Markforged Partners With 3YourMind to Scale Automation of AM

Markforged, creator of the integrated metal and carbon fiber additive manufacturing (AM) platform, The Digital Forge, is partnering with 3YourMind, a developer of AM workflow software solutions. This partnership enables the integration of Markforged’s Eiger software platform with 3YourMind’s manufacturing execution software (Agile MES) and other life cycle management tools via API.

This level of seamless connectivity is the next step toward Industry 4.0 adoption and digital transformation on the factory floor, the company says.

Eiger is a cloud-based and data-driven manufacturing software that enables manufacturers to 3D print parts on demand, right at the point of need. It drives a large connected fleet of 3D printers worldwide, providing automated workflows and real-time analytics.

Eiger leverages AI to continuously improve and provide over-the-air software updates to users. Access to Eiger’s API is included for all customers of Eiger Fleet, Markforged’s enterprise software solution. Eiger Fleet customers have leveraged the Eiger API to automatically print parts as they reach end of life, or as part of a digital kanban inventory system.

“With Eiger, Markforged is advancing interoperability with cloud and business system tooling to enable deeper penetration of additive into our customers’ manufacturing ecosystems with the traceability, reporting and security required in these digital workflows,” says Ted Plummer, Markforged director of product management, software. “During a time of global supply chain disruption, making it easier to print, verify and use 3D printed parts in mission-critical applications is more important than ever.”

Markforged says a primary barrier to Industry 4.0 is the disjointed nature of tools in the AM workflow, which blocks adoption of true digital transformation.

To address this gap, 3YourMind and Eiger now connect to deliver an end-to-end automated solution, intended to enable users to create, order and schedule prints on Markforged printers directly from their product life cycle management systems.

The integration is designed to provide real-time visibility into the state and performance of a multivendor fleet of printers, providing a single point of monitoring for a shop’s assets from various OEMs.

The integration also includes Markforged’s Blacksmith software, which enables in-process part inspection and automatically appends a printed part’s quality assurance report to its digital record. The companies aim to make production-ready performance simple through this integration.