Group Demonstrates Secured Cross-Continent Distributed Additive Manufacturing

Assembrix partnered with Boeing, EOS, 3T Additive Manufacturing and BeamIt to successfully demonstrate secured cross-continent, distributed additive manufacturing (AM) — a fully controlled, 3D printing solution remotely connected directly to EOS 3D printers.

The company says its digital platform virtualizes industrial 3D printing, enabling a simpler, secured and more efficient production process. It oversees the entire AM thread, from the initial part model to the verified physical part and beyond.

The demonstration by the partnership companies is a major step toward enabling a secure and transparent 21^st-century distributed AM supply chain model that could be used by companies across the world, the group says. The solution incorporates technology from Boeing, Assembrix’s Virtual Manufacturing System (VMS) platform and a blockchain, which is designed to be seamlessly integrated with EOS industrial 3D printing technologies.

The group says the demonstration proves the viability of a fully digitalized, globally distributed AM model with several features, including secured production in which jobs can be securely assigned to individual machines within a manufacturer, with the IP fully protected and an auditable transaction trail. This enables customers to ensure excess parts are not produced and protect their design instructions.

It also features real-time monitoring, so customers can monitor job progress in real-time. And it enables data collection and monitoring in which data from the machine can be monitored to ensure it is within the parameters defined by the customer for the job. This data may include machine bay humidity, temperature, print speed or cooling and more — all factors that can impact the performance and final quality of a part.

“We are providing our clients with a virtual additive manufacturing factory, where 3D printers using a variety of technologies and in different geographic locations are remotely and securely controlled,” says Lior Polak, Assembrix CEO. “This concept is breaking the boundaries of traditional manufacturing and makes distributed additive manufacturing a reality.”