How to Ensure Full Traceability of 3D Assets in Aerospace and Medical Manufacturing
- Authentise Team
- Jan 28
- 4 min read
Why 3D Asset Traceability Matters in Aerospace and Medical Manufacturing
In aerospace and medical manufacturing, 3D assets are not just design files. They are controlled production inputs that directly affect safety, performance, and regulatory compliance.
A single CAD model may be:
revised multiple times
reused across programs
printed on different machines
manufactured years apart
If you cannot prove which version was used, how it was produced, and what happened afterward, you are exposed to audit failures, requalification costs, and in the worst cases, recalls or grounded parts.
Regulators such as the FAA and the FDA do not just ask whether a part meets requirements - they ask you to prove how you know.
That proof starts with traceable 3D assets.
What “Full Traceability” of 3D Assets Actually Means
Traceability is often misunderstood.
It is not:
simply storing CAD files in a shared drive
basic version control in a PLM system
restricting file access permissions
Full traceability means you can demonstrate a continuous, auditable link between:
a digital 3D asset and every physical part it produces, across time.
That includes proving:
which design version was approved
who approved it and when
which materials were used
which machines and parameters were applied
which post-processing and inspections occurred
what the final disposition of the part was
If any of those links are missing, traceability is incomplete.
Where 3D Asset Traceability Commonly Breaks Down
Even organisations with strong quality systems often lose traceability at predictable points.
Common failure modes include:
File duplication outside controlled systems
Designs copied to desktops, email attachments, or machine-specific folders quickly lose governance.
Disconnected execution systems
Design data lives in PLM, while production data lives elsewhere - with no enforced linkage.
Manual post-processing and inspection
Critical steps happen “off system,” leaving gaps in the digital record.
Long lifecycle reuse
A file approved years ago is reused without clear evidence that it is still valid under current standards.
Each break may seem small, but auditors view them cumulatively - and harshly.
What Must Be Tracked to Ensure Full Traceability
To ensure full traceability of 3D assets in regulated environments, manufacturers need visibility across the entire lifecycle, not just design control.
Key elements include:
Design versions and revision history
Approval records and change rationale
Production intent (build preparation, orientation, supports)
Material batches and reuse history
Machine identity and configuration
Process parameters and deviations
Operators and timestamps
Post-processing steps
Inspection and test results
Final disposition (accepted, rejected, reworked)
Traceability only works when these elements are linked, not stored in isolation.
How Digital Workflows Enable Traceability at Scale
Manual documentation can work for prototypes. It does not scale to production - especially in aerospace and medical manufacturing.
This is where digital manufacturing workflows become essential.
Connected workflows:
enforce required steps automatically
prevent unauthorised file use
link design assets directly to execution
generate audit-ready records as work happens
Instead of reconstructing history after the fact, traceability is created by default.
Platforms from companies such as Authentise are designed around this principle - treating 3D assets as living production entities, not static files.
The result is a persistent digital thread that follows each asset from approval to final part.
Aerospace vs Medical: Different Rules, Same Traceability Problem
Aerospace and medical manufacturing operate under different regulatory frameworks, but the traceability challenge is fundamentally the same.
Aerospace
Long service lifetimes
Multi-year audit windows
Emphasis on configuration control and repeatability
Medical
Patient safety and biocompatibility
Tight coupling between design intent and clinical performance
Rapid iteration under strict change control
In both cases, regulators expect:
provable lineage
controlled execution
confidence that nothing critical happened “off the books”
The systems and workflows required to meet those expectations are remarkably similar.
Why Supply Chain Tracking Is Central to 3D Asset Traceability
Traceability does not stop at your facility’s door.
Materials, machines, and even designs may originate from external partners. Long-term traceability requires supply chain–aware tracking, where internal workflows align with external inputs.
This is why full 3D asset traceability naturally connects to supply chain tracking for long-term, large-scale manufacturing - especially in aerospace programs that span decades.
If you cannot trace how a digital asset moved through your extended manufacturing ecosystem, you cannot fully defend it during an audit.
Final Takeaway: Traceability Is a System Problem
If you are asking how to ensure full traceability of 3D assets in aerospace or medical manufacturing, you are already asking the right question.
The answer is not a single tool or checklist. It is a system-level approach that connects design, execution, materials, and quality into one continuous digital record.
When traceability is embedded into workflows rather than bolted on afterward, compliance becomes sustainable - and audits become far less painful.
Book a demo to see Authentise Flows in action & discuss traceability
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