Configuration Control for Additive Manufacturing Digital Twins

The additive manufacturing workflow is a ductile entity, often varying depending on the design, the product, the process, the material, and the application. Information models and schemas have been developed that can provide structure to data and information throughout the workflow. The result has been a well-characterized outline of an additive manufacturing digital thread. However, implementation-specific details are often missing from these characterizations, creating challenges in establishing part-specific workflows necessary for product configuration control and management. While software vendors are increasingly filling this gap, a software-agnostic workflow is yet to be defined. This paper investigates the additive manufacturing workflow and establishes the fundamentals of a standardized, configuration-control approach including formats and interoperability while addressing versioning, digital rights, and ownership.