Additive Manufacturing Ledger Traceability for Part Certification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing systems lack verification and validation mechanisms to ensure that objects produced are correctly certified, as they do not maintain a historical record of the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a distributed ledger-based manufacturing history system that integrates with additive manufacturing devices, enabling the recording and verification of all inputs and outputs, and providing certification for objects based on meeting specific criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing devices allow any user to reproduce parts using arbitrary manufacturing equipment and material, then accessibility and ease of manufacture are improved, but verification and validation capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a distributed ledger as an intermediary between additive manufacturing devices and users. The ledger records and verifies manufacturing process data, build files, and material information, enabling validation without centralizing control. This mediator allows anyone to manufacture parts while ensuring authenticity through cryptographic verification of recorded data.
2Reliability
If a distributed ledger system is implemented to record and verify manufacturing process data, then verification and validation capabilities are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The distributed ledger serves multiple functions simultaneously: it stores manufacturing process data, verifies build file authenticity, tracks material provenance, and provides certification. By consolidating these verification functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces overall complexity compared to implementing separate verification mechanisms for each function.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive recording of manufacturing process data is implemented in a distributed ledger, then measurement precision and traceability are improved, but loss of time for data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system records manufacturing process data, build files, and material information in the distributed ledger during the manufacturing process itself, rather than requiring post-manufacturing verification. This preliminary recording ensures complete traceability is already established when the part is produced, eliminating time-consuming verification steps later.
Data Source
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AI summary
Some aspects are directed to additive manufacturing systems. An example additive manufacturing system controller is configured to receive a build file comprising instructions for controlling the manufacturing hardware to generate the object, receive a material identifier indicating a particular lot of manufacturing media, validate the build file and the material identifier via a distributed ledger to verify at least one of an author of the build file or an origin of the particular lot of manufacturing media, control the manufacturing hardware using the build file to generate the object using the particular lot of manufacturing media, and in response to completion of the generation of the object, generate an object manufactured transaction to the distributed ledger indicating a result of the validation of the origin of the at least one of the build file or the material identifier.