CloudNC raises $20M to automate manufacturing’s most pressing bottlenecks

UK-based manufacturing software startup CloudNC announced a $20 million B extension round on Wednesday, bringing its lifetime total raised amount to $128 million. The company’s last major raise was four years ago, its co-founder and CEO Theo Saville told TechCrunch.

Saville launched CloudNC in 2015 with Chris Emery, now the company’s chief science officer, and offers AI-powered CAM Assist software that automates parts of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining. CNC is the process of using computer-controlled machines to cut or shape materials precisely into the parts that are then used in automotive, defense, or consumer hardware industries.

Before a part can be cut, Saville said, a machinist or a computer-aided manufacturing programmer has to decide issues like how a part should be held or what tools should be used, Saville said.