Distributed Ledger Certification for Additive Manufacturing History
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing systems lack verification and validation capabilities to ensure that objects produced are correctly certified, as any user with access to a configured device can reproduce parts without assurance of correct build files or materials, leading to potential catastrophic failures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a distributed ledger system that enables the recording of manufacturing processes, authenticates inputs and outputs, and certifies objects by verifying the authorship of build files and the origin of manufacturing media, ensuring that only authorized and correctly sourced materials are used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If additive manufacturing devices allow any user to reproduce parts using available build files and materials, then manufacturing accessibility and ease of operation are improved, but product reliability and verification capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a distributed ledger system as an intermediary between the additive manufacturing process and verification stakeholders. This mediator records and verifies build file authenticity, material origin, and manufacturing parameters immutably, enabling reliable verification without restricting manufacturing accessibility. The distributed ledger acts as a trusted third party that all users can access to confirm part authenticity.
2Reliability
If a distributed ledger system is implemented to verify build files and material origin, then product reliability and certification capability are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The distributed ledger system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it stores build file hashes for authenticity verification, records material origin and batch information, logs manufacturing parameters, and provides an immutable audit trail. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate verification systems into a single universal platform, managing complexity through consolidation rather than proliferation of separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses cryptographic hashing to create digital copies of build files and material certificates that are stored on the distributed ledger. These cryptographic copies serve as verified references without requiring storage or transmission of the actual large build files, reducing system complexity while maintaining verification capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If verification and validation systems are integrated into additive manufacturing devices, then manufacturing precision and quality control are improved, but ease of operation and accessibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The additive manufacturing device automatically performs verification operations by hashing the build file, comparing it against the distributed ledger, and recording manufacturing parameters without requiring manual intervention. The system self-attests to its own process integrity, eliminating the need for users to manually verify materials or parameters while maintaining high quality control standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs verification actions before manufacturing begins by validating the build file hash against the distributed ledger and confirming material origin. This preliminary verification ensures quality control is established before the manufacturing process starts, preventing defects rather than detecting them afterward, while keeping the interface simple for users.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary additive manufacturing method includes receiving a build file comprising instructions for controlling the manufacturing hardware to generate an object, receiving a material identifier indicating a particular lot of manufacturing media, validating the build file and the material identifier via a distributed ledger to verify both an author of the build file and an origin of the particular lot of manufacturing media, causing manufacturing hardware to generate the object using the build file and the particular lot of manufacturing media, generating 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, and certifying the object in response to verifying the author of the build file and the origin of the particular lot of manufacturing media, and wherein the object manufactured transaction indicates that the object is certified.