The Secure Additive Manufacturing Platform (SAMPL) is a joint development of Prostep , consider it , NXP , the University of Ulm and the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems (ENAS) , and is now being tested in a 3D metal printer from 3D MicroPrint GmbH for the first time ever. The newly developed solution will enable direct, secure data exchange between customers and providers of additive manufacturing capacities. Within this context, the approach put forward by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) aims to counteract industrial spying and product forgeries.

Based on blockchain technology and the Prostep data exchange solution OpenDXM GlobalX , a smart contract is created consisting of encrypted data for the print object, for example the number of units to be produced. Redeeming a license registers it in the blockchain, transforming it into documentation for the authenticity of the printed objects and use of the customer’s original print data. But even this advanced approach cannot ensure total security: A current study of the Hasso-Plattner Institute (HPI) describes concrete scenarios regarding how hackers could compromise data secured via blockchain.