In the highly competitive additive manufacturing sector, companies that want to emerge as the new leaders of the quickly growing field need to have standout offerings that can be easily adopted by old-school manufacturers. Markforged, creator of The Digital Forge, an integrated metal and carbon fiber additive manufacturing platform, is rolling out a cloud-based software platform geared toward companies looking to scale up their additive manufacturing operations quickly. Eiger Fleet allows manufacturers to build a singular, centralized hub for all their Markforged 3D printers.
The solution has been designed for traditional manufacturers that have an interest in integrating additive manufacturing technology into their traditional operations. Scaling an organization’s additive manufacturing base allows companies to unlock the technology’s full potential. The goal of Eiger Fleet is to enable companies to achieve this at an enterprise level with full control and insight into manufacturing operations across the globe.
The key features and functions of Eiger Fleet include:
- Granting role-based access control to users according to their responsibilities and privileges to more efficiently control parts, builds, devices and printer operations
- Connecting, simplifying and automating workflows
- Managing the digital inventory of all parts with batch operations on an organizational level
- Tracking, analyzing and sharing key performance indicators of time and cost savings gained through additive manufacturing
The benefits of using Eiger Fleet boil down to easier management of staff responsibilities and duties, automating and simplifying 3D printing workflows, and helping to build better analytical models that track and monitor 3D printing performance over time. Eiger Fleet allows companies to unlock the full potential of Markforged’s devices and scale up their 3D printing operations quickly and with as little hassle as possible.
“Additive technology is transforming manufacturing around the world. Eiger Fleet fuels the expansion of additive manufacturing by giving our customers the right set of control and management tools that address the concerns of security, quality management, auditing or user error,” said David Benhaim, CTO and cofounder of Markforged, in a press release. “Our customers are able to grow their operations with the right level of control over quality and process. Eiger Fleet is setting the pace for what’s possible in the future of manufacturing, through cloud-enabled distributed manufacturing.”
Early users of Eiger Fleet like Vestas Wind Systems are already singing the software’s praises. The renewable energy leader has been using Eiger Fleet to more effectively manage its 3D printers for wind turbine parts and tools. Vestas has utilized Eiger Fleet to digitize its inventory system, accelerating part ordering and fabrication by linking directly to 3D printers around the globe. The company has cut down its lead time for critical tools from weeks to days, saving thousands of dollars in the process.
“Over the past several years, Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) has evolved at Vestas to connect our factories around the world to support agile production of parts and tools on demand,” said Jeremy Haight, principal engineer, industrial automation and additive manufacturing at Vestas. “We depend on the Markforged platform with Eiger Fleet and Blacksmith to provide the centralized control, enterprise resource planning (ERP), asset management, and other system integration and print analysis for industrial grade additive manufacturing that our global business needs.”
Markforged recently showcased its new software offering and The Digital Forge at the Rapid+ TCT event in Chicago. The product is available through a subscription-based model, which also includes 10 seats per year to Markforged University so that employees can stay up to date on the latest trends in additive manufacturing. With this latest release, Markforged continues to show its strength as a key player in the rise of 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Eiger Fleet will serve to accelerate the adoption of 3D printing and allow its users to seamlessly transition to new technology that will define the future of manufacturing.