The SDAM Alliance provided practical insights to understand the challenges when developing secure end-to-end AM supply chains. The main one is that the potential of AM will be influenced substantially by the fact that the people printing the parts are not necessary the people who own the IP rights to them. Some main findings and solutions:

Secure File Transfer
Data Security
‘Built-in’ Security
Data Traceability
Secure File Transfer
AM needs secure file transfer
It’s imperative that the AM Industry uses a secure file transfer solution, that can move its data securely and efficiently:
  • regardless of file size
  • file transfer volume
  • complexity
Data Security
Data security is needed to protect IP rights
Because of the potential threats that 3D printing and 3D scanning could present to IP rights such as:
  • patents
  • copyrights
  • design rights
  • trademarks
‘Built-in’ Security
Security must be ‘built-in’ not ‘plugged-in’
Printers should be directly connected in a network:
  • without any need of human interference
  • not centred on an industrial PC presenting potential points of vulnerability such as Bluetooth, WiFi and USB ports 
Data Traceability
Secure data traceability is key
We need to show true digital process compliance: 
  • what use is a printer build log-file as a compliance document if it can be edited after the fact?
  • data traceability needs to be built into a digitally compliant AM solution for it to be truly robust and infallible 

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2022 Report & Guidelines