SLM Solutions Collaborates with Identify3D
SLM Solutions Group AG (Lübeck, Germany), a leading supplier of metal-based additive manufacturing (AM) technology, announced their collaboration with Identify3D (San Francisco, CA), a software provider for digital manufacturing security, quality and traceability that will provide a system for data protection coupled with contractual and manufacturing licensing from design to production on SLM® laser melting machines. By securing all digital data in the engineering phase, this technology enables SLM to secure digital IP, enforce production rules and provide traceability in the digital supply chain at the industry’s highest standard.
“We are very happy about our collaboration with SLM Solutions as a technological leader in metal-based AM and the delivery of this proof of concept is a key step to enable decentralized manufacturing, one of the key elements of Industry 4.0,” said Stephan Thomas, the co-founder and chief strategy officer at Identify3D. This collaboration will enable industries to accelerate their adoption of AM to deliver much needed systems to disrupt existing supply chains of the aerospace, transportation, tooling, energy and healthcare industries.
“We are really looking forward to developing a long term collaboration with their company since they can bring a key technology necessary to spread the benefits of our Industry 4.0 initiatives and systems,” noted Henner Schöneborn, a member of the management board of SLM. “With the systems they provide, we can offer our customers a secure way to manufacture from digital design according to very specific manufacturing requirements at machine level. This is much needed to accelerate the adoption of AM for serial production of end parts.”
Through the integration of Identify3D EnforceTM with SLM’s MCS machine control software, the proof of concept ensures secure parts delivery to SLM125, SLM280, SLM500, and SLM800 additive machines with control over quantities to be produced, over a defined period of time with selected parameters. The two companies are currently in advanced talks regarding a further integration of products.
