'Demand is already well ahead of what we can build': This US factory claims its 'one large robot' can build circuit boards faster than its Chinese competition
CircuitHub claims to beat Chinese PCB suppliers on speed, not price
by https://www.techradar.com/author/efosa-udinmwen · TechRadarNews By Efosa Udinmwen Published 2 November 2026 3 min read
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- CircuitHub's The Grid robotic system moves circuit boards between specialised manufacturing stations
- Each board follows its own route without conventional production-line changeovers
- The Grid handles 100 different designs using shared manufacturing equipment
A Massachusetts factory is using an unusual robotic manufacturing system to produce printed circuit boards for companies requiring different electronic designs.
Developed by CircuitHub, The Grid replaces conventional fixed production lines with coordinated machinery and mobile platforms transporting boards between manufacturing stations.
The company says its system can complete certain orders faster than Chinese competitors.
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One large robot manufactures different circuit board designs
CircuitHub describes The Grid as “one large robot,” referring to the co-ordinated equipment responsible for moving and processing individual circuit boards.
Levitating transport platforms carry boards between stations performing solder paste application, component placement, heating, soldering and automated inspection.
Machine learning models, AI agents and conventional optimization software coordinate these operations, determining how equipment handles individual manufacturing assignments.
Unlike conventional assembly lines, the system does not require factories to reorganise their production arrangements whenever another circuit board design enters manufacturing.
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