Fictiv Digital Manufacturing Ecosystem Offers Transparent Processing

Fictiv is enhancing the transparency of its digital manufacturing ecosystem (DME) to offer customers visibility, traceability, speed and quality benefits when ordering high-tolerance, custom mechanical parts for both prototyping and production needs. The company says the DME provides exceptional visibility and traceability in its manufacturing processes to ensure quality and mitigate risk for mechanical engineers and supply chain managers who are unable to visit factory floors.

The key transparency features include detailed on-demand production status for all the parts within every order, immediately and online; virtual inspection photos from manufacturing partner facilities before the parts are delivered; centralized access to quality documentation, such as material certifications, certificates of conformance and inspection documentation all available in one place; and order configuration details available through centralized access to 2D and 3D design files, thread specifications, material and process configurations, and invoices for all Fictiv orders.

Other key features include historical DFM in which customers can digitally call up previous manufacturability feedback for all ordered parts to inform future design cycles; a streamlined quoting process to reorder parts and lock in previous pricing; and shipment tracking with aggregate tracking links from third-party providers to keep all shipments in one secure place.

According to the company, these new features integrate seamlessly into the Fictiv digital thread, a combination of technology and process that enables the manufacture of complex, high-precision mechanical parts at 100X the speed and 1/10 the cost versus traditional solutions. The data produced from Fictiv’s digital thread helps drive automation through the Fictiv DME to speed up production and prevent errors. For example, every part produced through the Fictiv DME receives a minimum of five dimensional inspections, with the resulting data captured digitally for fast and simple validation by Fictiv teams and customers.

“Fictiv’s groundbreaking new radical transparency initiative is better because our quality engineers and customers can inspect a part all along the way,” says Fictiv CEO Dave Evans. “These features introduce a disruptive set of visibility controls and prompts that peel back the covers and make it possible for engineers and supply chain managers to clearly see, communicate and track progress of manufacturing work, and come away with complete confidence in quality outcomes, delivery times, and costs.”