Blockchain Papers

Aziza Syzdykova

Мақсаты: алмастырылмайтын токендердің (Non-Fungible Token- NFT) қаржылық болашағын түсіну және талдау. Әдісі: Зерттеуде алмастырылмайтын токендердің нарығы мен негізгі ерекшеліктері қарастырылды. Осы тақырып бойынша жинақталған кейбір деректер талданып, әлемдегі NFT нарығының дамуы мен ағымдағы жағдайы бағаланды. Зерттеудің теориялық және әдіснамалық негізі шетелдік ғалымдардың еңбектері мен Statista және DOIT Software ұйымдарының статистикалық есептері болып табылады. Мақалада талдау, индукция және дедукция, салыстырмалы талдау әдістері қолданылды. Қорытынды: NFT-лер әдетте сандық өнер туындыларына немесе ойын материалдарына меншік құқығын анықтау үшін пайдаланылғанымен, цифрлық әлемде пайдаланушылар жасаған мазмұнның барлық түрлеріне меншік құқығын анықтау және коммерцияландыру мәселесі жаңа өріс ретінде пайда болады. Бұл иелік шектеулі немесе бірегей өнер туындыларына қатысты болуы мүмкін және ақылды келісімшарттар туралы келісімшарттың тарапы ретінде көрінеді. NFT-лер 2021 жылы нарық үлесінің артуымен цифрлық экономикада өз орнын алды. Әсіресе өнер туындылары мен заманауи өнерде айтарлықтай серпіліс болған NFT сатылымдары 2022 жылы біршама төмендеді, алайда болашақта қайтадан артады деп болжануда. Тұжырымдама: NFT дәстүрлі активтер сыныптарын цифрландыру арқылы активтерді токенизациялау саласындағы серпінді технология ретінде ерекшеленеді. NFT өнер туындыларынан сандық коллекциялық заттарға дейінгі активтердің кең ауқымында бірегейлікті қамтамасыз ету арқылы инвесторларға әртараптандыру мен өтімділікті ұсынады. Сондай-ақ, қаржылық инновацияның бөлігі ретінде NFT ақылды келісімшарттарды пайдалану арқылы транзакция жылдамдығы мен қауіпсіздігін арттырады, осылайша қаржылық қызметтерді тиімдірек көрсетуге мүмкіндік береді.

Ozan Bebek, Kaan CANDURAN

This research paper thoroughly addresses the processes of digitizing ceramic art and offering it as Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) for sale. It examines the effects of transitioning from traditional ceramic molding methods to modern 3D printing and Stereolithography (SLA) technologies on the digital transfer of ceramic works. A case study on the use of porcelain highlights thanks to white color the impact of material choice on aesthetics and functionality. The rise of digitalization and NFTs introduces new mechanisms for preserving the originality and ownership rights of works, while also discussing the technical challenges and ethical issues this process entails. The article evaluates the place and future of ceramic art in the digital age from both technical and cultural perspectives. Our research posits that the digitization of ceramic works opens new avenues for the preservation, dissemination, and commerce of art, and that this process could have profound effects on the future of ceramic art. This process attempts to determine how ceramic works gain presence in the digital realm and their position in the NFT market. However, this study is one of the first to cover the entire process of ceramic art digitization and to address stage with academic rigor. The process from the creation of the work to its digitization, NFT registration, and sale, is detailed in this study. Our work demonstrates that the process of digitizing ceramic art and offering it as NFTs can have significant impacts on the future of art. It sheds light on the future of ceramic art by presenting both the opportunities brought by digitalization and the challenges encountered, as well as potential solutions. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance and potential of ceramic art in the digital age and aims to fill the gaps in this field.

Ruiqiang Li, Brian Yecies, Qin Wang, Shiping Chen · 5 authors

The Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) has the transformative impact on the visual arts industry by examining the nexus between empowering art practices and leveraging blockchain technology. First, we establish the context for this study by introducing some basic but critical technological aspects and affordances of the blockchain domain. Second, we revisit the creative practices involved in producing traditional artwork, covering various types, production processes, trading, and monetization methods. Third, we introduce and define the key fundamentals of the blockchain ecosystem, including its structure, consensus algorithms, smart contracts, and digital wallets. Fourth, we narrow the focus to NFTs, detailing their history, mechanics, lifecycle, and standards, as well as their application in the art world. In particular, we outline the key processes for minting and trading NFTs in various marketplaces and discuss the relevant market dynamics and pricing. We also consider major security concerns, such as wash trading, to underscore some of the central cybersecurity issues facing this domain. Finally, we conclude by considering future research directions, emphasizing improvements in user experience, security, and privacy. Through this innovative research overview, which includes input from creative industry and cybersecurity sdomain expertise, we offer some new insights into how NFTs can empower visual artists and reshape the wider copyright industries.

Authors unavailable

The study explores an Ethereum blockchain-based data-sharing system for a computer assembly simulation game, emphasizing the relationship between gas limits and transaction speeds.The research integrates smart contracts for secure data storage of scores and player profiles.A significant challenge identified was the complexity of blockchain's variable transaction speeds for the average user.The research investigated how different gas limits affected transaction times, with experiments conducted across three networks.Results show that a gas limit of 200,000 to 300,000 resulted in transaction speeds of approximately 30 seconds.Increasing the gas limit to 400,000 to 500,000 reduced transaction times to 15-30 seconds, while a limit of 600,000 to 700,000 led to speeds below 15 seconds.These findings suggest a direct correlation between higher gas limits and quicker transaction validations.The research concludes that investing in higher gas can significantly reduce transaction times, presenting a trade-off between cost and speed in blockchain data-sharing for educational simulation media.

