A trend in 3D printing / additive manufacturing is the inclusion of some type of digital connection based on the Internet of Things. Rize Inc., Boston, USA, for example, is announcing Digitally Augmented Parts, which enables augmenting functional 3D printed parts with digital information. With this new capability, users can now create a digital thread between the digital and physical part and accelerate Industry 4.0 technologies like blockchain and AR/VR applications.

A great challenge for the industry are parts that are non-compliant due to design changes, piracy, counterfeit and obsolescence. These adversely impact the user and customer experience and result in rework, recalls and loss of brand value.
With Rize’s patented Augmented Polymer Deposition (APD) hybrid process, which combines extrusion and material jetting, innovators will be able to 3D print industrial parts with embedded markers that create an immutable connection to the digital part and bridge the gap between the virtual and real world.

Using the voxel-level ink jetting capability of APD, engineers can 3D print secure information on an industrial part, in a QR code for example. A common smartphone app can scan the QR code on the part and instantly display the corresponding digital information online. For example, an engineer can store all of a part’s information digitally and maintain digital augmentation of the part throughout its lifecycle.

This new capability also enhances the usage of the new 3MF format for 3D printing which carries significant intelligence on the additive part that can now be carried from the digital world into the physical world.

“This is the first step towards embedding intelligent capabilities within the part and connecting them through a digital thread into the digital twin of the part,” said Andy Kalambi, President and CEO of Rize Inc. “Rize is leading the integration of additive manufacturing into the digital ecosystem which will redefine the user and customer experience and ultimately scale the technology to an entirely new segment of commercial and industrial users.”

Rize will demonstrate its capability to produce Digitally Augmented Parts this week at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) in booth P5 at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, MO.

Rize Inc.
www.rize3D.com