Materialize Secures CO-AM Platform for Distributed Manufacturing with Acquisition of Identity3D

materialize acquired Identify3Da company that develops software to encrypt, distribute and trace the flow of digital coins through complex supply chains.

Data security and integrity have become important for companies that want to maintain control over design and production data, as the transition begins from a centralized production model to multiple digital production sites, closer to clients.

The Identify3D suite of products encrypts, distributes and traces the flow of digital parts, preventing counterfeits and ensuring that maliciously or inadvertently modified, substandard or uncertified parts cannot enter the physical supply chain.

The company says the software allows designers and manufacturing engineers to couple designs with specific production criteria, such as a designated user, machine or material type to control the production process and meet production specifications. original manufacture.

The Materialize CO-AM software platform, which launched in May this year, provides manufacturers with cloud-based access to software that allows them to plan, manage and optimize 3D printing processes. Materialize acquired Identify3D in an effort to add an extra layer of security to CO-AM. Materialize claims this makes its platform “the most robust and secure software platform” for manufacturers looking to expand their 3D printing operations into a digital, distributed production environment.

“We believe that the factory of the future will not be a single, central location,” said Materialize CEO Fried Vancraen. “Instead, future manufacturing, enabled by smart technologies like 3D printing, will take place at multiple digital production sites, spread across the globe, closer to customers.”

Continuing, Vancraen said: “But this will only be possible when companies are confident that their design and production data remains secure. This acquisition allows manufacturers to secure the flow of digital parts and maintain a competitive advantage.

Smart digital technologies such as 3D printing enable a transition to multiple, smaller-scale manufacturing sites closer to customers. Companies that want to protect unique designs, when it comes to sharing design files and digital assets between industrial companies and suppliers, new conversations about data security are opening up.

Data integrity is also important for companies embracing digital manufacturing. This is the case of manufacturers who plan to increase the production of a 3D printed part by thousands or millions, wishing to ensure that all components have the same quality, regardless of where they are produced.

Materialize CO-AM software provides cloud-based access to multiple hardware technologies and their favorite tools from Materialize and other software developers.

“At the center of a digital supply chain is the movement of valuable data from design to manufacturing,” said Joe Inkenbrandt, co-founder and CEO of Identity3D. “Our mission has always been to ensure the security and integrity of this data. Integrating our software into the Materialize CO-AM platform allows us to fully unleash its potential and offer customers security and control of their data in a way never seen before in the industry.

Identify3D has previously worked with industry leaders in 3D printing, such as TDM solutions and Siemenswith whom it began partnerships in 2018.

Vancraen and Materialize Senior Marketing Director of Software Hans Van Glabeke spoke with TCT earlier this year about CO-AM and why the company thinks it will be so important to the AM industry.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

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