Materialise announced the acquisition of Identify3D – the developer of software for encrypting, distributing and tracing the flow of digital parts in complex supply chains. Data security and integrity are a priority for companies looking to maintain control of their design and manufacturing data as they move from centralized manufacturing in one place to multiple, distributed plants closer to their customers. The solutions offered by Identify3D are designed to make Materialise CO-AM the most secure platform for distributed production.
The Identify3D product suite offers encryption, distribution, and tracking of digital parts flow, preventing counterfeiting and ensuring that maliciously or inadvertently modifying production files – which, as a result, fail to meet standards or certification – do not enter the physical supply chain. It also enables designers and manufacturing engineers to combine designs with specific manufacturing criteria, such as: designated user, machine type, or material, to control the entire manufacturing process.
The Materialise CO-AM platform provides manufacturers with cloud access to a full range of tools that allow them to plan, manage and optimize each stage of the 3D printing process. The acquisition of Identify3D enables Materialise to add an additional layer of security to CO-AM, making it the most reliable and secure software platform for manufacturers looking to scale up their 3D printing operations within a digital and distributed manufacturing environment.
The traditional, centralized production model has proven vulnerable to global supply chain problems, geopolitical tensions and growing concerns about sustainability. Smart digital technologies, such as 3D printing, make it possible to move to many smaller production facilities closer to customers. However, for companies looking to protect their unique designs, sharing design files and digital assets between industrial companies and suppliers opens up new problems in the area of data security.
At the same time, manufacturers who plan to increase the incremental production of parts to thousands or millions of pieces want to be sure that all their components will be of the same quality, no matter where they are manufactured. As a result, data integrity has also become a priority for companies that adopt digital manufacturing.
The Materialise CO-AM platform builds on over three decades of experience in 3D printing and helps companies manage their 3D printing processes more efficiently. It offers cloud-based access to multiple hardware technologies and the preferred tools of Materialise and other developers. The heart of the CO-AM platform is a “data lake” that connects to all production tools and tracks what is happening on the production floor.
Source: www.materialise.com