Blockchain in 3D printing (Part 47)

Welcome to the 47th part of the 100-part series on Blockchain.

3D printing is a process of making physical three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process, an object is created by successively adding material layer by layer until the object is created. Thus, 3D printing is also called?“additive manufacturing.”?The magic behind 3D printing is that using special equipment, it is possible to join and solidify special materials, like liquid molecules or powder grains, to create a three-dimensional object, all under the control of computer software. Traditional manufacturing relies on subtracting or cutting out a piece of metal or plastic, called a?subtractive process. On the other hand, 3D printing uses an additive process, carefully layering materials on top of each other to build parts. This is the reason 3D printing is also called additive manufacturing. Also, 3D printing enables you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods. 3D printing can even enable people to manufacture objects easily from the comfort of their own homes. So, what can you do with a 3D printer? A lot, it turns out. Does your kid want a new toy? 3D print it! Your door handle has broken? 3D print a new one. Want to custom design a teacup? Go ahead with your 3D printer!

Steps involved in 3D printing

There are 3 main steps in 3D printing.

(i) The first step is the?preparation just before printing. Just like a document printer requires a digital document, a PDF or DOC file for printing, 3D printers require digital design files of 3D objects. This 3D file can be created using software or can simply be downloaded from an online marketplace. For example, let’s say you want to make a cover for your phone. So, you would first need to custom design or download a digital file with no copyright issue that encodes the design of the phone cover. 3D printing always begins with a digital 3D model, which is the blueprint of the physical object.

(ii) The second step is the?actual printing process. The 3D digital model is then sliced by the printer’s software into thin, 2-dimensional layers and then turned into a set of instructions in machine language for the printer to execute. For printing, you need to choose which material will be best to achieve the specific properties required for your object. The materials that can be used in 3D printing include plastics, ceramics, resins, metals, sand, textiles, biomaterials, glass, and food. Let’s come to our example of 3D printing a phone cover. Choose a material for the phone cover, preferably plastic, and load your 3D printer with enough material. A normal Inkjet printer creates a document by depositing ink on paper. A 3D printer creates a physical object by depositing many layers of materials on a print bed. When your 3D printer is loaded with materials, the computer will now send instructions to the 3D printer about how to deposit the material layer by layer to recreate a physical copy of the digital design, like your phone cover in this case.

(iii) The third step is the?finishing process. When the object is first printed, it can be a final product or an indirect product that requires a mold, assembly, heat, and finishing.

Applications of 3D printing

3D printing can be used in almost all industries you could think of. Some of the applications of 3D printing include:

(i) 3D printers can be used for rapid prototyping. A prototype is an early sample, model, or initial stage release of a product built to test a concept or process. From an idea to a 3D model to holding a prototype in your hands is a matter of days instead of weeks with the 3D printer.

(ii) Besides rapid prototyping, 3D printing can also be used for rapid manufacturing. Rapid manufacturing is a manufacturing method where businesses use 3D printers for short-run/small-batch custom manufacturing. Automotive companies can print spare parts, tools, and fixtures using 3D printers. Thus, 3D printing can enable on-demand manufacturing to meet individual requirements that would have otherwise been difficult to obtain or have long delivery periods. Also, the ability to print the desired part onsite or closer to operations — as opposed to coming via complex supply chains — saves time and money, reduces transportation costs, reduces labor costs, lowers carbon footprints, and brings agility into the supply chain. Additionally, the production of individual parts and small quantities is also economical.

(iii) 3D printing with concrete can be used in construction. It can be possible to print customized walls, doors, floors, and even complete houses.

(iv) Footwear, eyewear, and jewelry can be created using 3D printers.

(v) 3D printing technology has been used by biotech firms in tissue engineering applications where organs and body parts can be built. Layers of living cells are deposited onto a gel medium and slowly built up to form three-dimensional structures.

(vi) 3D printed prosthetics are a helpful application of 3D printing. Crowns, dentures, and braces can be created by 3D printing.

Challenges of 3D printing technology for manufacturing

3D-printing moves through several stages: from initial concept to generating 3D design and then to the actual 3D print. Then comes the post-print process. For additional manufacturing or 3D processes to scale at the industrial level, a series of complex, connected, and data-driven events need to occur. This series of data-driven events is commonly referred to as the?digital thread. In other words, a digital thread is a single, seamless strand of data that stretches from the initial design concept to the finished part, constituting the information about the design, modeling, production, use, and monitoring of an individual manufactured part.

The ability to dissect, understand, and apply the potentially massive amounts of data throughout the manufacturing process can allow users to enhance and scale their additive manufacturing production and manage the complexities of additive manufacturing. However, the Digital Thread of Additive manufacturing DTAM faces a few challenges like:

· Challenge to create and manage a “digital thread” across the supply chain without being exposed to malicious actors who might tamper with the data and even steal it like crucial 3D designs.

· How to integrate software, multiple printers, and multiple manufacturing locations which are physically disconnected?

· How could the integrity of the “digital thread” across a distributed model with multiple partners can be maintained that may be across diverse geographic locations?

· How could the “digital thread” effectively ensure that raw materials, equipment, processes, and finalized parts meet quality assurance?

· Since the “digital thread” will create significant amounts of data; thus, the challenge is how to record this huge amount of data and events during Automated manufacturing or AM process to better understand and utilize this data?

Blockchain- The Solution

Blockchain technology has the potential to solve the above challenges of the digital thread of additive manufacturing or AM.

