Materialise, a global leader in 3D printing solutions, has acquired Identify3D, a company that creates software to encrypt, distribute, and track the movement of digital parts through complex supply chains. The acquisition makes the Materialise CO-AM software the most secure distributed manufacturing platform. Companies that want to retain control over their design and production data as they transition from a centralised production model to multiple digital production sites closer to their customers have prioritised data security and integrity.
The Identify3D product suite encrypts, distributes, and tracks the flow of digital parts to prevent counterfeiting and ensure that maliciously or inadvertently modified, substandard, or uncertified parts do not enter the physical supply chain. It also enables designers and manufacturing engineers to associate designs with specific production criteria, such as a designated user, a type of machine, or material, in order to control the manufacturing process and meet the original manufacturing specifications.
The Materialise CO-AM Software Platform provides manufacturers with cloud-based access to a comprehensive set of software tools for planning, managing, and optimising every step of the 3D printing process. Materialise acquired Identify3D to add an additional security layer to CO-AM, making it the most robust and secure software platform for manufacturers looking to scale up their 3D printing operations as part of a digital and distributed production environment.
Shift to distributed manufacturing
The traditional, centralised production model has proven vulnerable to systemic shocks such as global supply chain issues, geopolitical tensions, and growing concerns about sustainability. Smart, digital technologies such as 3D printing enable a shift toward a network of smaller-scale manufacturing sites located closer to customers. Sharing design files and digital assets among industrial companies and suppliers, on the other hand, opens up new conversations about data security for companies that want to protect their unique designs.
“We believe that the factory of the future will not be a single, central location. Instead, future manufacturing, enabled by smart technologies like 3D printing, will take place at multiple digital production sites, distributed around the world, closer to customers. But this will only be possible when companies are sure that their design and production data remains secure. This acquisition allows manufacturers to secure the flow of digital parts and maintain a competitive advantage.”
– Fried Vancraen, CEO of Materialise
Simultaneously, manufacturers who intend to scale up the production of a 3D-printed part into the thousands or millions want to ensure that all of their components are of the same quality, regardless of where they are manufactured. As a result, data integrity has risen to the top of the priority list for companies that embrace digital manufacturing.
Materialise addresses customer concerns about data security and integrity with this acquisition, making CO-AM the most secure software platform for distributed manufacturing.
Most secure distributed manufacturing platform
The Materialise CO-AM software platform is based on more than three decades of 3D printing experience and assists businesses in more efficiently managing their 3D printing processes. It provides cloud-based access to Materialise and other software developers’ preferred hardware technologies and tools. A data lake at the heart of the CO-AM platform connects to all production tools and keeps track of what is going on on the production floor. CO-AM will continue to provide the most robust and secure software platform to manufacturers concerned about protecting their design data, such as prototypes, and their unique manufacturing expertise.
Joe Inkenbrandt, Co-Founder and CEO of Identify3D said, “At the center of a digital supply chain is the movement of valuable data from design through manufacturing. Our mission has always been to address the security and integrity of that data. Integrating our software in the Materialise CO-AM platform allows us to fully unlock its potential and give customers security and control of their data in a way never seen before in the industry.”
About Manufactur3D Magazine: Manufactur3D is an online magazine on 3D Printing. Visit our Global News page for more updates on Global 3D Printing News. To stay up-to-date about the latest happenings in the 3D printing world, like us on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