Jia Wang, Arianna Alpini

No abstract is available for this record.

Denisa Kera, Eric Eichstetter, Joshua Ellul

Through two experiments with volumetric and one experiment with edible Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) conducted between 2021 and 2022, we will discuss the limits of “assetization” and engagement with speculative future and value. Assetization is a process of claiming or generating “future” value that creates various (not only economic) expectations and incentives. To capture the novel aesthetic expectations and experiences beyond assetization, we will focus on the edge cases, such as edible NFTs and also NFTs related to large volumetric (mesh) data. How can fringe NFTs mitigate some of the negative effects of commodification and market speculation? Our use cases show that a major barrier for assetization and tokenization of alternative and novel values, impacts, and goals are the closed data and software silos, but also the user-unfriendly interfaces for interacting with the blockchain infrastructure. Instead of creating new markets and media ecosystems that generate new sources of income for the creators, NFTS still transform cultural artifacts into speculative investments with detrimental effects.

Erik Westphal, Benjamin Leiding, Hermann Seitz

Quality management (QM) of additive manufacturing (AM) processes is currently immature in terms of transparency, traceability and security. In particular, quality-relevant documents are not documented and communicated in a traceable and transparent manner, which often leads to quality deficiencies. However, combining AM with blockchain technology can enable a solution that maps the AM value chain digitally, transparently, traceably and securely in a part record. In this work, a quality assurance (QA) concept for the metal-based material extrusion (MEX) process is developed that enables a digital representation of the value chain in the form of an AM part record. The decentralized solution presented in this work uses an architecture consisting of a web application for data acquisition, a decentralized storage solution for storing larger amounts of data, a smart contract for capturing manufacturing events and the Ethereum blockchain for transparent, secure and traceable storage of blockchain data. The AM part record enables traceable and constantly available digital documentation of quality information. The cost-effectiveness of the solution is also shown in a demonstration study. The research results highlight the benefits of a blockchain-based AM part record for digital manufacturing documentation and represent an efficient alternative or extension to existing QM and QA solutions in AM.

Francesco Lupi, Mario G. C. A. Cimino, Tomaž Berlec, Federico A. Galatolo · 8 authors

Today, globalized markets require more resilient and agile manufacturing systems, as well as customized and virtualized features. Classical self-standing manufacturing systems are evolving into collaborative networks such as Cloud Manufacturing (based on centralized knowledge and distributed resources) or Shared Manufacturing (based on fully decentralized knowledge and distributed resources) as a solution to ensure business continuity under normal as well as special circumstances. Additive Manufacturing (AM), one of the enablers of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), is a promising technology for innovative production models due to its inherent distributed capabilities, digital nature, and product customization ability. To increase the adaptivity of distributed resources using AM technology, this paper proposes a mechanism for sharing workload and resources under unexpected behaviours in the supply chain. Smart contracts and blockchain technology in this concept are used to provide decentralized, transparent, and trusted operation of such systems, which provide more resilience to disruptive factors. In this paper, the proposed Blockchain-based Shared Additive Manufacturing (BBSAM) protocol, ontology, and workflow for AM capacity pooling are discussed and analysed under special conditions such as anomalous demand. Discrete-time Python simulation on a real Italian AM market dataset, also provided, is available on GitHub.

