Markforged has launched a cloud-based platform for 3D printing. Named, Digital Forge, it connects the manufatcurer’s products together in one offering in order to make production-grade parts on demand.
The 3D printing platform is based on machine learning and facilitates the creation of parts cheaper, faster, and often with better properties than traditional manufacturing methods while continually getting smarter with each part it prints. This enables companies to manufacture and deliver quality parts in an entirely new way and solves the deep supply chain issues made apparent throughout COVID-19. Additionally, because the platform is cloud-based, it receives continuous over-the-air updates — making it the only industrial capital equipment that actually appreciates in value over time.
In addition to announcing Digital Forge, Markforged also disclosed that it now operates the world’s largest connected fleet of industrial 3D printers. More than 12,000 customers, including Siemens, Porsche, and Microsoft, now depend on Markforged.
“We started Markforged with a cloud-first, software-first approach that was designed for the modern world, and now we are applying that approach to accomplish things people thought were still decades away from coming to market,” said Greg Mark, Chairman of Markforged. “Through the Digital Forge, manufacturers can use our powerful software to easily fabricate strong, accurate, and durable metal and composite parts for orders of magnitude cheaper than they’ve traditionally been made — on demand and directly at the point of need.”
Digital Forge: Delivering the Future of Manufacturing
The Digital Forge is a platform that uses fleet federated learning (AI/ML + data) to make the platform smarter and parts better with each print. This is significant because the platform is constantly learning from data being generated across its expansive, 12,000+ fleet of printers, which can then be used to instantly course correct print jobs. As a result, the parts are more accurate than can be achieved from mechanical hardware alone. And because the platform itself is cloud-based, it can be constantly updated and enhanced so that customers are always able to leverage new advancements.
The Digital Forge is also the only additive platform that can print continuous carbon fiber reinforced parts and metal in a safe and accessible way from a single browser tab. This empowers manufacturers to print production-grade, strong parts at the point-of-need to respond to supply chain disruption and take advantage of market opportunity in an agile way.
“Siemens Energy prides itself on delivering not only the world’s most advanced technology in the energy market, but also utilizing the best technologies to achieve that,” said Pontus Johansson of Siemens Energy. “With the Markforged Digital Forge, the ability to create exceptional parts and put them to operational use is incredible. Our collaboration with Markforged enables us to continuously grow a better value chain capability. Additive manufacturing is an area where we are, and intend to stay at, the absolute forefront.”
The Digital Forge is being embraced by companies all over the world, including the 10 biggest aerospace companies, 12 of the 14 largest automotive companies, and five of six US Armed Forces branches. It enables them to rapidly develop the parts they need at the moment they need them, from a location that gets them into the markets demanding them. This ensures that companies can keep their businesses moving forward efficiently despite the constraints and uncertainties caused by the dynamic world we live in. The Digital Forge is the most powerful tool in a manufacturing engineer’s toolbelt.
“Electricity was invented in 1880, but it took 40 years and the pandemic of 1918 to spark the Industrial Revolution that built our modern world,” noted Mark. “3D printing has reached a similar tipping point. We are nearing the 40th anniversary of the 3D printer (2026), and I believe the pandemic of 2020 and the supply chain disruption it has caused will usher in the next great Industrial Revolution — the era of Digital Manufacturing — and we are on a mission to put The Digital Forge in every factory on Earth as part of that revolution.”
Remember, you can post free of charge job opportunities in the AM Industry on 3D ADEPT Media or look for a job via our job board. Make sure to follow us on our social networks and subscribe to our weekly newsletter : Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram ! If you want to be featured in the next issue of our digital magazine or if you hear a story that needs to be heard, make sure to send it to contact@3dadept.com