ventures при участии Calculus Venture Capital, Entrepreneur First и LM Ventures — венчурного подразделения Lockheed Martin. Новый капитал поддержит более широкое внедрение существующей платформы CloudNC — CAM Assist, расширение на дополнительные рынки и разработку новых продуктов, включая систему расчётов на базе ИИ под названием Quote Agent.

The investment comes as AI begins moving from experimental applications in manufacturing toward software that can directly assist with engineering and production decisions. For CloudNC, the opportunity lies in automating parts of precision machining that have traditionally required substantial amounts of skilled manual work.

AI углубляется в программирование ЧПУ

CloudNC’s core product, CAM Assist, is designed to reduce the amount of manual work involved in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programming.

Before a computer numerical control (CNC) machine can cut a new component, a programmer typically needs to determine how the part should be machined, select appropriate tools, define machining operations, establish toolpaths, and configure parameters such as feeds and speeds. For complicated parts, this process can take hours or considerably longer before a machine ever begins cutting material.

CAM Assist attempts to automate a substantial portion of that process. Users configure the system around their machines, materials, tooling, and workholding before supplying a part design. The software then analyzes the component and generates possible machining strategies and operations, which a programmer can review and modify before transferring the toolpaths back into their existing CAM software.

CloudNC says the platform can complete up to 80% of the CAM programming process for suitable jobs. Importantly, the system is structured as a human-in-the-loop tool rather than an autonomous replacement for the machinist. Generated operations can be inspected, reordered, adjusted, or rejected before code is sent to a machine.

That distinction is particularly important in precision manufacturing, where a poorly selected operation can damage expensive tooling, scrap a component, or potentially damage the machine itself.

Сочетание ИИ с физикой обработки

CloudNC has also been expanding the technical scope of CAM Assist beyond simply generating toolpaths.

Its Cutting Parameters AI system uses a combination of machine learning and physics-based modelling to recommend feeds and speeds for individual machining operations. The system considers factors including the machine being used, tool geometry, workpiece and cutting-tool materials, surface-finish requirements, and characteristics of the cutting process.

CAM Assist currently supports both 3-axis and 3+2-axis machining and integrates with established CAM environments including Autodesk Fusion, Mastercam, Siemens NX CAM, GibbsCAM, and SolidCAM, with additional integrations being developed. CloudNC’s latest architecture also provides machinability feedback before toolpaths are generated and allows programmers to maintain their own shop-specific tooling and machine configurations.

This approach is different from applying a general-purpose AI model to manufacturing instructions. The underlying problem is heavily constrained by geometry, material properties, machine capabilities, tooling, and physical limits, meaning an effective system needs domain-specific reasoning about how a component can actually be produced.

Quote Agent решает ещё один узел в производстве

The next major step in CloudNC’s strategy is moving upstream from production programming into the commercial process that takes place before a job reaches the factory floor.

Quote Agent, scheduled for release later in 2026, will use AI to help machine shops assess incoming jobs and prepare estimates.

Quoting can be surprisingly complex in precision manufacturing. A manufacturer needs to examine a component, determine whether it can be produced with available equipment, estimate machining and setup time, calculate material and tooling requirements, and ultimately determine a price that leaves enough margin for the job to be worthwhile.

Respond too slowly and the customer may award the work elsewhere. Estimate the manufacturing requirements incorrectly and a seemingly attractive contract can become unprofitable once production begins.

CloudNC already incorporates cycle-time estimation into CAM Assist, so extending the technology into quoting represents a logical expansion of the platform. Rather than focusing only on reducing the time required to program a machine, the company is attempting to automate more of the workflow between receiving a component design and putting that part into production.

От ранних adopters к более чем 1 000 машиностроительных цехов

CloudNC says its software is now used by more than 1,000 machine shops globally, including hundreds in the United States.

The company reached that milestone as it introduced CAM Assist 2.0, which shifted the platform toward a more interactive workflow. Instead of simply generating a result, the newer system exposes more stages of the AI process to the programmer, allowing users to review strategies and intervene before operations are committed to their CAM environment.

The $20 million investment therefore arrives at a different stage of CloudNC’s development than its earlier funding rounds. In 2022, the company raised a $45 million Series B led by Autodesk, with Lockheed Martin and British Patient Capital participating alongside existing investors Atomico and Episode 1 Ventures. At the time, much of the focus was on developing and commercializing the underlying autonomous manufacturing technology.

The latest round is more heavily centered on commercial deployment, expansion, and applying the technology to additional manufacturing workflows.

Расширение в регулируемое производство

CloudNC is also working with Knox Systems towards FedRAMP certification for CAM Assist, potentially making the platform more accessible to US government agencies and defense manufacturers handling sensitive workloads.

That effort complements an existing emphasis on security. CloudNC states that it has obtained SOC 2 Type II and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications and offers an AWS GovCloud option for customers with stricter requirements.

The involvement of Lockheed Martin’s venture arm in the latest financing is also notable given the potential applications for AI‑assisted machining across aerospace and defense manufacturing, where complex components, limited skilled labor, strict tolerances, and supply‑chain resilience are persistent concerns.

ИИ приближается к цеху

Much of the current AI investment cycle has centered on software development, knowledge work, and generative applications. Manufacturing represents a different challenge because AI‑generated decisions eventually interact with expensive physical equipment and real‑world materials.

That makes precision machining an interesting test case for more specialized forms of industrial AI.

CloudNC’s trajectory suggests that the near-term opportunity may not require fully autonomous factories. Instead, significant productivity gains could come from automating individual bottlenecks while keeping experienced engineers and machinists responsible for final decisions.

With CAM Assist tackling programming and machining strategy, Cutting Parameters AI addressing feeds and speeds, and Quote Agent moving into estimating, CloudNC is gradually building an AI layer across a larger portion of the precision manufacturing workflow.

The new $20 million round will test whether that approach can move beyond its current base of early adopters and become a more routine part of how machine shops quote, program, and manufacture precision components.