You Build the Platform and the Autonomy. We Build the Rugged Hardware Around Both.
Mission Kits Change Faster Than the Hardware That Has to Carry Them
Ground robots fill multiple roles on the battlefield. The same chassis carries ISR this month, a comms relay the next, then a casevac litter, an EW package, a breaching tool or a resupply tray. Every one of those changes lands on the mechanical layer as new sensor plates, standoffs, cable guides, covers, thermal paths and configuration labels.
Then the terrain gets a vote. Dust, mud, water, vibration, impact and recovery straps punish anything designed on a bench, and nobody is riding along to re-seat a connector or shim a mount in the field.
±«Óãtv makes that layer. We don’t build autonomy stacks, chassis, cells or effectors. We make the machined, formed, printed and molded parts that hold all of it together, plus the fixtures, gauges and kits your line needs to install them. Seven U.S. facilities, one documentation thread, one accountable team.
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Keep payload changes off the critical path. Quick-turn sensor plates, mast details, adapter brackets and additive fit-checks let a new EO/IR turret, EW box or comms package land without resetting the mechanical build.
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Rugged packaging a soldier can still service. Housings, panels, shields, vents, gaskets and cable exits get reviewed for shock, thermal path, ingress and glove-on fastener access before the quote goes out.
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Build the factory, not just the vehicle. Assembly jigs, alignment nests, CMM fixtures, battery-handling aids, line-side carts and end-of-line test hardware, designed per build station.
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Prototype through bridge without a supplier reset. The same team, prints and revision thread carry from 10 demo sets to 500 pilot units to recurring spares, with inspection records at every step.
Defense-Grade Credentials With Startup Agility
6,300+
25+
AS9100D
ITAR
Defense-Grade Discipline at Ground Robotics Program Speed
Most contract manufacturers open by pitching a UGV builder on the chassis or the autonomy kit. Those are the two things a vehicle team will never hand over, which is why the conversation stalls.
±«Óãtv is not the vehicle prime, the autonomy stack or the payload integrator. We’re the responsive mechanical layer around all three. Four things make it work:
Multi-site domestic manufacturing across seven U.S. facilities
Selected ±«Óãtv facilities are ITAR registered, so mechanical content around compute, radios, batteries and payloads carries no offshore exposure. ±«Óãtv Edgeworks global sourcing is used only for authorized, non-sensitive, stabilized accessories.
Multi-process routing under one accountable partner
CNC, precision sheet metal, photochemical machining, additive, molding, urethane casting, finishing, inspection, light assembly and kitting. A second process does not mean a second engineering relationship.
DFM, DFQ and DFE review before the quote
Our engineers work through shock and vibration paths, ingress and drainage, coating stack-up, thermal interfaces, cable routing and glove-on fastener access. Problems surface at print review instead of first-article rejection.
One unified quality system across every site
Revision control, lot traceability and documented inspection. Credentials include AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certification and ITAR registration, with CMMC Level 2 certification in process.
Your Expert Ground Systems Team
Andrew Sonier
Adam Villarreal
Sebastian
Wasikowski
Trey Harper
Mark Huffman
Ryan Uecker
Every Soldier Touchpoint Sends You Back to the Bracket List
RCV-class vehicles carry the heaviest mission loads and the most scrutiny. Effector and turret interfaces, sensor masts, armor-adjacent brackets and hull accessories all move the moment a user assessment or a program office sends feedback to engineering.
±«Óãtv absorbs the mechanical churn between those revisions so your team stays focused on vehicle performance, autonomy behavior and government acceptance.
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Precision structure and interfaces: Machined interface plates, sensor and mast supports, actuator brackets, mount families and thermal plates with defense traceability, from ±«Óãtv’s Austin, TX and Minneapolis CNC facilities.
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Rugged electronics packaging: Compute and radio enclosures, access panels, connector backers and cable-management hardware from our Denver, CO and Ithaca, NY sheet metal locations, plus photochemically machined EMI shields and burr-free shims from our Newark, NY facility.
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Test and qualification infrastructure: CMM fixtures, alignment nests, load-test plates, instrumentation mounts and handling trays for durability testing and soldier touchpoints.
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Controlled ECO releases: Inspection-backed short runs tied to revision control, so assessment-driven changes stay documented as quantities grow.
The Platform Got Funded. The Litter Bracket Never Did.
Last-tactical-mile resupply, medium autonomous logistics and casevac platforms are judged on what they carry and how fast a squad can load, secure and unload it. That is entirely a mechanical hardware problem, and it tends to get scoped after the platform is already committed.
±«Óãtv builds the cargo, litter and kit hardware that decides whether the vehicle is actually usable when it reaches the field unit.
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Cargo and casevac hardware: Litter brackets, cargo-retention rails, tie-down and quick-release mounts, deck plates and mission-kit trays from ±«Óãtv’s CNC and precision sheet metal locations.
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Mission kits that ship complete: Labeled deployment kits, tool organizers, field-repair plates, protective covers and transport packaging, kitted by vehicle configuration.
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Power and thermal hardware: Battery trays, retention brackets, cooling plates, heat spreaders, busbar covers, charger housings and connector guards.
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Spares that stay repeatable: Documented replacement parts, repair fixtures and depot tooling that keep fielded vehicles available instead of being cannibalized for parts.
High-Rate Lines Don’t Stall on the Robot. They Stall on the Nest Nobody Quoted.
Small ISR, EOD and route-clearance robots get built in waves, in high mix, at prices that assume some of them will not come back. Those lines are increasingly internalized, and they should be. What is not internalized is the hundreds of fixtures, nests, gauges, carts and packaging components that a single production wave consumes.
