Five Axis Industries

What Five Axis Industries does

Five Axis Industries is a precision CNC machining manufacturer founded in 2002 and headquartered in Arlington, Washington, specializing in 2/3/4/5-axis machining of complex components and advanced engine subsystems for the aerospace, defense, and commercial space industries. The company fabricates parts from exotic and high-temperature materials including titanium, tungsten, tantalum, Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy, Waspaloy, Carpenter 465, Vasco C300, PC70 carbon-carbon, powdered metals, and aluminum lithium, with particular capabilities in spun form nozzles, gaseous oxygen systems, and fluid control technologies for launch vehicle engine applications. Its quality infrastructure is anchored by AS9100D, ISO9001:2015, and ITAR certifications, plus Fracture Critical Flight Safety approval on all space and defense platforms, and it operates model-based Computer Aided Inspection using Verisurf Software on the Mastercam platform alongside coordinate measuring machines from Wenzel, Sheffield Cordax, Romer, and Keyence.

The company serves enterprise customers including Boeing (P-8A Poseidon), Sikorsky (CH53K King Stallion), Northrop Grumman (E-2C Hawkeye, V-22 Osprey), and SpaceX (Falcon 9, Dragon 2), with 100+ total customers, 3,000+ completed projects, and 300,000+ hours of accumulated machining experience drawn from a 60-plus-year motorsports heritage. The business model is B2B contract manufacturing under quote-based, project-driven pricing with no publicly disclosed standard rates, relying on engineering-led direct sales to customer engineering teams and long qualification cycles on fracture-critical defense and space programs. Distribution is global in claimed scope but operates from a single Arlington, Washington facility with duplicate machinery for risk mitigation, cross-trained employees for surge capacity, and integrated MRP/ERP (PRO SHOP), quality management (High QA), and file security (FileCloud) systems.

On October 28, 2025, Five Axis Industries was acquired by Karman Space & Defense (NYSE: KRMN) for $88 million — $83 million in cash plus approximately $5 million in Karman common shares — becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary and the centerpiece of Karman's stated strategy to expand engine subsystem capabilities in commercial space propulsion. The acquisition was financed through an increase in Karman's Term Loan B from $375 million to $505 million, with RBC Capital Markets serving as primary financial advisor and Citigroup as junior book runner. The Ellstrom family, including CEO Erick Ellstrom, had been the principal prior owners, and the company had no disclosed institutional funding rounds prior to the transaction.

Name

Five Axis Industries

Legal name

Five Axis Industries Inc.

Website

https://fiveaxisindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Five Axis Industries is a precision CNC machining manufacturer in Arlington, Washington, producing fracture-critical 2/3/4/5-axis machined components and launch vehicle engine subsystems from exotic alloys for aerospace, defense, and commercial space primes including Boeing, SpaceX, Sikorsky, and Northrop Grumman. It now operates as a subsidiary of Karman Space & Defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Aerospace & Defense CNC Machining

NAICS

Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing (33272)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Screw Machine Products (3451)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Airframe Structures & Machined Parts (IMABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rotorcraft Parts & Components Manufacturing (Tier Suppliers) (IMABABAM), Tiltrotor & Compound Rotorcraft Manufacturing (IMABABAC)

Keywords

• Precision CNC machining
• Aerospace component manufacturing
• Defense parts fabrication
• 5-axis machining services
• Engine subsystem manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Precision Manufacturing: B2B contract manufacturing of custom precision-machined components and engine subsystems for aerospace, defense, and commercial space customers. Revenue generated through project-based orders with pricing based on complexity, materials, and volume requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Five Axis Industries provides precision 2/3/4/5 axis CNC machining and contract manufacturing services for aerospace, defense, and commercial space customers. The company fabricates complex components and engine subsystems (spun form nozzles, gaseous oxygen systems, fluid control technologies) from exotic metals such as titanium, Inconel, tungsten, tantalum, and specialty alloys, holding fracture-critical flight safety approvals across space and defense platforms.

