Combining Interferometry and Blockchain to Revolutionize Anti-Counterfeiting
A better approach to solving a serious problem in the manufacturing industry & creating a solution to secure supply chain.
Mitigating a Multi-Billion Dollar, Life and Death Risk
Counterfeit AM parts have long defied easy solutions.
The modern manufacturing supply chain is susceptible to infiltration by makers of counterfeit parts. Consequences include legal liability or the revocation of certifications and contracts. Defective counterfeit parts have even resulted in loss of life.
Remediation is extremely challenging. Finding counterfeit parts and replacing them in finished products, such as airplanes and ships, is a time consuming and prohibitively expensive proposition. Industry research reveals that counterfeit parts are costing manufacturers billions of dollars every year.
Existing anti-counterfeiting methods are deficient:
- Bar codes can be stolen or hacked
- Diamond crystal type solutions potentially affect the structure of the part and may damage AM equipment
- Chain of custody approaches rely on packaging, which can be faked or stolen, to establish provenance.
Delivering a New Approach in Secure Supply Chain
Blockchain-based validation using non-disruptive encoding of trust
There is a new, better way to stop counterfeit AM parts from harming the supply chain. Our approach combines blockchain, smart contracts and a proprietary method of encoding digital “trust anchor” data directly into the AM part’s native materials. In this way, our approach differentiates between authentic and counterfeit high value and commodity AM components securely throughout the part’s lifecycle.
- In technical terms, the solution creates minute differences in the material’s porosity, resulting in what we call “programmable invisible ink” or PGII.
- Using an X-ray device, the manufacturer can read the unique product identifier written in PGII and use our blockchain technology to establish a completely non-refutable provenance for the AM part.
- A quick response (QR) code helps increase the efficiency of the anti-counterfeit process.
Our approach comprises three levels of counterfeit detection, escalating up the ladder of “Good/Better/Best.” At each level it becomes possible to establish a part’s provenance at greater speed and with more possible details in the authentication process.
Realizing the Benefits of the New Approach
An effective, economical way to fight counterfeiting in AM parts
Creating a trust anchor using PGII confers a range of benefits on manufacturers.
- The process has minimal impact on the component fabrication
- The part’s integrity is not affected
- There is no need to modify or replace AM manufacturing equipment
- It conforms to existing part identification standards
- It can detect sabotage as well as counterfeiting