Environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity can affect additive manufacturing, so process monitoring can help standardize production. Handddle and Markforged yesterday said they are integrating Handddle's “micro-factories” platform and other management tools with the Markforged Digital Forge software.
“Handddle is thrilled to collaborate with Markforged to extend API integrations for Handddle and Markforged users looking to achieve industrial efficiencies to address quality challenges in strategic markets,” said Dylan Taleb, co-founder and chief operating officer of Handddle.
“Thanks to this collaboration, manufacturers will be able to rely on an integrated solution to develop their knowledge and control of production processes with data to further empower their production capabilities and reach the highest results while using their Markforged printers,” he said.
Bordeaux, France-based Handddle said it has developed tools to address industrial production-scale challenges. They include standardized “micro-factories” and an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform using artificial intelligence.
The company said its cloud-based data analysis software provides insights enabling manufacturers to move to digital production. They can control, optimize, and secure additive manufacturing (AM) processes with data and AI, said Handddle.
Markforged Eiger connects to Handddle SMART FARM for micro-factory offering
“Micro-factories are key to producing quality products at scale with additive manufacturing,” claimed Handddle. Process monitoring records the entire manufacturing process and conditions of how a part is built, which can improve process certification for highly regulated industries, it added.
Developing digital continuity between smart environments and the printers inside them is the next step toward a “factory floor revolution” led by data-driven manufacturing strategies, Handddle asserted.
To address this gap, Markforged’s Eiger software and Handddle’s SMART FARM now connect to deliver a standardized system. It will enable users to produce complex parts in the same way, every time and in any type of environment on Markforged printers, said the companies.
The cloud-based Eiger software allows manufacturers to produce 3D-printed parts on demand, at the point of need, said Watertown, Mass.-based Markforged. It drives a connected fleet of more than 10,000 industrial 3D printers worldwide, providing automated workflows, real-time analytics, and over-the-air device updates.
All customers of Markforged's Eiger Fleet enterprise software have access to Eiger’s API. For example, Eiger Fleet customers can use the API to automatically print parts as they reach the end of their service lives or as part of a digital kanban inventory system.
“Markforged is known for its 3D printing reliability and repeatability, enabling production of industrial parts at scale,” said Julie van der Hoop, product manager at Markforged. “However, some industries or critical parts require clear reporting on constant production parameters, event history, and production data for certification before they can be put to end use.”
“This integration is intended to make it seamless to import, slice, print, and monitor, with all of your production data in one place,” she added.
Integration to improve AM production consistency
Handddle and Markforged said their integration is designed to provide ex-situ process monitoring and inspection to automatically adjust environmental parameters in real time. This will help achieve manufacturing efficiency and quality without disrupting production, they said.
The Handddle platform will guarantees that printers are operated within Markforged standards and that parts are produced under optimal and consistent conditions. This level of connectivity uses production data from Markforged’s Eiger software, while the Handddle App intelligently automates process monitoring and management.
As a result, factories can meet modern standardization, traceability, and certification requirements, said the companies.
“An integration that we were able to test at Gryp3D with ease of use and concrete results [not only] in production, but also in business,” explained Gauthier Laviron, CEO of Gryp3D, which reproduces vintage car parts. “Beyond saving time in managing daily external disruptions and improving our traceability, we have been able to show our strategic customers how we could control our production processes with an integrated solution.”
Handddle noted that the integration lets Markforged customers increase distributed manufacturing capabilities by duplicating identical production environments anywhere in the world.
Markforged and Handddle are each exhibiting at Formnext from Nov. 15 to 18 in Frankfurt, Germany. They will be available to talk about their partnership. Handddle will be at Booth C39, Hall 12.0, and Markforged will be at Booth D61, Hall 12.0.
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