Partnership to Offer Software Suite for Production-Scale Additive Manufacturing
Oqton, a software provider helping manufacturers increase innovation and efficiency by intelligently automating production and Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, have announced that they will form a technical and commercial software development agreement. The agreement will bring together the two companies’ engineering expertise and knowledge of manufacturing to develop an industrial digital ecosystem that will transform how manufacturers bring their products to market in highly regulated industries such as energy, aerospace, and healthcare. The solution is intended to accelerate the design and production of additively manufactured parts across the entire manufacturing workflow to increase efficiency and facilitate regulatory compliance.
Oqton, a wholly-owned, independently operated subsidiary of 3D Systems, is recognized as a leader in helping companies unify engineering and production with its intelligent Manufacturing OS (MOS). This technology-neutral, hardware-agnostic software platform connects manufacturers’ applications and machines across multiple sites enabling companies to track every action with a digital thread for complete traceability and visibility from order to delivery.
As part of the development partnership, Baker Hughes is integrating Oqton’s Manufacturing OS into its workflow, including its own proprietary additive manufacturing solutions developed for vertical applications over the last decade. Combining Oqton’s autonomous approach to manufacturing and Baker Hughes’ expertise in the development and introduction of production processes into highly regulated industrial environments will enable the companies to create an enhanced additive manufacturing platform for the energy industry. This is intended to serve as the foundation for the companies to develop additional applications and plug-ins that will become part of the Oqton Manufacturing OS and open new markets in additional regulated industries with demanding end-use applications such as aerospace and healthcare.
“We believe that manufacturing is going through its most significant phase of disruption since the first industrial revolution,” said Dr. Ben Schrauwen, SVP and general manager, Oqton. “Our mission is to accelerate making autonomous manufacturing accessible to companies of all sizes, enabling the continuous flexibility and adaptability of manufacturing processes. Through this collaboration, we see the potential to make a significant leap forward in enhancing our Manufacturing OS by leveraging the expertise of Baker Hughes’ engineering team to accelerate the manufacturing workflow and facilitate regulatory compliance.”
“As an energy technology company, Baker Hughes is fully committed to the development of the most advanced technologies looking for more efficient, more reliable, and cleaner energy solutions,” said Jim Sessions, vice president for completions and well interventions at Baker Hughes. “Digital transformation is the center of gravity in the advanced manufacturing process. We believe that to achieve an efficient and reliable process we need to enable automation and autonomous controls in our end-to-end manufacturing workflows. We are transforming how the industry works today and in the future.”
“As an energy technology company, Baker Hughes believes in the power of digital enablement to improve operations and support a more sustainable energy industry,” said Jim Apostolides, senior vice president of enterprise operational excellence at Baker Hughes. “Our agreement with Oqton will support the industrialization of our additive manufacturing and help drive more intelligent operations for the energy and industrial segments.”
For more information: www.oqton.com
