Boeing signs landmark deal with Israeli start-up

"This agreement expands Boeing’s ties to Israeli industry while helping companies like Assembrix expand their business.”

By SARAH LEVI
Updated: MAY 16, 2018 04:44
From left to right: President of Boeing Israel, David Ivry, CEO of Assembrix, Lior Polak and Korea-Israel offset program manager at Boeing, JC (photo credit: Courtesy)
From left to right: President of Boeing Israel, David Ivry, CEO of Assembrix, Lior Polak and Korea-Israel offset program manager at Boeing, JC
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Israeli industrial 3D-printing company Assembrix signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Boeing on Monday to use its technology to safely design, manage and protect intellectual property shared with vendors throughout the production process, making this the most significant partnership for the Israeli company so far.
“This agreement expands Boeing’s ties to Israeli industry while helping companies like Assembrix expand their business,” Boeing Israel president David Ivry said.
“These are really exciting times – being an Israeli start-up” Assembrix CEO Lior Polak told The Jerusalem Post.
“It’s a huge success to work with such a client,” he said. “This deal is giving us a lot of exposure to our product’s capabilities that gives us a ‘stamp of quality,’ which we will use as leverage in this industry.”
3D printing has been around for some 30 years. But in the last three years there has been a shift from printing prototypes to manufacturing real products using digital technologies.
“Thousands of airplane parts have been made from 3D printers, and automotive companies are also applying this technology beyond prototypes” Polak said.
What sets Assembrix apart is that its printing technology offers full control to manufacturers to remotely control 3D printing, allowing them to virtually print safely from anywhere in the world.
The company developed a cloud-based platform that enables a more user-friendly, efficient and secure printing process by allowing manufacturers to design and produce remotely.
Polak said he was excited about the future, and the technology signals “a paradigm shift in the way you manufacture. This is going to affect everyone’s lives.”
3D printing offers efficiency to manufacturers, particularly in the airline industry, Polak said, adding: “Thanks to this technology, companies are going to use more sophisticated production lines, which translates into faster production, which creates less waste, which means spending less.
“For example, 3D-printed airplane parts use less materials than traditional methods, which cuts down on waste, which means spending less on fuel, which translates into cheaper flights for consumers.”