Editor's Pick: Monitor 3D printer activity from your smartphone 

Industrial 3D printer manufacturer ExOne introduces Scout, a smartphone app that provides real-time monitoring of 3D print jobs. 

The Scout app is part of a feature-rich web-based program that can deliver push notifications to smart devices about job status, printhead speed, fluid levels, temperature, humidity and other actionable manufacturing data. 

The app uses Siemens MindSphere, an Internet of Things (IoT) operating system designed for industrial operations. ExOne describes MindSphere as having “multiple levels of security” to protect sensitive data. 

In this initial release, Scout supports two ExOne printers: 

• The S-Max Pro sand 3D printer (see video below), used for the production of sand molds and cores for metal casting parts 

• The X1 160 Pro metal 3D printer (see video below), which is currently in production and is slated to begin shipping to industrial customers by year-end.

Versions of Scout are available for the Google Android and Apple iOS mobile platforms. MindSphere OS is also used as the operating system of the two printers. 

“ExOne Scout is an important step forward as we work to deliver on our vision for smart and sustainable 3D printing technology at production volumes,” says John Hartner, ExOne CEO. “We plan to surround our high-speed binder jet 3D printers with a complete end-to-end digital workflow in the future. While our 3D printers remain the centerpiece, we’re looking to streamline the entire sequence of digital manufacturing around our systems with automation, software and remote monitoring and controls. ExOne Scout is a step toward delivering a complete digital manufacturing package.” 

ExOne says future Scout releases will enable layer monitoring and analysis by camera, as well as other artificial intelligence and analysis features. 

More information on the Scout app is available here. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.