.STLX – A secure system to transmit confidential Additive Manufacturing design and production data in an encrypted manner, directly to Additive Manufacturing machines - enabling full remote control over the distributed manufacturing process.

汽车和航空零部件市场每年总价值7870亿美元，使其成为世界上最大的行业之一。传统上，这些零件是减材制造的，在存储之前在一个位置大量生产，然后在需要时运往全球。规模经济总是超过与这种模式相关的逻辑和库存成本。然而，随着增材制造（AM）技术的出现，使用分布式制造商网络制造更接近需求点和时间的物理产品在技术上和商业上都将很快变得可行-显著减少停机时间，物流成本和库存规模。到目前为止，工业界采用分布式AM受到了一些关于传输和共享有价值的AM设计的问题的阻碍，数据：-对保密性失去控制;-对制造过程失去控制，因此产品完整性也失去控制;以及-缺乏安全可靠的审计机制。法律的保护是昂贵的，无效的和容易规避的。因此，只有1%的所有零件是使用分布式AM制造的，尽管它的优势越来越大，成本降低。为了解决这个问题，在三个最大的AM机器制造商的支持下，我们将开发第一个系统，以安全，加密的方式将机密的AM设计和制造说明直接传输到AM机器，该项目是我们在STL文件加密和制造过程元数据直接到AM机器的通信方面完成的创新的、获得专利的POC工作的结果。通过消除分布式制造中的保密性、完整性和审计问题，我们希望消除分布式制造和AM采用的障碍，并实现明确的成本、效率和环境效益。

The market for automotive and aviation spare parts is collectively worth 787bn USD pa,making it one of the largest industries in the world. Traditionally, these parts aremanufactured subtractively, in very high volumes at a single location before being stored andthen shipped globally when required. The economies of scale have always outweighed thelogistic and inventory costs associated with this model. However, the advent of AdditiveManufacturing (AM) technology, it will soon be both technically and commercially feasibleto manufacture physical products closer to the point and time of demand using a network ofdistributed manufacturers – significantly reducing downtime, logistic costs and inventorysizes.So far the adoption of distributed AM by industry has been hampered by a number ofconcerns regarding the transmission and sharing of valuable AM designs and data:- loss of control over confidentiality;- loss of control over manufacturing process and therefore product integrity; and- lack of secure and reliable audit mechanisms.- legal protection is costly, ineffective & easy to circumvent.As a result only 1% of all parts are manufactured using distributed AM, despite its growingadvantages and reduced cost.To address this, with the support of the three largest AM machine manufacturers, we willdevelop the first system to transmit confidential AM designs and manufacturing instructionsDIRECTLY to AM machines in a secure, encrypted manner, enabling full remote control overthe distributed AM process.The project is the result of innovative, patented POC work we have completed on theencryption of STL files and the communication of manufacturing process metadata direct toAM machines. By removing the confidentiality, integrity and audit concerns regardingdistributed manufacturing, we hope to remove the barriers to it’s, and AM's, adoption withclear cost, efficiency and environmental benefits.