AM Software
AM Software is the “fourth power” within the end-to-end AM production cycle, together with hardware, materials and applications. The impact of software on the future of digital production is obvious but perhaps it is not yet fully understood where it is that software can affect and contribute to improve and optimize the future of manufacturing.
All digital production inevitably begins with a CAD (Computer Aided Design) model. Therefore CAD (or 3D modeling) software was the first element to emerge in the new industrial revolution. As further proof of this, CAD software companies have been taking off in terms of financial performance since AM began to emerge as a production method. Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, Siemens, Altair and Ansys, to name a few of the largest companies in this segment, have been booming. At the same time, all these companies have made some very significant investments in AM and DfAM.
DfAM is the second highly relevant way that software impacts digital production. The acronym stands for “Design for Additive Manufacturing” and indicates all those new approaches to product and part creation that are made possible by the virtually endless geometric possibilities opened up by additive manufacturing. These tools, also known by the acronym CAE (Computer Aided Engineering), include parametric first and later generative software tools that are enabling engineers to create an entirely new generation of bio-inspired products, that are lighter, more complex and way more efficient.
Simulation software is necessary to make sure that these new—never seen before—products do perform as they are intended to, while AM software is also necessary to make sure that the AM hardware transforms into real physical products that which was imagined and then translated into a digital product or—as they are increasingly described now—a product’s digital twin. AM-specific CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) software is necessary to give a growing number of different systems and technologies the proper instructions to produce a part layer by layer and even voxel by voxel. The process monitoring software—and a growing demand for artificial intelligence power—is necessary to ensure that this happens without errors.
Once an AM part emerges from an AM machine it needs to move on to the next stations of the end-to-end digital production cycle. These include non-disruptive analysis via 3D and CAT scanning (and software is necessary here as well), part finishing (which requires adequate software and accurately studied design methods) and part handling. All these phases—and all the previous phases—need to be controlled and coordinated by AM-specific MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) software. In fact, the entire lifecycle of the product, from the initial quotation to its final use, can now be digitalized and controlled via PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software.
This is the area where the giants of software are squaring off to define the way we will make anything and everything.
-
Markforged enables distributed manufacturing via Digital Source
Markforged Holding Corporation has recently released Digital Source, an on-demand parts platform built to enable the licensing and 3D printing of manufacturer-certified parts when and where they are needed, without…
-
Style2Fab uses AI to easily personalize 3D printable models
With the growing affordability and accessibility of 3D printers, a rising number of amateur makers are creating objects using free, open-source 3D models. However, personalizing these models is a challenge…
-
Mastercam releases APlus add-on for additive manufacturing
Mastercam, one of the world’s leading CAD/CAM softwares, has released a new Add-On product, Mastercam APlus by CAMufacturing Solutions, which was designed specifically for additive manufacturing. APlus can be used…
-
Koenigsegg turns to 3DPrinterOS to manage 3D printing workflows
Koenigsegg Automotive, a world-renowned manufacturer of high-performance sports cars, has scaled its 3D printing capabilities through the integration of 3DPrinterOS and an optimized workflow. The collaboration between Koenigsegg and 3DPrinterOS…
-
EOS’s Additive Minds and 3YOURMIND launch Rapid Part Identifier program
EOS North America’s Additive Minds team and 3YOURMIND have partnered to accelerate additive manufacturing adoption through their Rapid Part Identifier program. Now, organizations can benefit from rapid part screening of…
-
UpNano releases new software upgrade for NanoOne platform
UpNano has released the latest software upgrade for its NanoOne platform of high-resolution 3D printers – pushing the limits of one of the fastest 2PP 3D printers on the market…
-
Cubee launches the industry’s first “record label” for 3D designers
3D model marketplace Cubee is launching CubeeRecords, presented as the “first-ever ‘record label’ for 3D printing designers”. A full talent representation suite, aimed at maximizing intellectual property monetization of 3D…
-
Nano Dimension acquires Additive Flow technology
Nano Dimension (Nasdaq: NNDM) is acquiring the technology and intellectual property of the U.K.-based company Additive Flow, which supplies solutions for 3D design simulation and optimization. Additive Flow has developed…
-
Elite Additive Manufacturing to implement MES from AMFG
Elite Additive Manufacturing, a business area of Elite Mold and Engineering Inc. have chosen to utilize AM-specific MES software from AMFG to establish and further their movement into the additive…
-
Caracol develops smart 3D printing systems for large components
LFAM now represents a fast-growing niche market, with increasing demand from various sectors such as aerospace, marine, architecture, and design. Caracol is among the first and most renowned technology providers…