Kwaku Adu-Amankwa, Angela Daly

Kwaku Adu-Amankwa is a PhD candidate at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom, based within the department of Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management, and affiliated with the Centre for Internet Law & Policy. He researches complex security relationships associated with IP of additive manufacturing (3D printing) applications within digitally enabled/transformed supply chains. Angela Daly is a Professor of Law at the University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom, jointly appointed by the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science and Dundee Law School. She conducts research across IP, data protection, competition and sector-specific regulation and human rights law. Digital supply chains (DSCs) provide several advantages over traditional physical supply chains, yet they also pose new risks, including for IP, especially when associated with three-dimensional ‘3D’ printing (3DP), also known as additive manufacturing (AM). Technological protection measure (TPM) usage in DSCs may help address the IP security issues of 3DP or AM but may result in overprotection and disregard for IP exceptions, which may also have a negative impact on innovation and other goals such as sustainability. This article considers how the IP security of 3DP/AM is addressed in DSCs, including by applying TPMs. We discuss whether the current approaches strike the right balance between the competing interests of different DSC actors. We also present some novel findings from a survey conducted with expert stakeholders to better understand IP security issues in practice. Our findings show that most respondents see IP and IP security efforts as both barriers and enablers to using 3DP/AM within DSCs. Also, the strategy chosen by most respondents for securing IP focuses on a technical approach, using inter alia TPMs. We infer that this dual perspective on IP and IP security may reflect the respondents’ differing relationship with IP in DSCs, where one may wish to create, use and secure their own IP but also encounter barriers through the inaccessibility of the IP of third parties. In the Internet age, the relationship between IP and digital technologies has become the subject of intense debate, giving rise to legislative reforms, a vast body of case law and commercial and technical adaptations extensively documented in academic literature.1 While most of the attention has focused on copyright, the interaction of digital technologies with other IP rights, such as trade marks and patents (eg for keyword advertising and software and hardware patents), has also attracted scrutiny.2 Furthermore, questions over the ownership of data and trade secrets, data and algorithms also have IP-relevant aspects.3 As digital technologies, usually Internet enabled, have evolved, the debate has moved to new areas, including Internet-of-Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and smart manufacturing, especially three-dimensional ‘3D’ printing (3DP) or additive manufacturing (AM). In many cases, these technologies give rise to interconnected issues, as they are deployed simultaneously, so that, eg a 3DP machine is part of the IoT.4 These new technologies are also vehicles for IP creation and dissemination and, in some cases, IP overreach and present issues for securing and utilizing IP, increasing the complexity of the debate. Digitalization facilitates decentralized manufacturing through a variety of technologies including 3DP, which relies on digital design files provided through digital communications means, such as the public Internet (especially for hobbyists using sites such as Thingiverse).5 Larger industrial production using digital manufacturing may mobilize securer, private networks to send and receive files and other necessary information or data to produce objects.6 In these ways, traditional supply chains, which previously typically involved centralized production in a large factory (often in China) and the distribution of products by sea, air and train, are transitioning to a different model, involving more decentralized and diffuse production, geographically closer to the end user.7 The more traditional supply chain model experienced various IP security issues, such as copycat production, including in factories that may have produced legitimate versions of products by day and counterfeit versions by night.8 However, digital supply chains (DSCs) may present more opportunities for IP infringement and, thus, reduce security for IP owners. DSCs integrating 3DP offer advantages over conventional supply chains and centralized manufacturing in terms of increased sustainability, convenience and less wastage.9 We have seen the tangible value of decentralized smart production and DSCs during the early part of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which significantly disrupted traditional supply chains, especially for high-demand medical and health products, including personal protective equipment such as facemasks and testing kits.10 However, DSCs and smart manufacturing raise new concerns about IP security, as IP travelling along DSCs may be vulnerable to being hacked or misappropriated through the supply chain.11 Also, digital files in the supply chain may also contain material that would infringe the IP of others. Commentators have been raising concerns about IP security in digital manufacturing, especially 3DP, as part of broader concerns about new manufacturing technologies, such as 3DP’s disruptive effect on the theoretical underpinnings and effective enforcement of IP.12 Again, the issue of IP security and countervailing interests, including access to knowledge and medical treatment, emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, where a particularly prominent case involved two engineers in Italy making replacement parts for a patented ventilator machine used to treat COVID patients threatened with litigation for allegedly infringing the patent.13 While in the end the case never reached a court, and the engineers may have been able to avail themselves of an exception to infringement, such threats may have a chilling effect on the use of distributed smart manufacturing.14 In this article, we focus on the issue of IP security in DSCs for smart manufacturing using 3DP or AM to consider (i) the extent to which IP is disrupted or weakened in DSCs and (ii) how IP is secured in these chains to mitigate such concerns. We summarize the relationship between 3DP and the law, focusing on IP, before considering how technical IP security measures have been mobilized in predecessor digital technologies. Here, we will focus on the debate around technological protection measures (TPMs) and digital rights management (DRM) as technical means of enforcing IP security. We consider how TPMs have been deployed in Internet-enabled content supply chains during the 1990s and 2000s, as well as the controversial legislative updates that accommodated DRM in that era, including the extent to which the right balance was struck between competing rights and We more in IP security in DSCs before research on this we offer AM as The of to parts from three-dimensional model usually as to manufacturing and manufacturing As by 3DP or AM physical and digital or products used to produce a from a digital model the industrial in the manufacturing has the manufacturing approaches distributed or different supply chain are involved in making a In digital manufacturing, supply chain are to and digital data may contain or as well as physical both These from more traditional manufacturing the industrial as the 3DP a three-dimensional from a digital design and which are in a to the using a large of material from which the is AM various advantages over traditional including and the to produce or that would be to traditional AM is known as 3DP as including in the body of on the so we this to the and manufacturing 3DP in various and at different with the printing in for that other such as and or of However, hardware and design such as along with 3DP the of 3DP to manufacturing In with a access to and an to produce that previously be on a usually This a of and However, as may be by the of 3DP has been as as may be other barriers to including the that some technical knowledge would the or of and for the and the of 3DP to and in many of law with 3DP and or and IP are these of law. The has been the to the creation of using 3DP with the a prominent and controversial involving the distribution of design files that be used with a 3DP machine to a right to these files in the of the right to and the right to has been the subject of debate and litigation in the and some in for most other in the which have more the IP has also in over 3DP, to has been litigation in this However, various have involving design files on such as and the of and to this content for IP of this is the of litigation the 3DP replacement parts during the COVID-19 pandemic, as IP issues in 3DP concerns with the of the the of files IP (especially the use of sites and the of new such as the Digital in the and the with their and and or However, 3DP from the digital content and Internet 3DP a more physical and This concerns about and 3DP, such as or products, and in and protection an IP this means that is the focus of IP law by digital concerns are by issues involving trade marks and other IP rights, a the (eg is to the Digital in the for have been on how 3DP and DSCs pose to IP and how to address these from the that IP rights are to a extent at the through the and the on of thus, is a in how IP law in different and how IP rights to manufacturing digital manufacturing This for supply chains, whether digital or they are or and Furthermore, IP rights are in third use IP the rights or These exceptions, which for IP right and between to that the right balance is struck between different (especially IP and at and that is access to for The balance to be struck between IP rights and is subject to debate, as access to such as human or and, more access to COVID-19 and these of in digital that more approaches this design be or is a for IP law and and one that may from the of TPMs. The of IP infringement is a prominent security within DSCs. have that integrating technologies of the industrial including DSCs and 3DP, for manufacturing and pose various to security securing IP and data in DSCs a and IP security is an in law and for supply chains, their but DSCs have new security issues increased and impact from data and DSCs, the of on information has become to attention to the value in the information of which may IP and for making or is DSCs, through decentralized digital and physical for the or manufacturing information to the end This be with a traditional supply where information is usually as through centralized or a the and the information such that the end the in is to as as traditional supply chains encounter IP risks, these may be increased in DSCs, making the IP security issue the more and on the secured the within is and research IP in DSCs, including research on the increased