Markforged Debuts Blacksmith Artificial Intelligence (AI) Software for Metal 3D Printing

Markforged announces Blacksmith, the first artificial intelligence (AI) software to make metal 3D printers able to correct minute deviations in product output. The product was announced in latter May 2019 at the RAPID + TCT Additive Manufacturing Conference in Detroit, and will ship to first customers later this year. 

Markforged says Blacksmith “makes manufacturing machines ‘aware’ so they can automatically adjust programming to ensure every part is produced as designed.” The initial release of Blacksmith will work with selected Markforged metal 3D printers. The long-term goal is for Blacksmith to be compatible with all manufacturing machines, not just 3D printers.  

Starting with Markforged’s Metal X and X7 3D printers, Blacksmith will create a continuous feedback loop to make 3D printed parts more accurate. Markforged says the intelligent software “massively cuts waste and accelerates time to market” by analyzing a design, comparing it to the scanned part, and then automatically adapting the end-to-end process to ensure perfectly in-spec parts.

Markforged Blacksmith takes the results from a 3D scan and analyzes them for conformity to the original design. Image courtesy of Markforged.

“For the last hundred years, machines have been unaware of what they’re creating and would happily waste millions of dollars producing out-of-spec parts,” says Greg Mark, CEO of Markforged. “We’re going to fix that by connecting the machines that make parts, and the ones that inspect them, with a powerful AI. Much like the way Tesla is building autopilot for cars, we are building an autopilot for manufacturing.” 

Markforged says laser sintering is the target for Blacksmith’s initial release, because it is a process that “notoriously distorts parts” and because the new generation of production ready metal 3D printers from several vendors use this process. 

Blacksmith works by comparing a 3D scan of a printed part with the original CAD model. If there are differences, Blacksmith automatically adapts the dataflow so the next iteration is in-spec. The software uses machine learning to adapt as it is given new information, making the process of art-to-part more precise over time. Markforged calls this “adaptive manufacturing.”

Markforged Blacksmith in silicon: Blacksmith will ship as a dedicated co-processor. Image courtesy of Markforged.

Founded in 2013 and based in Watertown, MA, Markforged has over 270 employees globally, with $137 million in both strategic and venture capital. Markforged was recently recognized by Forbes in the Next Billion-Dollar Startups list, and listed as the 10th fastest growing tech company in the U.S. in the 2018 Deloitte Fast 500. 

To learn more about Markforged, click here. 

For more information about Blacksmith, click here. 

Watch a video from the RAPID + TCT conference showing Blacksmith in the Markforged booth. 

See why DE’s editors selected Markforged Blacksmith as their Pick of the Week. 

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