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Industry-first AI assistant helps engineers choose the right manufacturing material for their projects.

SAN FRANCISCO, February 6, 2024 – Fictiv, a global manufacturing company, today announced the release of Materials.AI, an industry-first AI assistant powered by ChatGPT that helps mechanical engineers quickly and easily navigate material options for their manufacturing needs.

Materials.AI is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology through an API integration with Fictiv’s digital manufacturing platform and is extensively trained on Fictiv’s manufacturing data and offerings. As a result, engineers can consult with Materials.AI directly on the Fictiv platform, receive informed material suggestions, and place their manufacturing orders—-all in one place, on-demand.

With rapid advances in material science and manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing, it can be confusing and time-consuming for engineers to navigate the different material options available to them. For a single design, there may be several suitable materials with nuanced considerations around performance, cost, manufacturing efficiency, and aesthetics. Materials.AI helps engineers navigate multi-factor considerations to make fast, informed decisions.

“Material selection is a crucial factor in our engineering and design process,” said Ryan Rivas, Design Director at Bennett Awards. “To have an on-demand tool that helps with this decision-making process, on top of Fictiv’s other AI-powered tools for quoting and design for manufacturability feedback, is going to make a significant impact.”

“Historically, manufacturing consultation has been largely confined to one-on-one conversations with too few experts, making it slow and difficult for engineers to get the information they need when it comes to manufacturing,” said Chris Lippi, Chief Product Officer at Fictiv. “At Fictiv, we leverage technology to democratize access to critical manufacturing knowledge, tools, and services. And so we’re thrilled to leverage groundbreaking advances in AI large language models and our own growing dataset to provide customers with an even better service experience.”

Materials.AI is the latest advancement in Fictiv’s AI-powered manufacturing platform, which employs proprietary computational geometry algorithms to analyze the manufacturability of mechanical part designs in seconds. This enables customers to compare in real-time thousands of different combinations of manufacturing process, material, finish, lead time, and geographical options with pricing information in order to make educated and efficient decisions for their manufacturing orders. With Materials AI, manufacturers now have access to cutting-edge technology that facilitates an intelligent and information-driven manufacturing operation.

About Fictiv

Fictiv is a global manufacturing company that simplifies sourcing for custom manufacturing, from prototype to low-volume production. Through its highly-vetted manufacturing network, AI-powered technology platform, and global operations centers across the USA, Mexico, India, and China, Fictiv delivers fast, high-quality custom manufacturing services from quote to delivery. Fictiv’s capabilities span the full mechanical bill of materials, including Injection Molding, Compression Molding, 3D Printing, CNC Machining, Die Casting, and Sheet Metal. To date, Fictiv has delivered more than 30 million commercial and prototype parts for early-stage companies and large enterprises alike, helping them innovate faster, free up precious resources, and drive profitable growth.

Materials.AI trademark is pending.

Media Contacts:

5W PR for Fictiv
fictiv@5wpr.com 

Christine Evans
Sr. Director, Communications
christine@fictiv.com