At RAPID + TCT  in Detroit today, Markforged  introduced Blacksmith artificial intelligence-powered software that makes manufacturing machines “aware” so they can automatically adjust programming to ensure that every part is produced as designed.

Said Markforged CEO, Greg Mark, “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. We’re going to fix that by connecting the machines that make parts, and the ones that inspect them, with a powerful AI. It’s “autopilot for manufacturing,” explained Mark.

Blacksmith analyzes a design, compares it to a scanned part, and automatically adapts the end-to-end process to produce perfectly in-spec parts.

“We will enable the first generation of machines that know what they’re supposed to make, and can adjust themselves to produce the right part, every time,” said Mark.