of IP infringement to traditional supply chains. As well as more theoretical on IP and 3DP including that 3DP use within DSCs would result in over to IP at a by on of the issues of IP to be over has for being to measure or to the of IP within the digital and the issue of IP infringement more at this that has to has been for the extent and of IP infringement in 3DP more The that the theoretical 3DP to conventional IP and the infringement is so in and have been to secure IP in DSCs, including the use of TPMs within the communications and TPMs as technological to the use of digital by access to such or various of such including and TPMs used for 3DP applications within supply chains using distributed (eg and DRM or to production and distributed or However, using technical to IP in DSCs may of such IP with to and have that such overreach by TPMs in digital technologies, especially the is a of this overreach and of material is to the using technical means, eg an This is usually the of the IP or the that the However, of a also the material to be used for that would infringe the TPMs is a which be used for legitimate and The of TPMs was and in the and the and contain a and that to protection and effective the of effective technological used by and in to the the IP this is to that these and addressed TPMs and copyright, 3DP also other IP The in the and have to a in many have and the overprotection of by legitimate of by an exception or to The have been in many such as through and of the in of the and and of the Digital to the eg for the to to eg of the and However, the for using these are and (eg the for a to to the of to a of a The which the in the of to in a for the public in the interests of the issue of securing IP in DSCs a have been about how TPMs may the of products, as is as a exception in many and have IP law other to products with and and the to parts are which DSCs to these may innovation and this is subject to In to the of or end in the DSC infringing IP, the IP within the DSC result in the digital of the manufacturing the physical or for As well as IP infringement, such may be and subject to law and DSC on the and have to with such as the for and in the the and personal data protection such as the for the being in the This of issues and concerns about and the use of data in manufacturing As 3DP is on digital or technologies, about whether technological of IP within DSCs of IP protection are also is a of on and in these areas, which more complexity to securing DSCs, especially manufacturing within such supply chains, from a Technological in IP management may have the effective use of TPMs conventional IP TPMs may be as early as the IP and may to the IP in we in as a for the increasing to secure IP with TPMs. management and technological protection measure is also that the also security issues and concerns across the including IP, which are this is the of research and, thus, an for In securing IP in supply chains used to manufacturing various issues in IP security, from in in different some of to the for overreach in applying to the use of for for other of IP design rights and trade The research on 3DP and IP to has involved information about how IP security is for using 3DP and DSCs about they to secure IP We to in and present from research to address this is or of a DSC in the and is a We a DSC as on the various by and technological that is based on the of data and and for digital and networks to and interaction between by making more and with and effective The focus of is based on the or supply chain model, which is by by the digital and in the physical as by We understand that both the and involved in the supply chain the digital to and that are associated with of that in the physical and be or from the digital or physical The supply chain we focus on is we to as a a used in and that digital is about making or in the digital concerns the and novel digital technologies to the of and within the supply This to printing as a within the smart manufacturing for a of and across the of supply chains are an The COVID-19 has this some within DSCs have provided of the between DSCs and traditional supply where these DSCs also or some of the of both traditional supply chains and DSCs are a that and so one consider to their or of with digital and associated digital technologies. of the supply chain are (i) over manufacturing data previously and (ii) to digital being on These may by IP rights and (eg trade also in of the increased of in the manufacturing and have for DSC to secure the supply chain and the of However, has been research on how these are addressed in in 3DP DSCs, especially from the perspective of IP security. understand this issue we present some from research that we have conducted on and We an using the which was distributed to with IP security issues in 3DP/AM DSCs, to their about securing the IP of AM applications within supply chains from to was chosen is to access to the data and result or to other in a to the This was for the and relationships between the of subject We used the in the survey as is more used in expert The survey a of questions to measure and their and with IP issues when AM is used as the manufacturing within a The two questions as securing and IP when using AM in the supply with IP for using AM within the supply We also which provide some on the and the of consider IP an or a to using AM within supply consider securing the IP of AM a or an to using AM within supply the about the they would to secure their IP within a DSC when using of for securing and IP for when using AM in a supply The with the of to the and of respondents at the and This to on the of about IP and for IP security the findings with on IP, AM and TPMs to this research are across including law and chosen to address the We with in some of 3DP, DSCs and IP to in the This involved a of to some about we as to in the We from using the on and networks (eg and and to be in the of of was a in (eg or information in may have in or to whether knowledge and Furthermore, conducted using are usually as a yet they have a and the for of the survey was to be a to the we have with a that to and they to to to their to from and to from various which we have the and As in most of respondents’ in or by a in academic the in of eg engineers and or This a distribution of across the of IP, supply security and management from technical and The about their of in securing IP and IP security for AM applications within supply chains in two that the securing IP and an IP security strategy for AM use within the supply some that they or may have such when using AM within supply chains. We use the Manufacturing as an in and to to supply chains that use AM as their of or with on additive manufacturing supply chains. was that, and to whether they with securing IP, the with more and to whether they in an IP strategy for AM use within supply chains. In two about their of the effect of IP and security on using AM within supply chains. whether IP was a or an to using AM within supply chains, and whether securing IP was a or an to using AM within supply chains. that of the that IP, as well as securing IP, is both a and an to using AM within the supply of on additive manufacturing supply chains. is that for both questions on IP and securing IP, the significantly about whether was a of or an of when the of or are they for about a third of this is closer to the of see the effect as both a and an and about a of that these are a an and We about their IP security and management for AM use in the supply the for this that using technical approaches (eg to and secure IP when using AM in a supply This was by approaches with approaches (eg protection in IP law such as a of that an access was and the was IP security security strategy was at by different the various they more one different The technical was in of by the and the in of the for of the disregard emerged in two of as the IP The most IP strategy and technical by of This was by (i) technical and by of (ii) technical and as well as by of respondents technical and by of and and technical by of respondents the IP by of we a of and as well as and a of technical and as well as and a of and the as the means to address IP security was conducted on the to relationships within the This to that the of IP on AM use within supply chains to the of IP security that are the and security strategy and on additive manufacturing supply chains. 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We that most IP to a dual both a and an to using 3DP/AM in most that securing IP was both a and an to using 3DP/AM in DSCs. These may of the with and using their own IP for 3DP/AM applications within DSCs and, on the other their to use IP However, the that this was the perspective that of IP being to within DSCs, or 3DP/AM traditional IP, are prominent in this complexity in the of IP and IP security is a for more research with expert the several to secure IP in DSCs including (eg or design rights that emerged as the third most technical approaches to IP, using are the most strategy for 3DP/AM use within DSCs, most would use these in with other including commercial and protection of from the and based on and that be associated with their of to IP issues within DSCs that use security strategy and with IP was that with securing IP or with IP security or a technical was the most by both and but academic a and approaches when with securing IP, yet a an IP security This a for TPMs across most is that more one strategy we infer from the that they a of and they to strike some balance to IP when using 3DP/AM within DSCs. security strategy and on AM supply was that a effect of IP or a effect of securing IP or technical and approaches the most by a of technical and academic a of technical and technical and approaches when the effect of IP, yet a effect when securing Furthermore, a dual effect of IP or a dual effect of securing IP a and an a technical this and technical academic a for approaches and and The complexity on the by when IP was from the approaches they but was most was the of academic that may the on IP being in especially when using 3DP/AM within DSCs. This may also reflect within as a less innovation and more use and dissemination of IP to other of research is that are usually in their we with we more about their on these different in differing ways, in different or at different in the DSCs, which are for Furthermore, focus on 3DP/AM within DSCs may to findings for digital manufacturing supply chains and IP some the that and may be with research to the of in and digital manufacturing supply chains. The for using TPMs to secure IP for 3DP/AM applications within DSCs may be an means of and securing their own issues about the overreach of IP protection and the effect on the legitimate of by 3DP/AM in This may some and of using decentralized including printing and may innovation to 3DP/AM use within DSCs. that legitimate IP protection is an overreach rights may be a for research in 3DP/AM and DSCs, especially in the current of to conventional supply chains and the to production and increasing in of

