Autentica and NCC Validate Blockchain-Secured Digital Thread for Distributed AM in UK SME Pilot

Autentica, a UK-based blockchain platform for securing digital manufacturing assets, has completed a validation project with the National Composites Centre (NCC) to demonstrate a secure digital thread for additive manufacturing. The Innovate UK-supported feasibility study tested Autentica’s platform across NCC’s testbed facilities, assessing encrypted file streaming, tamper-proof audit trails, and traceability of print instructions within real AM workflows. The validation focused on enabling SME manufacturers to securely transmit design files and machine instructions to distributed production partners without exposing underlying intellectual property, while maintaining a verifiable record of every production stage. Uros Kostelac, Autentica CTO, and Irma Gilbert, founder, led the project alongside Marc Funnell, senior chief engineer at NCC.

This project addresses a persistent barrier to distributed AM adoption: the secure handling of design files and production data across decentralized supply chains. While large aerospace and defense primes have invested in proprietary digital thread infrastructure, SMEs—which represent roughly 11% of UK manufacturers using AM, with regional variation from 20% in London to 17.1% in the North West—lack affordable, auditable solutions. Autentica’s approach fits the recurring pattern of software-layer value capture in AM, where IP protection and data integrity become competitive differentiators as production moves from centralized facilities to distributed networks. The validation is particularly relevant for aerospace and defense verticals, where strict traceability and certification requirements have historically slowed AM adoption outside of qualified primes. The platform does not replace existing MES or PLM systems but adds a cryptographic trust layer that could reduce qualification friction for SMEs seeking to enter regulated supply chains.

Practically, this validation moves Autentica from concept to testbed evidence, but the next step is critical: pilot deployments with actual SME manufacturers producing parts for end customers. The platform must demonstrate that its blockchain-based audit trails integrate with existing quality management systems and meet the documentation requirements of AS9100 or ISO 13485. For UK SMEs, the value proposition hinges on whether Autentica can deliver a turnkey solution that does not require dedicated IT staff to manage. The NCC’s role as an independent evaluator adds credibility, but the real test will be whether manufacturers adopt the platform for routine production, not just feasibility studies.