Why Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing Supply Chains Fail Without a Unified Digital Thread
- Authentise Team
- Feb 8
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Introduction - Additive Manufacturing Is Scaling, But Its Data Isn’t
Aerospace, defence, and medical organisations are increasingly turning to additive manufacturing (AM) for mission-critical components. The challenge isn’t whether AM can produce high-quality parts - it can. The real question is:
Can the supply chain prove every step that went into making that part?
Across large programs, the answer is too often: no.
Data is scattered across emails, machine logs, vendor portals, spreadsheets, shared drives, and siloed software tools. This fragmentation makes it impossible to reconstruct a reliable history of a part’s creation - a serious problem when regulators or customers demand traceability.
This is exactly where the digital thread becomes essential.
What the Digital Thread Actually Means in Additive Manufacturing
Most industries talk about the digital thread, but AM needs it.
A digital thread is a complete, connected, unbroken chain of data that follows the part from concept → production → testing → delivery.
It links together:
Design revisions
Build prep files
Material genealogy
Machine parameters and process data
Operator actions and notes
Post-processing steps
External test results
Certificates and reports
When this chain is complete, a manufacturer has provable, audit-ready traceability. When it’s broken, compliance becomes nearly impossible.
For foundational reading: Additive MES Explained & Smart, Traceable, Efficient
Why Large-Scale Supply Chains Break Without a Digital Thread
When AM is deployed at scale - multiple suppliers, multiple sites, multiple machines - the weaknesses in traditional processes become unrecoverable.
1. Data Lives in Too Many Places
Each site has its own tools, naming conventions, and file storage habits. Without a unifying system, design changes get lost and wrong versions slip into production.
2. Material Lot Traceability Breaks Down
In AM, material quality is product quality. But at scale, batch records become fragmented and difficult to audit.
3. External Labs Create Blind Spots
Tensile tests, CT scans, density checks, and NDT reports are essential - but most labs still send PDFs via email. That data rarely ties back cleanly to a part’s lifecycle record.
4. Machines Don’t Speak a Common Language
Metal and polymer AM systems from different OEMs generate different data formats, stored in different places.
5. Paper, Email, and Spreadsheets Don’t Scale
The larger the supply chain grows, the more manual processes collapse under their own weight.
These issues surfaced clearly in major industry programs like: DECSAM Programme & MABOND Case Study
What a Unified Digital Thread Fixes
A true digital thread resolves the weaknesses that make traceability so difficult.
End-to-End Design Control
Every design revision becomes traceable. You know who changed what, when, and why. The correct file is always the one being printed.
Build Prep & Parameter Traceability
Support strategies, slicing parameters, orientation choices - all linked to the final part.
Even minor changes can impact performance, so this connection is essential.
Material Genealogy
Track:
Virgin powder
Re-use cycles
Contamination risks
Blend ratios
Consumables
Withdrawals and replenishments
This solves one of AM’s biggest certification challenges.
Machine Data Collection
Connect:
Melt pool monitoring
Chamber temperature
Optical data
Log files
Power curves
This creates a process signature for each build.
Test Results & External Lab Data
Instead of siloed PDFs, data becomes part of the part’s lifecycle.
Why the Digital Thread Become a Certification Requirement
Whether it’s AS9100, ISO 13485, Nadcap, or DoD-level traceability, auditors increasingly ask:
“Show me every step that contributed to this part - including machine parameters and lab results.”
A complete digital thread answers this instantly. A fragmented one takes weeks - sometimes months - to reconstruct.
When the supply chain spans dozens of suppliers, the problem multiplies.
Digital Thread vs Digital Twin — What’s the Difference?
Digital Thread
The traceable history of the part.
Digital Twin
A virtual representation of the part or process.
You can’t have a trustworthy digital twin without a trustworthy digital thread - the data quality isn’t there.
How to Build a Digital Thread Across a Large AM Supply Chain
To make this practical, organisations should focus on four steps.
Step 1 - Centralise Design & Build Files
You must know:
where files live
who changed them
how they were used
A secure design control system is non-negotiable.
Step 2 - Automate Material Traceability
Manual logs break at scale. AM requires:
batch tracking
consumption recording
lifecycle visibility
expiry management
Step 3 - Connect Machines, Processes, and People
A digital thread must pull in data from:
printers
post-processing equipment
operators
inspectors
suppliers
labs
Step 4 - Capture Test Data in a Structured, Linked Format
A PDF in an inbox is not traceability. A structured record, linked to a part, is.
Conclusion - A Digital Thread Isn’t a Buzzword. It’s Infrastructure.
Without a unified digital thread, AM cannot scale reliably - especially not in aerospace, defence, or distributed production environments.
With one, organisations gain:
predictability
provability
compliance
efficiency
confidence
The digital thread turns additive manufacturing from a series of disconnected steps into a coherent, auditable, intelligent system capable of operating at scale.
Recommended Authentise Tools
Authentise Threads — traceability, documentation & external lab data capture
Authentise Flows — workflow automation & build routing
Digital Design Warehouse — secure design and version control
Materials Management — complete material genealogy
Ready to Build a Digital Thread for Your AM Supply Chain?
See how industry-leading organisations are doing it today. Book a demo.
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