Robot arm in a CNC machine cell
Chicago • Precision Machine Shops • $0 Upfront

You shouldn’t have to turn down work because you can’t staff second shift

Traditional robots need a programmer for every new job. Ours doesn’t. Your operator shows it what to do, we train it, and it runs. No integrator, no PO every time your parts change.

$0
Upfront Cost
30d
Free Pilot
~$2K
Per Month, All In
The Problem

You already know this. Good machinists are retiring faster than you can hire.

01

Second shift is a ghost town

Average machinist is in their mid-50s. Nobody’s coming up behind them. You’ve got the machines, you’ve got the orders, you just don’t have the hands.

02

Parts sit in trays waiting on someone

Your best guy is loading gages and sorting parts off the Citizen all day. That’s not what you hired him for. But somebody has to do it.

03

You already priced out a FANUC or UR

$75K and up for a custom cell. Weeks of downtime for install. Then your part family changes and the integrator wants another PO to reprogram it. That’s how robotics has worked for 30 years. It doesn’t have to work that way.

04

You don’t run one part all day

You run 30 different parts. Setups change constantly. A robot that can only do one thing doesn’t make sense on your floor.

Process

Show it what to do.
That’s the whole thing.

With a FANUC or UR, you call an integrator every time something changes. With us, your guy demonstrates the task and we handle the rest.

Machine shop floor with Haas CNC machines and crew
Step 01

We come to you

We walk your floor, look at your cell, see the actual parts you’re running. No slideshow, just a real conversation.

Skilled worker fabricating metal in a shop
Step 02

Your operator teaches the robot

Pick up a part, put it in the gage, sort it into the bin. Your operator runs through it a few dozen times over a couple hours. We take it from there.

Robot arms picking and placing parts
Step 03

It runs your parts for 30 days

Not a sales demo with cherry-picked parts. Your actual work, on your actual floor, for a full month.

Zero risk, money back guarantee
Step 04

Keep it or send it back

If it works, you go on a monthly plan. If it doesn’t, we pick it up. New part family down the road? Same deal. Show it again.

Demo video: the robot running real parts

This isn’t your integrator’s robot.

Traditional robots are rigid. One program, one part, one setup. Change any of those and you’re writing another check. We built something that adapts to your floor.

01

Your operator is the programmer

No teach pendant. No G-code for the robot. Your guy demonstrates the task, we train the model, and it’s running.

02

We only do CNC shops

Gage tending and part sorting. We’re not trying to do palletizing and food packaging and everything else. Machine shops are all we do.

03

Catches defects with a camera

Burrs, missing features, surface issues. The robot screens parts as it handles them, so problems don’t pile up at the end of the line.

04

We’re 20 minutes away

We’re based in the Chicago northwest suburbs. If something needs attention, we drive over. You’re not calling a 1-800 number in another time zone.

05

It learns as it goes

The more parts it runs, the better it gets at handling variations. Fewer drops, fewer misfeeds. You don’t have to do anything for that to happen.

06

You can send it back

30 days on your parts, your floor. If it’s not pulling its weight, we come get it. No hard feelings.

Old way vs. new way

Robotics has worked the same way for 30 years. We changed the part that doesn’t make sense.

Traditional Integrator Nocturn Labs
Upfront cost $75K to $90K $0
Deployment time 6 to 12 weeks Days
New part setup Call the integrator Show the robot
Programming Expert required None
If it doesn’t work You’re stuck with it We take it back
Support Call a hotline We drive over
$24K
Per year for the robot. A full-time operator runs you $40K to $50K.
24/7
No sick days, no turnover. It just shows up and runs.
0
Integrators to call when you switch parts. You just show it again.
Pricing

Simple pricing.
No gotchas.

We own the robot, you get the output. If it’s not working for you, we come pick it up.

Purchase Outright
~$35K

You own it outright. Software subscription keeps it current.

  • Same full cell: robot, camera, computer, fixtures
  • We still set it up and train your people
  • ~$400/month for software and model updates
  • Support retainer available if you want it
  • 1-year hardware warranty
Request a Quote →

Stuff people actually ask us

We already looked at FANUC and UR. How is this different?
Those are great robots, but you need an integrator to program every new application. We give you the whole package ready to go. The robot, the cameras, the software, the training. All of it. And when you get a new part, you teach it yourself instead of writing another PO.
How hard is it to teach a new part?
Your operator demonstrates the task a few dozen times over an afternoon. We handle the training on our end after that. It’s real work, but it’s your operator doing what they already know how to do. No programming skills needed.
Is this going to replace my guys?
That’s not the idea. Your experienced machinists are doing gage loading and part sorting right now because nobody else is available. The robot takes that off their plate so they can do the work you actually need them for.
Does it work with my existing machines?
Yeah. It works alongside your CNCs, not inside them. No retrofitting, no integration with your controller. It picks up parts and puts them down the same way a person would.
What happens when something goes wrong at 2 AM?
We check it remotely first. If that doesn’t fix it, we’re at your shop the next morning. On the monthly plan, all the maintenance is on us. It’s our robot, we keep it running.
What if it just doesn’t work for us?
That’s why we do the 30-day pilot. Your parts, your floor. If it’s not doing the job, we come get it. You don’t owe us anything.
Talk to Us

Let’s figure out if
this makes sense
for your shop

We’ll come look at your floor, see what you’re running, and tell you straight whether we can help. No pitch deck, no pressure.

“Every shop owner we talk to has the same story. They priced out a FANUC, got the integrator quote, and said forget it.” — Joey, Founder

Based In Elk Grove Village, IL

Tell us about your shop

We’ll get back to you within a day.