Siemens is launching the Siemens Additive Manufacturing (AM) Network. This new network connects buyers and suppliers of 3D printed components and streamlines collaboration between these parties.
Additive manufacturing is not new and offers all kinds of opportunities for companies. For instance, they can realise prototypes of new designed using 3D printers faster, which helps to speed up development. It is also possible to produce products in small batches, which offers opportunities for personalisation, among other things.
3D printing outsourced to partners
However, many companies do not have their own 3D printer. They can turn to partners who 3D-print products for customers. The Siemens AM Network connects these parties. The platform digitises the order-to-delivery process by aligning technical and commercial processes for functional prototypes and serial production.
The network is aimed at companies, suppliers and partners looking to accelerate the embrace of additive manufacturing. The system connects buyers with a global network of suppliers. This network streamlines the order-to-delivery process, encourages collaboration and orchestrates workflow to increase production speed and reduce operational costs.
Deployed in practice
The first parties have already embraced the network, reports Siemens. One of these early adopters is Decathlon, which is the world's largest sports shop with 1,500 branches worldwide. Decathlon is deploying the AM Network to process orders for 3D printed products and drive the production process. The network thus supports Decathlon's strategy to scale up the use of 3D printing globally.
Siemens Gas and Power, a division of Siemens that focuses on oil, gas, power generation and energy distribution, is also using the AM Network. With the help of the network, the company can operate more flexibly and respond in real time to response requests.
Collaboration with HP
The AM Network also builds on an existing collaboration between Siemens and HP. The companies announced earlier this year to expand this collaboration with the introduction of a joint 3D printing solution aimed at the automotive industry and other industrial markets. As part of this collaboration, HP's 3D printing technology will be integrated into Siemens' AM Network. Partners involved in HP's Digital Manufacturing Network are also joining Siemens' network. The HP Digital Manufacturing Network is a global community of digital manufacturing service providers that deploy HP's Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet 3D printers to produce plastic and metal parts.
"Our mission is to accelerate the large-scale embrace of additive manufacturing in the industrial world to achieve true on-demand manufacturing. This means you can get the parts you need when you need them and customise them as you wish with the help of a global supplier network," Siemens writes on its website. "Our online order-to-delivery collaboration platform enables you to cocreate with an extensive network of partners, suppliers and customers who help you streamline and digitise your digital manufacturing processes."
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
