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One of GrayMatter Robotics’ smart, robotic sanding work cells. | Source: GrayMatter Robotics

GrayMatter Robotics announced that it has raised $20 million in Series A funding. The company’s Scan&Sand system is a flexible robotic sander that can quickly adjust to objects with complex geometry.

Scan&Sand works in high-mix, high-variety manufacturing facilities, and aims to increase productivity and enhance quality consistency while saving costs. The system stands out from typical robotic sanders that only work in mass production scenarios. Those robotic sanders can handle hundreds of objects of the exact same size and shape, but Scan&Sand can work with a variety of objects ranging from 1 m to 12 m with a quick adjustment time.

The system doesn’t require coding to program the robot, and operators can learn how to operate it in just a few hours. Scan&Sand can handle a variety of materials like composites, metals, solid surfaces, acrylics, plastics, wood, and stone.

“Our biggest concern was that our part-mix is very high, so it seemed like a very daunting task to automate such operations. Scan&Sand has the ability to work on a component or a group of components and has a simple one-button operation,” Jon Coners, senior manufacturing manager at Bega North America, said.  “Not worrying about having a fixed setup; you can move parts around and the robot will look again! This was our first foray into robotics, so we had to have a partner, not just a vendor, that will really be there for us, and GrayMatter has stepped up to the plate. “

Bow Capital led the funding round, which also included participation from GrayMatter’s existing investors B Capital Group, Calibrate Ventures, OCA Ventures, Pathbreaker Ventures, Stage Venture Partners and 3M Ventures. Swift Ventures was a new investor that participated in the round. 

“We’re excited to invest in GrayMatter and its highly innovative team of AI experts,” Murray Rode, general partner of Bow Capital, said. “We see enormous potential in GrayMatter’s solution to automate ergonomically challenging tasks to improve shop floor productivity and consistency, lower operational costs and increase throughput while creating a safer workplace and promoting sustainability by reducing waste.”

GrayMatter plans to use the funding to expand its team to meet growing customer demands. The company won a 2022 RBR50 Robotics Innovation award for its Scan&Sand system from our sister publication Robotics Business Review.