Materialise announced a partnership with Renishaw that should benefit Renishaw 3D printer operators.
Renishaw, one of the largest manufacturing equipment manufacturers on the planet, also produces a line of well-regarded 3D printers, including their recent RenAM 500 series. The company has long been enhancing the capabilities of their systems, including their unique Tempus algorithm that dramatically speeds up print operations.
Now they are partnering with Materialise to integrate use of that company’s next generation build software to speed up printing even more. Materialise explains:
“Through the partnership, Renishaw system users will benefit from Materialise’s next-generation build processor software tailored to the RenAM 500 series of metal AM systems. They will also have access to Magics, Materialise’s leading data and build preparation software. This will enable users of Renishaw’s AM systems to build a seamless workflow from design to 3D-printed part, control and customize their 3D printing process, reduce production time, and increase the efficiency of their AM operations.”
Materialise’s software is used widely in the industry, as it provides a relatively seamless workflow through the often complex world of LPBF metal 3D printing.
How will the new software enhance Renishaw operations? Materialise Senior Director of Partnerships Karel Brans explained:
“This partnership enables a unique approach to efficient metal 3D printing. The combination of Renishaw’s TEMPUS technology and the ability of Materialise’s build processor to process data at high speeds can significantly reduce production time. Partnering with 3D printer manufacturers maximizes efficiency by optimizing build preparation and streamlining build jobs. This enables manufacturing at all volumes and levels of customization, allowing users to scale production.”
It’s vitally important to understand that production is not just the speed of the printer itself, but also all the other work leading up to printing, and afterwards. That’s where Materialise software can really assist.
One feature offered by Materialise is the ability to capture the process and parameters in what’s called a “Build Processor” that can be later re-used to simplify workflows. Materialise explains:
“Manufacturing companies can also rely on the Materialise Build Processor Software Development Kit to create their own intellectual property. The open software system allows them to build their own next-generation build processor tailored to their metal 3D printing application. Customized build processors can help to further enhance cost efficiency, production speed, and part quality, which makes it possible to manufacture intricate parts and mass-produce identical or personalized products with consistent quality, reduced scrap rates, and abbreviated lead times.”
By speeding up the 3D printer and also speeding up the associated work with this software, Renishaw has made an impressive leap forward that should greatly assist customer throughput.
Via Materialise
