This startup blends 3D printing with NFTs
BIONIC, a startup backed by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), blends two forward-looking fields: 3D printing and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
BIONIC, a startup backed by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), blends two forward-looking fields: 3D printing and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
NFTs have ridden a big hype wave in recent years. But despite pricey pixelated apes or even fragmented artwork, the connection to the analog world has often been missing. A new solution from BIONIC could change that.
BIONIC combines NFTs with 3D printing
As part of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), the startup BIONIC Production is building decentralized production solutions for hardware and blockchain-based software. In this case: BIONIC produces creative bionic objects from a metal 3D printer, maps them as NFTs, and puts them up for sale on OpenSea.
So when you go to OpenSea, you first choose from several creative objects. If you select one of the pictured NFTs, you get the physical 3D-printed part shipped straight to your door. This is how BIONIC creates what many NFT projects have lacked so far: a link to the analog world. Ownership remains digital as an NFT, but the depicted item is delivered to your door. After purchasing the NFT, you verify directly on the official product homepage with the wallet you used to buy the NFT. Each titanium 3D-printed item contains a so-called NFC chip that can be scanned with a smartphone. The NFC chip confirms uniqueness and provides more information about the item. BIONIC plans to steadily expand the collection and target additional platforms. The NFT sale on OpenSea starts on 27.08.2022.
A startup with strong partners
BIONIC is no stranger to blockchain solutions. Its core activity centers on blockchain-based decentralized manufacturing. One example is dematoken.com (DeMa). In collaboration with IBM, DeMA Industrial was created as a blockchain-based platform for tokenizing industrial spare parts and components to enable decentralized manufacturing on demand.
DeMa is among the first NFT blockchain applications in industrial settings, enabling participants to build new business models. This will significantly advance decentralized global manufacturing, help conserve resources, and strengthen regional production.
In this way, the companies create a solution that should have a positive impact on the world stage. The new method enables OEM part manufacturers to make their manufacturing data sets globally available for decentralized manufacturing at the point of use in the form of NFTs, so local manufacturers can produce them on-site. This is where the blockchain solution shows its significant advantages. Long production outages can be avoided, global logistics costs can be reduced, and sustainability can be improved. Efficiency and time savings occur at all levels.
Meanwhile, the transparency of the blockchain enables 100% traceability of how much is printed on-site or produced conventionally. By using the DeMa token, all units in real supply chains can be paid directly after a burn of the relevant NFT token. This can compensate all efforts in the process from an IP, regulatory, physical production, customs handling, or data preparation perspective. For their solution, the startup won a blockchain competition and took first place.
The current NFT foray dramatically demonstrates how the system works. Anyone who buys one of the NFTs gets the analog product shipped to their home, with complete transparency and control via the publicly visible blockchain.
