Non-Fungible Blockchain Tokens for Traceable Online-Quality Assurance of Milled Workpieces

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method using Non-Fungible Tokens on Ethereum blockchain to securely store and trace quality data of milled workpieces, enhancing online quality assurance with automation and interoperability.

Contribution

It presents a new concept and implementation leveraging NFTs and Asset Administration Shells for secure, interoperable, and traceable quality data management in manufacturing.

Findings

NFT-based storage enables secure data transfer.

Automated traceability reduces manual quality checks.

Integration with IPFS allows flexible data updates.

Abstract

This work presents a concept and implementation for the secure storage and transfer of quality-relevant data of milled workpieces from online-quality assurance processes enabled by real-time simulation models. It utilises Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) to securely and interoperably store quality data in the form of an Asset Administration Shell (AAS) on a public Ethereum blockchain. Minted by a custom smart contract, the NFTs reference the metadata saved in the Interplanetary File System (IPFS), allowing new data from additional processing steps to be added in a flexible yet secure manner. The concept enables automated traceability throughout the value chain, minimising the need for time-consuming and costly repetitive manual quality checks.