Thin[gk]athon Manufacturing-X connects data spaces and 3D printing applications

With the Thin[gk]athon Manufacturing-X “Dataspace Adoption,” the practical use of industrial data spaces will come into focus at the beginning of 2026. The three-day event, supported by SAP and the Smart Systems Hub, targets companies that want to put data-driven value creation into concrete practice. For 3D printing, the topic is particularly relevant, as additive manufacturing increasingly depends on seamless, cross-company data flows.

At the center is the question of how Manufacturing-X, as a data space initiative, can be used to securely and systematically exchange information along the supply chain. For applications in 3D printing, this includes the transfer of CAD and process data, material information, or key figures related to the Product Carbon Footprint. Especially in decentralized manufacturing models, where components are additively manufactured across multiple sites, data consistency determines reproducibility and economic viability.

During the Thin[gk]athon, participants develop their own use cases and implement them as prototypes within a short period of time. The approach ranges from business evaluation to technical implementation using APIs and cloud services. Representatives of the Smart Systems Hub emphasize that the focus is not on theoretical concepts, but on robust scenarios that can be transferred to real production environments. SAP contributes platform technologies that support secure data exchange between companies.

The event is aimed at professionals from IT, production, and product development who view additive manufacturing as part of networked production systems. Through close collaboration in interdisciplinary teams, solutions emerge that take both technical feasibility and economic benefit into account. At the end, the results are presented and evaluated by an expert jury.

The Thin[gk]athon demonstrates how 3D printing can be integrated into data-driven ecosystems and the role standardized data spaces may play in future industrial manufacturing processes.