Product overview

Five Axis Industries is a precision machining company offering a unified suite of manufacturing services centered on 2/3/4/5 axis CNC machining for aerospace, defense, and commercial space applications. The core offering consists of precision machining services for exotic metals and advanced engine subsystems (spun form nozzles, gaseous oxygen systems, fluid control technologies) for launch vehicles. These are complemented by Computer Aided Inspection services using Verisurf software, comprehensive MRP/ERP system integration, and quality inspection services utilizing advanced coordinate measuring machines. The company serves critical flight safety requirements for space and defense platforms, providing custom manufacturing solutions from individual parts to turn-key assemblies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precision Machining Services Precision CNC machining services with 2/3/4/5 axis machining capabilities, specializing in rare and exotic metal fabrication including titanium, tungsten, tantalum, and high-temperature alloys for critical aerospace and defense applications. Targets enterprise aerospace, defense, and commercial space customers requiring fracture-critical flight safety components.
• Advanced Engine Subsystems Manufactures engine subsystems for commercial space programs including spun form nozzles, gaseous oxygen systems, and fluid control technologies for launch vehicle engine applications.
• Quality Inspection Services Post-processing inspection services using advanced coordinate measuring machines including Wenzel LH-1512, Sheffield Cordax D-28, Romer Absolute portable CMM, and Keyence measurement systems for aerospace and defense customers.
• Custom Manufacturing Solutions Custom turnkey solutions for complex projects including large machining envelopes, niche tooling, and capability to handle diverse materials ranging from aluminum and titanium to powdered metals and carbon-carbon composites. Provides end-to-end cradle-to-grave oversight from purchasing and programming through machining and fitting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Verified quality through model-based inspection producing first article inspections within minutes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Karman Space & Defense: Parent company of Five Axis following the October 2025 acquisition; broad space and defense propulsion, structures, and thermal protection supplier to missile, hypersonic, and launch customers. Comparable in propulsion subsystem manufacturing and AS9100/ITAR-grade certifications, but at much broader scope.
• Howmet Aerospace: Major aerospace supplier of engine components, airframe structures, and precision-machined parts with AS9100/ITAR-grade certifications serving Boeing, Lockheed, Airbus, and the DoD primes. Comparable customer base and product overlap, but a much larger incumbent.
• Precision Castparts Corp (PCC): Berkshire Hathaway-owned large-scale manufacturer of complex metal components and machined airframe/engine parts for aerospace and defense primes. Directly comparable in machined-part capability, customer set, and certifications, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Magellan Aerospace: Canadian-listed Tier 2/3 supplier of precision machined aerospace components, assemblies, and engine parts for major OEMs. Comparable precision-machined airframe and engine offerings, though broader and more diversified.
• GKN Aerospace (Melrose Industries): Global Tier 1 aerostructures and propulsion systems supplier with significant precision-machined content in airframes, engines, and rotorcraft platforms. Comparable in AS9100-grade machined structures, particularly for rotorcraft/military platforms.
• Triumph Group: Aerospace structures and precision machined components supplier to defense and commercial aerospace primes, with system-level content on rotorcraft and military platforms including V-22. Comparable in precision-machined structures and rotorcraft exposure, but a public Tier 1.
• Senior plc: UK-listed aerospace and defense components supplier with precision-machined fluid conveyance, structures, and engine subassemblies for major primes. Comparable in fluid-control and precision-machined subsystems, though a global Tier 2/3 incumbent.
• Kaman Aerospace (Kaman Corp.): U.S. aerospace structures, bearings, and precision machined components supplier with a long heritage in rotorcraft and defense programs. Comparable in rotorcraft precision content and AS9100/ITAR-grade certifications.

Direct peers

• ADDMAN Group: U.S. precision manufacturing group combining CNC machining, metal additive, and castings for aerospace, defense, and space customers including launch-vehicle primes. Most directly comparable peer in size, customer mix, and exotic-materials focus.
• Wall Colmonoy: Specialty precision machining and alloy manufacturing company serving aerospace, defense, and industrial customers, with notable expertise in exotic nickel/cobalt superalloys and hard-facing materials. Comparable in exotic-materials machining and aerospace customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fiveaxisind

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Five Axis Industries