SBIR Phase I: Scalable and spatially distributed supply chain management system

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to accelerate product development and domestic manufacturing by introducing a new method of fabricating products in a geographically distributed manner. The United States enjoys global prominence as a hub for cutting-edge research and creative design. However, investment has migrated overseas where many products have been manufactured with lower labor costs and less stringent environmental regulations, including shifting prototyping, design work and initial production overseas. Shifting accessibility and agility of manufacturing from factories to owner-operated 3D printers can accelerate cycle times, spur innovation among American companies, and in some cases reduce the risks associated with product development. Moreover, it has the potential to create jobs as more individuals can participate in the manufacturing process, while introducing American households to 3D printing technology and workforce collaboration utilizing distributed ledger technology. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to construct a supply chain and intellectual property management system on a distributed ledger. We will focus initially on concrete examples to show potential for new modes of prototyping and collaboration at the nexus of 3D printing and distributed ledgers. Initial archetypes focus on thermoplastics that can be 3D printed and assembled in a modular manner, beginning with small parts less than 25 cm in length. In the process of designing and 3D printing these products, we are also creating a database of industrial design motifs enabling larger objects to be constructed from reusable component parts. This system will coordinate a network of privately owned 3D printers; when a customer places an order, each individual part will be shipped to the customer from collaborators with 3D printers. As industrial design motifs is recorded in an open manner, the success of a motif is closely linked to the creator of the work, incentivizing collaborative and iterative product development by closely tying the success of a product to the individuals who contributed to its design and fabrication. Key goals of this Phase I project include analyzing core elements of this proposed distributed model of manufacturing, including order fulfillment, logistics, cost analysis,intellectual property attribution, and quality control. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.