3D printer manufacturerSLM Solutionshas partnered with OTT and TV platform specialistViaccess-OrcaandShipParts.com, a provider of digital services to maritime supply chains, to enable secure direct cloud-to-print additive manufacturing.
The new technology offering from the trio is designed to enhance the usage of parts data from ShipParts.com’s cloud by leveraging Viaccess-Orca’s Secure Manufacturing Platform (SMP). The fully automated software enables secure 3D printing on SLM’s selective laser melting (SLM) machines by encrypting files to prevent tampering, while also securing manufacturers’ Intellectual Property (IP) to provide greater production control in distributed manufacturing environments.
“As a pioneer in the field of digital assets distribution and traceability for Industry 4.0, with over 20 years of experience in designing, developing, and operating digital content security systems, Viaccess-Orca is pleased to once again set the standard for secure additive manufacturing together with its partners ShipParts.com and SLM Solutions,” said Alain Nochimowski, Chief Technology Officer at Viaccess-Orca.
“The native integration of our Secure Manufacturing Platform with SLM Solutions machines brings to the market a new value proposition and paves the way to truly distributed manufacturing.”
The importance of secure 3D printing
3D printing’s increasing industrialization has seen 3D printers and distributed manufacturing facilities become more and more IoT-connected. Although there are many benefits to this, such as convenience, it has also given rise to the threat of cybersecurity breaches.
Themain cybersecurity risks in 3D printingcenter around IP theft and process sabotage, with cloud-based file-sharing systems subject to hacking and 3D printed parts able to be reverse-engineered with 3D scanning technology. To demonstrate how catastrophic process sabotage could be, a group of researchers previouslyhacked into a 3D printer used to fabricate drone componentsand made undetectable modifications to the drone’s propellers which, although compromising the integrity of the part, still made it past quality assurance.
这些问题尤其de相关fense sector, with the USDepartment of Defense’s(DoD) firstofficial additive manufacturing policyraising cybersecurity concerns from a DoD watchdog that said the agency’s printers could bevulnerable to sabotage by hostile attackers. Industrial 3D printer manufacturerStratasyshas since developed anew data security platform, ProtectAM,其目的是提高网络安全啊f 3D printing specifically for US government and mission-critical defense applications.
Blockchain is another technologyreceiving attention in the defense spherefor its ability tosecure the digital threadof 3D printing processes, delivered by the likes ofSIMBA Chain. The US’largest 3D printer network using a blockchain technology platformis currently being created as part ofAutomation Alley’sdistributed manufacturing-focusedProject DIAMOnD.
One firm that believes its technology can surpass blockchain’s capabilities is remote 3D printing secured transmission serviceDEFEND3D, which last year introduced anew patented technology to protect against cybercrime and IP theftduring remote 3D printing. The technology is based on a One-Click-Protocol and enables a secure digital resupply of production parts to remote locations without the need for file transfer.
A new secure cloud-to-print offering
Viaccess-Orca, SLM Solutions, and ShipParts.com are aiming to provide an answer to security concerns and bolster the robustness of digital manufacturing through their new protection and traceability software.
Leveraging parts data from the ShipParts.com cloud, the software integrates Viaccess-Orca’s SMP software libraries with SLM Solutions’ machine firmware in order to allow direct cloud-to-print additive manufacturing.
The fully-automated software enables part files from the cloud to remain encrypted and unable to be printed until permission is granted, in order to provide greater production control within distributed manufacturing environments and prevent tampering. The software also secures manufacturers’ IP related to part data by controlling quantity, duration, and parameters for the allowed print.
“The Viaccess-Orca integration with SLM Solutions machines offers our customers a secure end-to-end solution that allows distributed manufacturing models around the globe,” said Nicolas Lemaire, Software Product Manager at SLM Solutions. “This integration is made possible thanks to our open architecture strategy that empowers our customers to benefit from our industry-leading additive manufacturing systems.”
Serving clients from 110 countries, ShipParts.com has more than 90,000 active users on its trading platform dedicated to maritime supply chains. With the IP security benefits offered by the software, the firm believes marine equipment manufacturers will be more inclined to adopt 3D printing within their operations.
“Listening to our customer base, we understood the key to widespread adoption of additive manufacturing technologies by marine equipment manufacturers has always been the security of IP,” said Roy Yap, Chief Growth Officer at ShipParts.com.
“With this solution, we can assure our customer base without a doubt that their IP can be securely licensed per print, disrupting aftersales models. We are very excited to commercialize the solution.”
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Featured image showsSLM Solutions, Viaccess-Orca and ShipParts.com have developed a new software to enable secure cloud-to-print. Photo via Viaccess-Orca.
