Neil Isgett
Industrial 3D printing post-processing solutions provider, PostProcess Technologies, unveiled its CONNECT3D software at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) in St. Louis, last week, describing the platform as a "revolutionary" step for additive manufacturing (AM).
An expansion of its AUTOMAT3D software which enables intelligent removal of support materials and surface finishing, the new CONNECT3D platform extends this capability to the cloud for the first time to address the full end-to-end AM digital thread from design through to post-processing. This results in increased throughput and reduced cycle times which enable much more consistent, customer-ready final parts at scale.
In a typical AM process, data travels through the design and printing phases but that digital thread is usually broken once the file becomes a physical part. With CONNECT3D, PostProcess wants to link the finishing stage into that thread to enable smarter and more efficient post-printing results.
"Currently, the concept of the 'digital thread' within additive manufacturing ends once parts are printed. Conventional finishing processes rely on tribal knowledge and hand tools so there is no ability to collect or transfer data," Daniel Hutchinson, Founder & CTO of PostProcess explained. "The lack of transferable data limits the post-print process, but also fundamentally weakens the design process. Design input decisions, such as part orientation, are undermined due to a lack of downstream process data. Critical areas such as maintaining strength along a preferred axis and minimizing the amount of support material are jeopardized. An intuitive process, one that learns from itself, was not viable before today.
"Now, with CONNECT3D, PostProcess has brought the first solution to the industry that connects the digital thread through the post-printing step. This is revolutionary for additive manufacturing in its entirety, not just post-printing."
The platform is fully adaptable and can be used with a range of metal and polymer materials along with most native CAD formats to automatically define the necessary requirements and algorithms for post-printing.
