The ultimate goal is lead to consistent quality from concept to part
For most professionals, talking about « openness » in additive manufacturing often comes down to explore the use of several materials within additive manufacturing platforms. The issue of openness has become a necessity for the industry and at the software level, the list of software companies that address this solution is very short.
From now on, Hexagon and Authentise will now be considered as part of this list as their newly signed partnership aims to provide open end-to-end software solution for additive manufacturing.
Known for its portfolio of software companies, Hexagon also integrates a Manufacturing Intelligence division that develops key software and measurement and inspection solutions to the additive manufacturing industry.
This division will be working with Authentise that specialises in data-driven workflow tools for additive manufacturing. Although engineers recognize the importance of interoperable manufacturing, they still face a number of challenges when it comes to the feasibility of the processes onto the manufacturing floors. Authentise is one of the software companies that develops solutions to address these issues and other challenges engineers can face at the manufacturing level. The company has for instance, developed a solution to simplify digital tracking of material powders for additive manufacturing and is acknowledged for the development of an open manufacturing execution system tailored to the specific needs of additive manufacturing methods. It has also partnered with companies like nebumind to provide additive manufacturing users with stronger data analytical tools through digital twin.
Andre Wegner, CEO, Authentise says, “We are excited to combine Hexagon’s solutions with our open workflow management engine to offer a unique end-to-end solution platform. Integrating data from Hexagon’s best-of-breed software and sensors helps deliver a seamless experience for users, automation across their process, and unlocks the ability to learn from data. This partnership represents a step change for the industry – together we’re delivering the integrated digital thread for additive manufacturing that customers have sought for so long.”
Through this partnership, both partners will extend the Additive Manufacturing (AM) control loop from the machine level to connect the end-to-end value chain from design, manufacturing operations and quality assurance to make additive manufacturing more predictable, repeatable and traceable.
Reality shows that to automate serial production improvements and enable design improvements, engineers need to deal with data from shopfloor manufacturing operations, engineering data from the design phase, materials properties and quality data from validation and inspection processes.
Here is the thing, these silos are often a double-edged sword for engineers who need to find a strike balance between all these steps and the way they leverage data.
To address this issue, both partners explain in a press communication that they will apply Statistical Process Control (SPC) with Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to mitigate waste and quality issues during the design phase and improve the repeatability of additive manufacturing processes within a site or between global locations.
Furthermore, there is a need to digitise every step of the workflow from part design through production to final product and quality assurance. And this can only be done if both parties share the same vision for open architectures. In this vein, the partnership will focus on the integration of shopfloor data with data intelligence.
Mathieu PĂ©rennou, Global Business Development Director Additive Manufacturing, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division says, “Together with Authentise, we are building a next-generation framework for our customers to manage flexible, fully digitized production workflows in private cloud environments. For manufacturers, AM is a complex and changing market with many excellent tools, printers and materials to apply. We believe our open and flexible systems will enable us to respond quickly to customers’ needs and integrate with their unique environments. This will connect the data flow and help streamline their workflows in all stages of the AM process – before, during and after production and support their specific standards or compliance needs.”
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