nTop
Materialise and nTop have partnered to integrate nTop's implicit modelling API with Materialise's Magics 3D Print Suite and NxG Build Processor.
The companies made the announcement ahead of this week's RAPID + TCT event in Los Angeles.
Connecting the nTop Core technology with Magics Print Suite and NxG Build Processor will allow manufacturers to accelerate their design-to-manufacturing process, according to the companies. It will also help users to produce complex parts that 'were previously impossible to print.'
The partners have also said that their collaboration has already demonstrated success in the additive manufacture of a cylinder head for Wärtsilä, which was printed by Nikon SLM Solutions and helped to enhance cooling performance and reduced weight by 60%.
By combining their technologies, Materialise and nTop are enabling implicit design files to be exchanged between design and manufacturing teams and natively processed for production without meshing or other intermediate processes. This, they say, will allow engineering teams to design higher-performance parts with more features and capabilities while assuring they can be produced precisely and economically.
nTop's new implicit modelling kernel and corresponding file format is said to be able to characterise highly complex, high-performance geometries at a fraction of the size of traditional CAD or mesh-based files. Before their collaboration, product designs created in nTop could not be natively processed by Magics, leading to time-consuming translations for build preparation and production. Now, with the integration of nTop’s design software with Materialise’s Magics and NxG Build Processor, these designs can be easily transferred natively to Materialise Magics for build preparation and slicing.
The companies proved out this workflow in partnership with Nikon SLM and Wärtsilä, who explored designs to optimise the cooling performance of the cylinder head before achieving a 60% weight reduction compared to the original design. This new design also allowed the integration of up to ten subsystems into the final component, reducing assembly complexity and improving cooling performance. Previously, the design complexity and file size of this innovative design made it impossible to 3D print the part using conventional large-scale AM technologies. However, by combining nTop’s design software with Materialise’s Magics and NxG Build Processor, based on implicit modelling, it became possible to 3D print the part. The final design was printed in Inconel 718 by Nikon SLM, using the largest metal printer on the market.
"At Materialise, we understand that the future of additive manufacturing hinges on the ability to efficiently process highly complex files for high-performance parts,” said Udo Eberlein, Vice President of Software at Materialise. “If our industry cannot keep pace with the growing demands for intricate designs and larger build sizes, it becomes impossible to unlock the full potential of new AM applications. Our collaboration with nTop represents a significant step forward in breaking these barriers. By combining nTop's implicit modeling kernel with Magics and our Next Gen Build Processor, we are enabling faster, more reliable design-to-manufacture workflows, paving the way for innovations that were once deemed impossible."
“At nTop, we are committed to advancing the power of computational design to production — which is why I’m so excited about our partnership with Materialise and integration of nTop implicit models into Magics for manufacturing,” added Bradley Rothenberg, Co-Founder and CEO of nTop. “This enables our mutual customers to streamline the manufacturing of their most complex designs.”
After the success of that initial Wärtsilä application, Materialise and nTop have launched an Early Access Program, which will allow participants to their enhance design-to-manufacturing workflows and overall performance. Phase 1, starting in Q3 2024, will invite ten companies, with an additional 20 more joining in Q1 2025. Participants will benefit from faster, higher-quality build preparation by integrating nTop’s implicit modelling API within the Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite, eliminating time-consuming implicit-to-mesh conversions and streamlining the additive manufacturing process.
"Nikon SLM Solutions is excited to be the first early access partner for the new Materialise Build Processor that natively prepares builds for our NXG XII 600 directly from nTop,” offered Nicolas Lemaire, Software Product Manager at Nikon SLM Solutions. “While Nikon SLM focuses on making the NXG XII 600 the most productive AM solution with a build rate of 1000 ccm/hr, we are evaluating how the integration between nTop and Materialise can streamline the design-to-production process.”
Materialise is exhibiting at RAPID + TCT from booth #2313, while nTop is exhibiting from booth #1546 and Nikon SLM Solutions is exhibiting from booth #2628.
