3DQue’s latest release of their AutoFarm3D system takes operations to a new level.
For those unfamiliar, 3DQue is a Vancouver-based startup company that specializes in 3D print automation. Their first product was a specialized print plant that is able to release completed prints on demand, making it possible to implement a form of continuous printing: prints would fall off and make the plate ready for the next job automatically.
However, that was just the start. The company then focused on creating sophisticated software to allow this process to be scaled up. That resulted in their powerful AutoFarm3D system, which was announced late last year.
AutoFarm3D is able to remotely manage a fleet of 3D printers. This involves dispatching jobs to appropriate and available machines, as well as monitoring the status of equipment and providing statistical reports.
That’s what you’d expect from a 3D printer farm software tool, but 3DQue has been thinking quite a bit deeper. They have been working with a number of clients that are using AutoFarm3D for real production applications, and have learned a significant amount about the specific workflows involved.
One outcome from this knowledge was the announcement of the unusual Direct2Print feature, which became available in April. This feature allows operators to directly hook up their Etsy or Shopify sites to AutoFarm3D. This effectively means a print job can be triggered automatically when someone orders a product from either of those online shopping services.
That made AutoFarm3D much more attractive to those with a small fleet of 3D printers servicing their online orders.
But now it gets even better.
The latest version of AutoFarm3D, 3.7, includes a preview of what seems to be a comprehensive order management function. 3DQue explains:
“AutoFarm3D’s Order Management page will help you manage your farm with a level of organization never before possible. You can keep track of your deadlines, view estimated order completion dates, and see the progress of all your orders at a glance. You’ll also be able to keep a record of all your completed orders and reprint previous orders. This is a big step towards our vision of a fully integrated 3D printing business management platform, and we’re excited to share it with you!”
As you can see, 3DQue is well beyond the scope of traditional 3D printer farm software with this announcement. Now they appear to be building an entire package that would be a “single stop” for those hoping to set up online stores with automated back-end manufacturing capability.
If products are integrated into AutoFarm3D, it seems that day-to-day operations would be vastly simplified and accurate. The simplicity of the system would also allow an entrepreneur to hire an operator to run the farm with very little training: the software does most of the work.
AutoFarm3D’s efficiency could allow small manufacturing operations to not only get established, but also more easily expand as business grows. Operators can then spend more time designing new products than running around keeping track of a fleet of 3D printers.