±«Óãtv supplies that enablement layer, so final assembly never waits on a bracket and manufacturing engineering can focus on what it does best.
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Factory enablement hardware: Jigs, inspection nests, workholding fixtures, sensor-alignment tools, battery-handling aids and line-side carts designed per build station, from ±«Óãtv’s Hartland, WI additive and Austin, TX CNC operations.
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Specialty mechanical content: Manipulator and camera mounts, skid plates, guards, sensor plates, battery retainers, antenna brackets and rugged transit cases.
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Cost-down before volume locks in: DFM review that pulls cost out of recurring mechanical content while the design can still move, including molded and cast options once geometry stabilizes.
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Recurring waves and surge lots: 500 to 5,000 mechanical parts per production wave with lot labeling, revision tracking and kitting by build station.
Your Stack Fits Any Vehicle. The Mounting Hardware Doesn’t.
Autonomy companies win by installing on somebody else’s platform, then win again by installing on the next one. Every host vehicle brings a different mounting envelope, cable run, power tap, roof load and service access, and each one turns into a fresh kit of brackets, plates, enclosures and routing hardware.
±«Óãtv turns those install kits into manufacturable, documented hardware fast enough to keep pace with the vehicles you are winning.
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Install kit hardware: Roof and hood mounts, sensor pods and masts, adapter plates, actuator and steering-link brackets, standoffs and cable-routing details.
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Rugged compute and power packaging: Sealed enclosures, thermal plates, EMI shields, vented panels, power distribution boxes and connector guards sized around your stack.
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Fast variants without a supplier reset: Additive fit-checks and CNC iteration sets of 15 to 50 per host vehicle, then the same parts carried into repeat kit production.
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Documented per configuration: Revision-controlled kit content, labeled by host platform, with inspection records that hold up when a program office asks.
The Robot Lives Outside Now. So Does Its Charging Dock.
Perimeter patrol, base security, counter-UAS and legged systems spend their service life outdoors and unattended, cycling through charge stations and weather instead of a maintenance bay. The vehicle gets designed carefully. The infrastructure around it usually does not.
±«Óãtv builds both sides: the payload hardware on the robot and the ground equipment that keeps it available.
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Payload and sensor mounting: Camera and radar brackets, antenna mounts, gimbal plates, effector-adjacent supports and vibration-isolation details.
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Ground and charging infrastructure: Charge dock enclosures, weatherproof cabinets, mast and pole hardware, cable management and site-mounting details from Denver sheet metal.
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Environmental protection: Gasketed covers, louvered vents, drainage and ingress features, with coating stack-ups and material pairings reviewed for long outdoor exposure.
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Sustainment kits: Replacement covers, connector guards, skid and foot hardware, service tooling and revision-controlled spares labeled by site configuration.
Case Studies
Same-Day Answers From an Engineer Who Signed Off on the Print
±«Óãtv is not a transactional machine shop. Nor are we a broker sending you automated quotes and generic DFM feedback. Our human-first approach is what makes the difference on hardware that must work off-road and unattended, with nobody aboard to nurse it through a mission.
Our engineers review your prints for shock and vibration paths, ingress and drainage, coating stack-up and galvanic pairing, thermal interfaces, cable routing, EMI-adjacent details, glove-on fastener access and field maintainability. Manufacturability problems surface at print review instead of first-article rejection or a post-recovery teardown.
That posture is what keeps a ground vehicle program moving. A named program contact instead of a ticketing queue. An engineer on the phone the same day, not three quote cycles later. Revision management, lot traceability and inspection packages built into the flow rather than bolted on at the end.
So when a new mission package lands or a delivery order doubles, the mechanical layer absorbs it instead of resetting your schedule. That is white-glove service applied to defense-grade manufacturing, and it is why fast-scaling ground autonomy teams keep coming back to ±«Óãtv.
±«Óãtv Edgeworks: Built to Support Defense Ground Robotics Programs
Our global sourcing solution provides UGV manufacturers with access to an extended network of U.S. sourcing options through one accountable ±«Óãtv team.
Our domestic manufacturing capabilities are built to support defense ground vehicle programs, from prototyping through bridge production to rate. We support everything from precision internal components to ruggedized housings and structural parts, all matched to the right U.S. source.
Do you need to reshore UGV components? Here’s how we can help you:
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Assess: CAD, demand, resin, tool condition, current location and compliance needs.
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Match: Select the best source by press size, volume, material, quality and certification.
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Transfer + Qualify: Coordinate tool transfer, inspection and repair, first articles and PPAP.
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Ramp + Protect: Scale production with tool maintenance, rush capacity and dual-source options.
What Every UGV Program Gets With ±«Óãtv
We don’t replace your chassis line, your autonomy stack or your core build. We supply the mechanical layer around them.
We Complement Your Vertical Integration
We don’t replace your core capabilities. We provide the mechanical layer around them.
ITAR Registered & Multi-Site Domestic
Seven U.S. facilities, with second-source routing that doesn’t fragment engineering intent.
Built for Ground Service Conditions
Shock and vibration paths, ingress, drainage, coating stack-up and material pairing reviewed before the quote, not after the teardown.
Factory Enablement as a Product
Gauges, nests, workholding fixtures, carts, packaging and kitting, not just vehicle parts.
Prototype to Bridge to Rate
One team and one documentation thread as volumes grow from qualification sets to fleet spares.
Specialty Processes in House
Photochemical machining, mixed CNC, sheet metal, additive, molding, finishing and light assembly, all under one accountable partner.