Sung-Yun Hann, Haitao Cui, Timothy Esworthy, Lijie Grace Zhang

Purpose: 4D fabrication techniques have been utilized for advanced biomedical therapeutics due to their ability to create dynamic constructs that can transform into desired shapes on demand. The internal structure of the human cardiovascular system is complex, where the contracting heart has a highly curved surface that changes shape with the heart's dynamic beating motion. Hence, 4D architectures that adjust their shapes as required are a good candidate to readily deliver cardiac cells into the damaged heart and/or to serve as self-morphing tissue scaffolds/patches for healing cardiac diseases. In this proof-of-concept in vitro study, a two-in-one 4D smart cardiac construct that integrates the functions of minimally invasive cell vehicles and in situ tissue patches was developed for repairing damaged myocardial tissue. Methods: For this purpose, a series of thermo-responsive 4D structures with different shapes and sizes were fabricated via the combination of fused deposition modeling (FDM)-printing and stamping molding. The thermo-responsive 4D constructs were firstly optimized to exhibit their shape transformation behavior at the designated temperature for convenient control. After which, the mechanical properties, shape recovery rate, and shape recovery speed of the 4D constructs at different temperatures were thoroughly evaluated. Also, the proliferation and functional prototype of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) on the 4D constructs were quantified and evaluated using F-actin staining and immunostaining. Results: Our results showed that the 4D constructs possessed the desirable capability of shape-changing from spherical carriers to unfolded patches at human body temperature and exhibited excellent biocompatibility. Moreover, myocardial maturation in vitro with a uniform and printing pattern-specific cell distribution was observed on the surface of the unfolded 4D constructs. Conclusion: We successfully developed a 4D smart cardiac construct that integrates the functions of minimally invasive cell vehicles and in situ tissue patches for repairing damaged myocardial tissue.