Step1 of AM process involves design plus analysis.?The 3D image is created using computer-aided software or CAD, which is then analyzed. In this phase, data often switches between CAD systems to analysis tools. This step represents a point of vulnerability in which a 3D print can be corrupted or even stolen, putting the company’s intellectual property at risk. On the top of it, the finished state of the printed item can only be as good as the digital instructions the printer receives to manufacture it. As a result, the delivery and security of those digital files are paramount. Here Blockchain technology can play an important role in protecting the 3D files. It can be used to track the origination of each design file and its evolution. The technology can also be used to have a timestamp record of all the changes made to designs and can be distributed across all the concerned departments and multiple organizations. That means every entity involved in any stage of a 3D print is aware of what all the others are doing at any time in a safe and secure manner. Since a Blockchain is decentralized, meaning no single entity owns it, stealing or altering a 3D printed file from a Blockchain is not about tricking a single computer or printer- one has to hack every entity that is a part of Blockchain network, which is extremely difficult, almost impossible. Thus, Blockchain technology will help with cyber risks and Intellectual Property rights (IPR) protection as it is intended to provide an immutable and traceable record of changes.

Step 2 of AM process involves build plus monitor.?During this step, the designed 3D image is then sent to the 3D printer. The 3D printer then builds the product by putting down thin layers of material. This is the phase where the digital model created is transformed into a physical product; this is a critical phase as data created in the design phase is used to build a product, and the data used in creation is useful in certification. This phase faces challenges from the distributed nature of AM across the supply chain as product build happens across multiple locations requiring systems and infrastructure to track control, process feedback, and collect data. Additive manufacturing increases not only the importance of digital files but also the number of organizations receiving highly sensitive product data. In the traditional manufacturing model, the company that creates the design files would also handle manufacturing and then shipping the final product. But in the AM supply chain, however, this is no longer the case. In an AM ecosystem, multiple parties attempt to coordinate work together. Thus, 3D printing businesses tend to own a fleet of 3D printers, which can be located in different places. In this scenario, the 3D files can be compromised or hacked, and the design files could fall into unauthorized hands and/or be used to create counterfeit, maliciously modified, or uncertified parts. To make the 3D files resistant to hacking and to ensure that all the 3D printers receive the desired 3D design files, Blockchain can be used to create a distributed network of 3D printers worldwide. Blockchain will record all the transactions of the network of 3D printers and ensure that the printers are printing the desired 3D files. Any modification in the 3D files will be given a new hash and will be recorded in an immutable manner of the distributed ledger. By using Blockchain, manufacturers can monitor and even limit how many copies of a product are printed by the network of 3D printers. This ensures quality standards are met and prevents counterfeits from being made on authorized equipment. Additionally, the Blockchain ledger will track and store all events associated with the lifecycle of the part design so the provenance of each part can be verified and any errors detected in end products can be traced to their source.

Through Blockchain technology and smart contracts, it can also be possible for an individual or a company to issue licenses to specific users to print a certain number of their 3D images to expand their business. Let’s understand it through an example. Suppose company X authorizes company Y to print 100 copies of its IP-protected 3D image. The license will be stored on smart Contract and ensures that only the recipient, company Y, has permission to access the 3D files. Later, company Y’s printer verifies the license before starting to print. Additionally, the serial numbers of the separately printed components can be written into the Blockchain to prove the type and quantity having been printed in accordance with the license terms. That lessens or eliminates the possibility of company Y to print only that quantity which is mentioned on the contract rather than printing more copies and then selling them on the gray market.

Step 3 of AM process involves testing, validating, monitoring, delivering, and managing the final product.?Test and validate phase of Digital Thread Additive manufacturing involves inspection for both digital design and physical 3D printed product. The major challenge during the test and validation phase is to verify all the records of individual parts with the digital model responsible for its creation. Since Blockchain contains all the transaction records from design concept to physical product thus, it will be possible to understand and track flaws and tolerance measurements, and through Blockchain, it is also easy to validate necessary steps required from creating the design to physical product for the purpose of quality assurance and certifications. All the modifications of data to the original files will also be recorded on the Blockchain, and this whole information may be used for auditing decision trials for better decision-making in the future.

Finally, when a physical part is manufactured, it can be tagged with a unique identification number and then recorded in the Blockchain ledger. By scanning this unique identification number, it is possible to trace back information stored in the digital ledger. The information provides a link between the digital and physical thread that can be used to trace back to its manufacturer. Thus, it would be possible to know if the product is original, copied, or counterfeit. In the case of manufacturing components in the government and defense sector, the benefits of Blockchain go even beyond protecting against IP theft, as counterfeit parts could threaten safety and national security. In some cases, the original equipment manufacturers can enable suppliers to store designs for replacement parts that they have stopped manufacturing, and thus these suppliers can produce them on the spot with 3D printers. Here, in this case, Blockchain technology can validate that suppliers are using the correct design file and the replacement part is not counterfeit.

Scalability concerns

(i) Storing all the data about 3D files, analysis, licence, supply chain, etc., on Blockchain is very costly; thus, distributed file storage IPFS can provide low-cost off-chain storage to store this data. IPFS has been explained in detail in Part 21.

(ii) To make the Blockchain scalable for its use in 3D printing, layer 1 (discussed in ?Part 14) and layer 2 (discussed in Parts?15,?16,?17, and?18) scaling solutions will be required to be implemented.

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Happy learning!