Distribution of customized engineering models for additive manufacturing

A computer-implemented method to facilitate creation of an industrial asset item, comprising:

• receiving, at a model customization platform from a plurality of additive manufacturing platforms, additive manufacturing printer capability data;
• retrieving, by the model customization platform from an additive manufacturing model data database, a primary engineering model associated with the industrial asset item;
• creating a plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model, wherein each customized version is created in accordance with respective additive manufacturing printer capability data associated with a corresponding additive manufacturing platform of the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms and the primary engineering model;
• and
• transmitting the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model to a digital transition engine;
• receiving a request for manufacturing the industrial asset item;
• receiving the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model;
• selecting an additive manufacturing platform from the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms based on one or more parameters or characteristics associated with each of the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms with respect to one or more criteria associated with the industrial asset item;
• and
• assigning the request to the selected additive manufacturing platform by transmitting one of the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model corresponding to the selected additive manufacturing platform to initiate a manufacturing process of the industrial asset item via an additive manufacturing printer.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code, the program code executable by a processor of model customization platform to cause the platform to perform a method to facilitate creation of an industrial asset item, comprising:

• receiving, at a model customization platform from a plurality of additive manufacturing platforms, additive manufacturing printer capability data;
• retrieving, by the model customization platform from an additive manufacturing model data database, a primary engineering model associated with the industrial asset item;
• creating a plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model, wherein each customized version is created in accordance with respective additive manufacturing printer capability data associated with a corresponding additive manufacturing platform of the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms and the primary engineering model;
• and
• transmitting the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model to a digital transition engine;
• receiving a request for manufacturing the industrial asset item;
• receiving the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model;
• selecting an additive manufacturing platform from the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms based on one or more parameters or characteristics associated with each of the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms with respect to one or more criteria associated with the industrial asset item;
• and
• assigning the request to the selected additive manufacturing platform by transmitting one of the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model corresponding to the selected additive manufacturing platform to initiate a manufacturing process of the industrial asset item via an additive manufacturing printer.

A system to facilitate creation of an industrial asset item, comprising:

• a model customization platform, comprising:
• a communication port for exchanging information with a plurality of additive manufacturing platforms;
• and
• a model customization platform computer processor coupled to the communication port and to an additive manufacturing model database, said database storing electronic records comprising a primary engineering model associated with the industrial asset item, the model customization platform computer processor adapted to:
• receive additive manufacturing printer capability data from the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms;
• retrieve the primary engineering model from the additive manufacturing model database;
• create a plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model, wherein each customized version is created in accordance with respective additive manufacturing printer capability data associated with a corresponding additive manufacturing platform of the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms and the primary engineering model;
• and
• transmit the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model to the a digital transition engine;
• and
• the digital transition engine communicatively coupled to the model customization platform and the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms, wherein the digital transition engine is configured to:
• receive a request for manufacturing the industrial asset item;
• receive the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model;
• select an additive manufacturing platform from the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms based on one or more parameters or characteristics associated with each of the plurality of additive manufacturing platforms with respect to one or more criteria associated with the industrial asset item;
• and
• assign the request to the selected additive manufacturing platform by transmitting one of the plurality of customized versions of the primary engineering model corresponding to the selected additive manufacturing platform to initiate a manufacturing process of the industrial asset item via an additive manufacturing printer.