Sergio A. Salinas Monroy, Pan Li, Yuguang Fang, Kenneth A. Loparo

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is transforming the way that we fabricate, deliver, and consume a wide range of products and components, including those for consumers, medical devices, automobiles, and aircraft. In AM, 3D-printers are used to fabricate products by depositing material in a layer-by-layer fashion, leading to extremely low marginal production costs and significantly simplifying the manufacturing supply chain by providing the opportunity for production that is much closer to consumers. With extremely low marginal costs, AM facilities can quickly scale their production up and down, or redirect their resources to produce entirely different types of goods to meet dynamic market demands. However, most AM companies that employ 3D-printers have not yet upgraded their operations in a way that improves their supply chain. In this paper, we first offer an overview on the state-of-the-art of AM supply chains and then present a novel blockchain-empowered system architecture, namely, Additive Manufacturing-as-a Service (AMaaS), that can facilitate the speedy adoption of AM in manufacturing industries. Finally, we identify several major research challenges in terms of market design, control algorithms, and security, as well as research directions to tackle them.

Georgios Berdos, Theodoros Dounas, Jiri Vele

This paper investigates the potential integration of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies with Additive Manufacturing in the context of architectural design and fabrication. The study aims to identify knowledge gaps, explore the affinity between these technologies, and challenge the current architecture production paradigm. Through a comprehensive state-of-the-art review and analysis of academic papers and industrial case studies, we identified emerging themes and gaps in the literature. We also examined the misalignment of incentives among key participants of the proposed systems. Our findings highlighted the relevance of blockchain technology in additive manufacturing, but also revealed significant challenges and misalignments in incentives among stakeholders. We argue that further research and experimentation are necessary to fully understand the technical feasibility and impact of integrating these technologies in architectural design and fabrication.

Inês A. Ferreira, Radu Godina, António Pinto, Pedro Pinto · 5 authors

The role of new technologies such as additive manufacturing and blockchain technology in designing and implementing circular economy ecosystems is not a trivial issue. This study aimed to understand if blockchain technology can be an enabler tool for developing additive symbiotic networks. A real case study was developed regarding a circular economy ecosystem in which a fused granular fabrication 3D printer is used to valorize polycarbonate waste. The industrial symbiosis network comprised four stakeholders: a manufacturing company that produces polycarbonate waste, a municipality service responsible for the city waste management, a start-up holding the 3D printer, and a non-profit store. It was identified a set of six requirements to adopt the blockchain technology in an additive symbiotic network, bearing in mind the need to have a database to keep track of the properties of the input material for the 3D printer during the exchanges, in addition to the inexistence of mechanisms of trust or cooperation between well-established industries and the additive manufacturing industry. The findings suggested a permissioned blockchain to support the implementation of the additive symbiotic network, namely, to enable the physical transactions (quantity and quality of waste material PC sheets) and monitoring and reporting (additive manufacturing technology knowledge and final product's quantity and price). Future research venues include developing blockchain-based systems that enhance the development of additive symbiotic networks.

Shuyi Wei, Shaobo Wei, Jingyi Guo, Zhulin Shao · 6 authors

Low carbon development has become the theme of today’s social development, which foundation was renewable energy.For example: photovoltaic power generation, wind power generation, hydropower generation and so on.One of the representatives of new energy is photovoltaic power generation. After a long period of development, photovoltaic power generation technology has become more and more mature. For improved solar cell stability, photoelectric conversion efficiency, low cost and data security of energy information. 3D printing system and method of organic polymer solar cell device based on blockchain was rough design. 3D printing technology could be used to replace traditional manufacturing technology to complete the printing and manufacturing of solar cell devices. In order to meet the requirements. First, Modeling solar cell structure according to customer requirements, and then process simulation and performance analysis, 3D printing manufacturing after reaching the standards.For data security combining blockchain technology with 3D printing technology, the data security problem of 3D printing could be solved. Blockchain technology has been use to data structure to verify and store data. Blockchain could be considered as a distributed ledger which was decentralized, non-tamperable, traceable, and maintained by multiple parties. By applying the features of blockchain technology such as data encryption, time stamping, and distributed consensus to 3D printing technology, combined with the cloud platform, the cost and stability of 3D printed solar cell devices would be further improved.

Taner Ascı, İhsan Toktaş

Blok Zincir teknolojisi, artık küçük bir köye dönüşen dünyada, başta sanat ve tasarım alanı olmak üzere etkisini hissettirmektedir. Geleceğin sanal evreninin tamamlayıcı bir parçası olacak olan NFT ise Blok Zincir teknolojisini kullanarak sanatçı ve tasarımcıları cesaretlendirmektedir. Endüstriyel tasarım alanı daha çok seri üretime konu olan ürünleri konu edinse de tasarım süreçleri sonunda ortaya çıkan dijital grafik tasarımların emsalsiz olma nitelikleriyle, bir düşünsel sürecin eseri olarak sanatsal boyuta sahip olmaları yadsınamaz. Dolayısıyla NFT piyasasında endüstriyel tasarım süreçleri ile elde edilen dijital unsurların sergilenebilmesi ve talep görmesi muhtemeldir. Bu çalışmada, endüstriyel tasarıma konu ürünlerin dijital örneklerinin Blok Zincir ve NFT teknolojileri yoluyla sanatsal alanda kullanım potansiyeli ile kripto piyasalarda alınıp satılarak işlem görmesi ve yeni nesil e-ticaretin beraberinde getirdiği yasal boşluklar incelenmektedir.

