Hawthorne-based Salient Motion Inc., an aerospace manufacturer specializing in motion control systems, has debuted a precision parts division to expand its defense business.
Controlling the flight path is critical to missiles, which typically rely on four electromechanical actuators to achieve the feat. The actuators in turn operate on precision ball screws that convert rotation to linear motion, usually at a high efficiency of 85% to 95%, according to Washington-based Firgelli Automations. Beyond missiles, they are also critical in developing humanoid robots and planes, and demand is surging under President Donald Trump’s push toward a fuller arsenal for national defense, especially in aerospace.
The supply is lackluster in comparison, however. The New York Times reported that a single ball screw for missiles — so precise that its accuracy is measured in units roughly one-hundredth the width of a human hair — can take a year to make and cost more than $1,000. China controls 90% of the market, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and domestic suppliers are overwhelmed.
That opened up opportunities for Salient Motion, whose new division will bring precision ball screws and roller screws into its own vertically integrated assembly line. The facility in Saginaw, Michigan, is the first step in a multistep process to build a precision screw manufacturing platform, the company said in a press release. It is poised to reach capacity by 2027, producing around 50,000 ball screws annually and allowing the company to reduce the timeline for custom actuators from years to about eight weeks.Â
“Precision ball screws sit at the heart of the systems that move aircraft, missiles, and robots, yet much of that precision manufacturing capability has moved offshore,” said Vishaal Mali, founder and chief executive of Salient Motion, in the statement. “This critical part is a constraint, and bringing it in-house gives us greater control end-to-end.”
The new division is led by Garrett O’Brien, a BGT Aerospace alum.
Scaling the business
Since its founding in 2022, Salient Motion has been taking measured steps toward success.
The startup, founded by former Anduril Industries Inc. engineers Mali, Kai Yin and Aiden Jenkins, first raised $12 million in venture capital in October 2024 to scale its motion systems business in funding led by Cantos Ventures. It has since secured collaborations with The Boeing Co. and Boeing Ventures in January, and Italian aircraft cabin interiors designer Aviointeriors in February.
