Materialise
Materialise has announced a series of software enhancements and collaborations which are designed to enhance the customisation of 3D printing operations, better evaluate the orientation of parts and reduce CO2 emissions.
Among the several announcements being made by Materialise at Formnext is the opening of its Software Development Kits (SDK) for Magics. This, the company says, will make it easier for manufacturers to increase efficiency, with users now able to create custom workflows using Python and C++ scripts. Materialise suggests this will be beneficial for those optimising quality and printing time, and help them to meet specific manufacturing requirements.
“We've seen tremendous potential for businesses to optimise their workflows with the Magics SDK, enabling enhanced manufacturing processes and substantial improvements in ROI,” said Egwin Bovyn, Product Line Manager, Magics 3D Print Suite. “At Materialise, we’ve customised our SDK to optimise data and build preparation in our own manufacturing operations. By sharing our algorithms via Python code, we enable the automation of data and build preparation at scale. These advanced automation tools empower manufacturing service providers by ensuring our technology meets their individual needs."
Another of the company's announcements is the introduction of the Orientation Comparison tool within its e-Stage for Metal+ solution. This new feature will compare any set of given orientations and report on cost- and quality-related parameters, such as build height, max XY cross section and mean and max deviation of the different simulation results.
With this update, Materialise expects less experienced users of additive manufacturing to evaluate and compare different options, enhancing their understanding of what yields an optimal orientation. By offering this capability, Materialise believes users will be better able to deliver parts with reduced support structures, improved surface quality, enhanced dimensional accuracy, and minimised build time and cost.
Following the announcement of its partnership with nTop earlier this year, which saw nTop Core integrated into Magics, Materialise has also extended this capability to several 3D printer OEMs. In June, the companies launched an Early Access Program with an initial cohort of 10 companies, including industry leaders from aerospace, automotive, Formula 1, Medtech, and research institutions, signed up. Now, Additive Industries, Stratasys and Renishaw have been named among the OEMs that will collaborate with Materialise to invest in the development of Next-Gen Build Processors.
Materialise’s Next-Gen Build Processor is a configurable software that translates large and complex 3D design files into 3D printable instructions, optimising and managing the 3D printing process from start to finish. Since June, nTop's implicit modelling kernel has been an optional add on to all new Next-Gen Build Processors, with the partners suggesting the integration allows users to easily transfer highly complex, high-performance geometries directly to Magics without the need for time-consuming translations in build preparation and production.
With these latest partnerships, Materialise and nTop are looking to build on this offering.
"nTop's leading modelling technology enables our customers to design some of the most advanced and complex products on the planet,” said Bradley Rothenberg, CEO and founder of nTop. “In partnering with Materialise to now be able to 3D print directly from nTop models, our customers have access to the fastest and most reliable design-to-manufacture process, removing the need for a slow and painful conversion from lightweight nTop models to heavy and fragile meshes or boundary representations."
Finally, Materialise has announced it is now printing with carbon-reduced PA 12 with its HP Multi Jet Fusion printers, and plans to switch to a carbon-reduced SLS PA 12 in early 2025, while a partnership with BLT will see the company integrate its software solutions with the Chinese OEM's metal 3D printing systems.
Of today's announcements, Vice President of Materialise Software Udo Eberlein said:
"3D printing is evolving from a focus on technology innovation to becoming an essential tool in industrial applications. The next phase is about empowering users to adapt this technology to their specific manufacturing needs. With our latest updates, we’re providing the tools and flexibility to help them meet these unique requirements. This ‘Power to the People’ approach underscores our commitment to enabling manufacturers to achieve precise, impactful results in their production workflows."
Later today (November 19), Materialise is expected to announce the launch of its Leading Minds consortium, which will see the company work with the likes of Ansys, EOS, HP, Materialise, Nikon SLM, Renishaw, Stratasys, and TRUMPF to 'solve the industry's most pressing challenges.'
Materialise is exhibiting at Formnext from Hall 12.1, C139.