B Kohl, M. Krüger, Tobias Dietl, Michael Lechner · 8 authors

Abstract Digitalization in the metal forming industry needs to be improved to achieve the goals set by Industrie 4.0. Distributed-Ledger-Technology (DLT) has been identified as a promising foundation for tackling the underlying problem of consistent information exchange. DLT-based solutions have already been developed, but none explicitly covers the roll forming use-case. This paper presents a Hyperledger-Fabric-based blockchain network to fill this research gap. This network is specifically designed for the roll forming industry, while still aiming to meet general information exchange requirements. The roll forming use-case is divided into the material supply chain and a design/simulation workflow. Participants and parameters in these two data transfer chains have been validated with the help of industry experts. Running the conceptualized network on an on-premise server has allowed for a detailed evaluation. Feedback provided by experts of the roll forming industry shows the potential of the presented network. Furthermore, the presented solution covers requirements often neglected by existing approaches like large data handling, compatibility to existing interfaces, secure communication, and access rights definition. In summary, this paper provides a pioneering implementation and evaluation of a DLT-based solution for the roll forming industry and, therefore, a foundation for the next steps towards Industrie 4.0.

Ryosuke Abe, Shigeya Suzuki, Kenji Saito, Hiroya Tanaka · 6 authors

Improvements in fabrication devices such as 3D printers are becoming possible for personal fabrication to freely fabricate any products. To clarify who is liable for the product, the fabricator should keep the fabrication history in an immutable and sustainably accessible manner. In this paper, we propose a new scheme, "Fabchain," that can record the fabrication history in such a manner. By utilizing a scheme that employs a blockchain as an audit-able communication channel, Fabchain manages print jobs for the fabricator's 3D printer over the blockchain, while maintaining a history of a print job. We implemented Fabchain on Ethereum and evaluated the performance for recording a print job. Our results demonstrate that Fabchain can complete communication of a print job sequence in less than 1 minute on the Ethereum test network. We conclude that Fabchain can manage a print job in a reasonable duration for 3D printing, while satisfying the requirements for immutability and sustainability.

Simone Casale-Brunet, Mirko Zichichi, Lee Hutchinson, Marco Mattavelli · 5 authors

This paper presents an analysis of the role of social media, specifically Twitter, in the context of non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs. Such emerging technology framing the creation and exchange of digital object, started years ago with early projects such as "CryptoPunks" and since early 2021, has received an increasing interest by a community of people creating, buying, selling NFT's and by the media reporting to the general public. In this work it is shown how the landscape of one class of projects, specifically those used as social media profile pictures, has become mainstream with leading projects such as "Bored Ape Yacht Club", "Cool Cats" and "Doodles". This work illustrates how heterogeneous data was collected from the Ethereum blockchain and Twitter and then analysed using algorithms and state-of-art metrics related to graphs. The initial results show that from a social network perspective, the collections of most popular NFTs can be considered as a single community around NFTs. Thus, while each project has its own value and volume of exchange, on a social level all of them are primarily influenced by the evolution of values and trades of "Bored Ape Yacht Club" collection.

Maximilian Klöckner, Stefan Kurpjuweit, Chander Velu, Stephan M. Wagner

OverviewBlockchain combined with 3D printing offers businesses untapped opportunities. Blockchain can help businesses overcome intellectual property and data security barriers, allowing them to take advantage of emerging 3D printing business models. Specifically, blockchain can facilitate local manufacturing and may lay the groundwork for new business models such as secure design marketplaces and shared factories. Businesses could also improve their value proposition by offering additional services around a printed part, improving value delivery, and offering less costly and more customized products that involve fewer risks. Blockchain could transform the way firms create, deliver, and capture value in 3D printing ecosystems.

Joachim Stanke, Martin Unterberg, Daniel Trauth, Thomas Bergs

Abstract Networking and digitization in manufacturing enable novel methods of data-driven analysis and optimization of processes through cross-process data availability. The creation of digital twins plays an important role in this. However, not all data relevant for a digital twin can be measured directly in the process. Therefore, methods are needed that enable the modelling of quantities that are difficult or impossible to measure directly in the process, such as the finite element method. In many companies, however, neither the know-how nor the necessary IT infrastructure for finite element simulations is available. External commissioning processes are also not suitable for achieving the goals of higher productivity and agility pursued with the digitization and networking of manufacturing processes. In this contribution, an architecture is presented that enables the fully automated use of finite element simulation as a service. The architecture is developed using the case study of fine blanking. First, the requirements of the architecture to be created are determined. Important characteristics of the architecture should be scalability as well as interfaces and means of payment suitable for machine communication. In addition, ensuring data integrity is an important requirement when creating the digital twin. Based on the identified requirements, an architecture is then presented that meets these requirements by using cloud computing and distributed ledger technologies and interfaces that can directly process measurement signals from the process and communicate with the architecture. Finally, the capability of the architecture is tested, possible applications and limitations are discussed, and future extensions are considered.

