Why The Additive Manufacturing Industry Should Pay Attention To 2023 Cybersecurity Trends

Posted on February 10th, 2023

It’s the start of conference season for the major USA Additive Manufacturing (AM) events, with TIPE just finished and AMUG and RAPID+tct coming soon it’s time to look at the predicted AM trends for 2023. What was noticeable at this year’s TIPE conference was the acknowledgement in many presentations that we need to start taking AM cybersecurity seriously. Something that had been absent from TIPE 2022. With the manufacturing industry having been targeted by cyber threats in recent years, it’s important that the AM industry be aware of cybersecurity risks and how to manage them. Let’s look at a summary of some predicted trends for AM and Cybersecurity for 2023.

There is an overlap between global cybersecurity trends and AM trends for 2023. Stratasys predicts significant development in AM pre and post-processing, workflow, automation, and connectivity. Having in-situ monitoring for AM boosts reliability and repeatability for printed parts. AM machines need to be connected in order to have continuous monitoring and visibility into the AM processes. Cybersecurity trends for 2023 also predict that we can expect to see an increase in connected devices/IoT devices and cloud services. However, the more devices we connect together and network, the more risks exist that attackers can maliciously attack and access our data. In 2023, analysts at Gartner predict there will be 43 billion IoT-connected devices in the world.

The use of AM service bureaus is expected to increase in 2023 as more organizations utilize AM but don’t want to take on the cost of their own machines. Small and medium size service bureaus do not necessarily have the resources or capabilities to secure themselves against cyber threats. Even though larger organizations may be well protected, these small AM service bureau contractors can be the weakest link in the chain for cybersecurity.

An important step that can be taken at any organization is to ensure that they are working towards initiating and fostering a culture of awareness around cybersecurity issues. Cybersecurity is not just an IT department issue. All employees should have an awareness of the threats and take basic precautions to ensure safety. Forbes states that “Cyberattacks aren’t a question of “if”; they’re a question of “when.” The only way organizations can stop an attack or reduce its impact is by identifying unusual activity across their entire ecosystem of users, applications and infrastructure.” Threat detection and response tools are key to having a secure cyber environment. BreakPoint Lab’s BISON AM tool gives AM users visibility into their additive manufacturing machines. BISON gives the user valuable insight into their part and verifies that what is printed is as intended.

If you are interested in learning more about securing Additive Manufacturing or a demonstration of BreakPoint Lab’s BISON AM solution capability, please contact us at info@breakpoint-labs.com