PLM Group partner and 3D printer developer Markforged has released their Blacksmith software for Markforged X7 printers. The software is designed to improve print use and quality, making sure parts are accurate every time.
Blacksmith connects part design, production and inspection with the ability to learn through artificial intelligence (AI). As Blacksmith leverages federated learning across the printer fleet, manufacturers will be able to print the right part every time, bringing resiliency and agility to their supply chains.
Today with Blacksmith, manufacturers can print and scan their part simultaneously to assess how close the printed part is to the intended design. Blacksmith is designed to continuously learn from each print through closed loop processing – so that parts can be printed accurately and precisely every time.
For the first time, the printer is fully aware of the parts it produces. Today, Blacksmith uses in-process part inspection to give customers confidence in the part after every print. By streamlining this workflow, Blacksmith makes the world’s factories more cost-efficient, accelerates time to market and reduces the cost of production.
Blacksmith’s easy-to-use intelligent software harnesses the power of the X7’s existing integrated laser micrometer and a patented smart scanning process to securely measure parts as they are being printed. The part dimensional data is then automatically evaluated against the intended design files. Scanning while printing will enable inspection of the inner part structure and critical features that would otherwise be impossible in a single step after fabrication.
Blacksmith is available today as a software subscription on all cloud-connected Markforged X7 printers. Blacksmith is provisioned through over-the-air updates for easy customer access and requires an OEM-certified reference bed calibration.