Özden Tozanlı

The accelerated growth of technological advancements has triggered the expansion of customer demand leading to highly complex supply chain networks. One viable way original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can respond to changing purchasing habits is to redesign their strategic and operational activities to build far-reaching information and resource avenues allied with effective marketing policies. These newly implemented policies need to comply with extended producer responsibility (EPR) guidelines that also well align with rising consumer awareness towards green consumption. To achieve this, manufacturers must create efficient end-of-life product (EOLP) return structures and ensure value creation through product recovery operations to dwindle the cascading waste of discarded products. From an environmental viewpoint, retrieving the value embedded in returned items through remanufacturing or recycling has been proven to be effective in reducing the amount of industrial solid waste. EOLP processing operations are heavily reliant on customers' participation in returning outdated devices making product collection a crucial step in point-to-point supply chains. To entice end-users, the OEMs need to design environmentally and economically benign product take-back strategies that would spark the volume of product returns. These constraints dictate two structural challenges: how manufacturers and consumers can become active participants of EOLP treatment activities, and how fast and efficiently OEMs can respond to the changing market and capital needs while preserving their sustainability levels. In terms of active participation, trade-in incentives can help stimulate additional revenue channels for OEMs through product remanufacturing while helping companies comply with the EPR legislations. Trade-in policies are set forth as part of long-term marketing strategies and include incentive programs that aim at enticing current and potential customers to trade-in their used products with newer generations at a discounted price or for instant credit. Within the context of purchasing behavior, trade-in programs positively impact customers' buying decisions by granting buyers the ability to claim the scrap value of their existing devices. Particularly in oversaturated industries such as electronics and automotive, take-back incentives are a pipeline for OEMs to generate significant residual value by reselling remanufactured products on secondary markets. Moreover, offering special discounts or credits in lieu of old devices fuels new product sales by creating an additional revenue stream. Still, in today’s fast-changing market dynamics, inept trade-in practices that fail to eliminate the ambiguity surrounding the prediction of the true quality of returned products bring functional and financial burdens to organizations. The conventional intransigent trade-in schemes fail to address this uncertainty leading to a number of unnecessary inspection, disassembly, and shipment steps resulting in increasing complexity and product recovery cost. Achieving an accurate trade-in scheme is a highly complex multi-dimensional problem requiring novel solutions that traditional manufacturing and supply chain technologies are incapable of offering by design. Such challenging task inevitably necessitates strategic initiatives that stem from the utilization of cutting-edge groundbreaking information technologies for rapid response to customer needs and reduced complexity across all operational layers. Despite the numerous methodologies investigating the potential value gain from remanufacturing and product acquisition pricing policies, there is no study in related literature that incorporates trade-in programs into an intelligent remanufacturing structure. A majority of previous studies propose preventive models with pre-determined and rule-based explicit model parameters hindering the practicability of the substantial volume of data generated by the increased use of technological tools. These models, inevitably, fall short in successfully incorporating long-term manufacturing goals into sustainable business strategies. With this motivation, the architectural framework this dissertation introduces addresses a predictive product recovery model for product returns to enable an autonomous, sensor-embedded, and decentralized disassembly and remanufacturing system. The main objective of this research is to investigate the feasibility of cost- and resource-effective end-of-life product management systems in a smart reverse logistics network where trade-in rebate decisions take place in an autonomous ecosystem. This research, while filling the emerging gap in the utilization of current digital technologies to determine quality-dependent acquisition strategies, also provides a novel quantitative analysis on the efficiency of trade-in policymaking. This model can be employed in manufacturing industries for precise assessment of value creation amid digital advancements in a future-oriented platform. Due to its highly saturated formation, the consumer electronics industry offers a more suitable platform for this study. Therefore, this study examines a trade-in model for a specific technological product, game console, with the help of a case study. First phase of the dissertation evaluates the performance degradation pattern of discarded electronics products in a ubiquitous manner through timestamp data enablers. To handle this highly complex large-volume data, a discrete-event simulation model is developed from the original equipment manufacturer viewpoint. The model aims to examine the behavior of returned devices as well as the expected overall cost of product recovery operations. Following this, a design of experiments study is utilized for the experimentation using Taguchi’s Orthogonal Arrays (OAs). Employing the findings obtained in the first phase, the second phase of the study deals with trade-in policymaking to determine an engaging quotation for varying quality of returned products from the perspectives of all parties involved in the transaction. To achieve this, an initial model for trade-in-to-upgrade incentives is established for discrete sets of quality standards in case where returned products are grouped into three quality classes based on their usage time. The model is then expanded to compare two product acquisition strategies, namely, trade-in-to-upgrade incentives and instant credits. To achieve a realistic strategy, two rebate models are constructed in a simulation-based game setting to mimic the customer behavior and to obtain the resulting payoffs for the OEM in a dynamic ecosystem. To handle the uncertainty in the customer's decision towards the incentive offer, logistic regression analysis is conducted to maximize the likelihood of the acceptance rate. Finally, trade-in policies are compared to obtain favorable strategies augment revenue streams.

Nikolaos Papakostas, Anthony Newell, Vincent Hargaden

No abstract is available for this record.

Engelmann Felix, Holland Martin, Nigischer Christopher, Stjepandi cacute Josip

Within the “Industrie 4.0” approach, 3D printing technology is characterized as one of the disruptive innovations. Conventional supply chains are replaced by value-added networks. The spatially distributed development of printed components, e.g. for the rapid delivery of spare parts, creates a new challenge when differentiating between “original part”, “copy” or “counterfeit” becomes necessary. This is especially true for safety-critical products. Based on these changes classicly branded products adopt the characteristics of licensing models as we know them in the areas of software and digital media. This paper describes the use of digital rights management as a key technology for the successful transition to Additive Manufacturing methods and a key for its commercial implementation and the prevention of intellectual property theft. Risks will be identified along the process chain and solution concepts are presented. These are currently being developed by an 8-partner project named SAMPL (Secure Additive Manufacturing Platform).