Oqton, Baker Hughes Agree to Offer Software for Additive Manufacturing

Oqton, a software provider, and Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, will form a technical and commercial software development agreement. The agreement will blend the two companies’ engineering expertise and knowledge of manufacturing to develop an industrial digital ecosystem made for regulated industries such as energy, aerospace and healthcare. 

The solution is intended to advance the design and production of additively manufactured parts across the manufacturing workflow, the two companies report.

Oqton, a wholly-owned, independently operated subsidiary of 3D Systems, offers intelligent Manufacturing OS (MOS). This technology-neutral, hardware-agnostic software platform connects manufacturers’ applications and machines across multiple sites enabling companies to track every action with a digital thread for traceability and visibility from order to delivery.

As part of the development partnership, Baker Hughes is integrating Oqton’s Manufacturing OS into its workflow, including its own additive manufacturing solutions. Combining Oqton’s autonomous approach to manufacturing and Baker Hughes’ expertise in the development and introduction of production processes into regulated industrial environments will enable the companies to create an enhanced additive manufacturing platform for the energy industry, the companies say. 

The companies have future goals of additional applications and plug-ins that will become part of the Oqton Manufacturing OS and to open new markets in additional regulated industries with end-use applications such as aerospace and healthcare.

“We believe that manufacturing is going through its most significant phase of disruption since the first industrial revolution,” says Dr. Ben Schrauwen, senior vice president and general manager, Oqton. “Through this collaboration, we see the potential to make a significant leap forward in enhancing our Manufacturing OS by leveraging the expertise of Baker Hughes’ engineering team to accelerate the manufacturing workflow and facilitate regulatory compliance.” 

“As an energy technology company, Baker Hughes is fully committed to the development of the most advanced technologies looking for more efficient, more reliable, and cleaner energy solutions,” says Jim Sessions, vice president for completions and well interventions at Baker Hughes. “Digital transformation is the center of gravity in the advanced manufacturing process.”

“Our agreement with Oqton will support the industrialization of our additive manufacturing and help drive more intelligent operations for the energy and industrial segments,” says Jim Apostolides, senior vice president of enterprise operational excellence at Baker Hughes. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

More 3D Systems Coverage

More Oqton Coverage

Best Practices In Moving Towards Large-scale Production Planning In 3D Printing

Planning and scheduling for additive manufacturing at a factory scale opens up an incredible array of possibilities, but also corresponding challenges. At the top of those challenges is the fact additive manufacturing - or colloquially 3D printing - tends to...