Markforged launches Digital Forge platform to connect 3D printing systems

Markforged has announced the launch of cloud-based, artificial intelligence-powered software that brings together all Markforged 3D printing systems.

The Digital Forge is the second application of Markforged's AI technology following the release of its Blacksmith software last year and is designed to help enable the production of industrial parts more cost-effectively, quickly, and with better properties. It delivers these benefits while becoming "smarter" with each part printed.

Markforged has unveiled the Digital Forge platform to support its approximately 12,000 customers, including companies such as Siemens Energy, Porsche, and Microsoft, which the Boston-based company claims represents the largest contiguous fleet of industrial 3D printers in the world. These users all contribute to the Digital Forge platform's ability to continually learn, allowing the software to leverage aspects of their data to improve prints and "print correctly out of the box." Across both Markforged's carbon fiber and metal 3D printing offerings, parts are produced with greater accuracy than with mechanical hardware alone, while the cloud-based nature of the software means access to regular updates and advancements.

According to Markforged, the Digital Forge is already being used by the top 10 aerospace companies, 12 of the top 14 automotive companies, and five of the six branches of the U.S. military. With the platform, Markforged expects them to solve many of the deep supply chain problems highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic by "manufacturing the parts they need, exactly when they need them."

"We started Markforged with a cloud-first, software-first approach designed for the modern world, and now we're applying that approach to achieve things people thought were decades away from reaching the market," commented Greg Mark, Chairman of Markforged. "Through the Digital Forge, manufacturers can leverage our powerful software to easily produce strong, precise, and durable metal and composite parts for significantly less than they were traditionally produced—on-demand and right at the point of need."

"Siemens Energy is proud not only to deliver the world's most advanced technology to the energy market, but also to leverage the best technologies to do so," said Pontus Johansson of Siemens Energy. "With the Markforged Digital Forge, there is an incredible opportunity to produce exceptional parts and put them into production. Our collaboration with Markforged enables us to continuously improve the value chain. Additive manufacturing is an area in which we are and intend to remain absolute leaders."

Text translated from English, original text can be found here.