IBM | thyssenkrupp | Fraunhofer

Industrial Additive Manufacturing Services - Solving the Trust Issue in Distributed Production Networks

Challenge

In recent years, Additive Manufacturing technology has experienced double-digit growth rates in various industrial sectors, such as automotive, aerospace and medical technology. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years. As Additive Manufacturing and the digitalization of production processes continue to grow, they pose new challenges for the manufacturing industry in terms of data protection and protection of intellectual property as well as confirmability and traceability. The industry needs a decentralized solution that can ensure data sovereignty and traceability of data usage. This applies even more since manufacturing is becoming more and more decentralized, as it is conducted within global networks and parts are produced where they are needed.

Success

thyssenkrupp and IBM together with Fraunhofer ISST have developed a prototype that builds the foundation for further expansion of an industrial manufacturing platform. The combined use of IDS technology and Blockchain is intended to enable a higher degree of automation within the Additive Manufacturing process, as well as to provide data security and data sovereignty.

Results:

  • Creating a trustworthy ecosystem for transfer of valuable and IP-relevant engineering data
  • Processing industrial AM orders in a fast, traceable and reliable manner
  • Protecting IP rights and ensuring product quality
P

Benefits

  • Secure platform for exchanging trustworthy data and allowing seamless interaction between all parties across the value chain
  • Easy access to AM technology and services also for small and medium-sized enterprises, unlocking the potential of a distributed manufacturing network that grants access to new sources of revenue
  • Intellectual property rights protected and product quality ensured through provenance and immutability of data

Partners/Ecosystem

  • IBM
  • Thyssenkrupp
  • Fraunhofer ISST

IDS Components

  • IDS Base Connector
  • Blockchain technology (Hyperledger Fabric)