Part manufacturers have a lot options when it comes to service bureaus that can take your idea or CAD file and make a part from it. However, sorting through potentially thousands of vendors and finding the right match for your processes and materials is a non-trivial problem.

In the video above, we learn about how manufacturers interested in 3D printing can take advantage of optimized distributed manufacturing networks with Vishal Singh, co-founder and CTO of Link3D.

Link3D uses an online network to compile service bureaus and generate matches based on customer and vendor data.

“We have collected tons of data and built data-driven algorithms, applying AI on top of it. So, we could perform matching intelligently and in real time,” Singh explained.

Link3D analyzes RFQs using special algorithms that look for listed bureaus with the right capabilities.

“For example, when a new RFQ comes in, we can identify specifications based on our algorithms looking for similarities, like location and experience of those service bureaus based on past jobs, to truly achieve optimized distributed manufacturing.”

Singh continued, “We’ve structured our data in a hierarchical way. We can know if TI64 for example, has a similar chemical composition, tensile strength and other properties to what the customer needs. In the RFQ, engineers can specify what they need and on the back end we are able to zoom in and zoom out on how specific we want to go, depending on if it’s a series-production request or if it’s a one-part request. We also offer engineers the option to specify whether they’re looking for an exact match or if they’re okay with similar matches.”

To learn more about Link3D and optimized distributed manufacturing, visit their website.