Page 23 - 3D Metal Printing Magazine Winter 2022

Formnext 2021 3D
available through Oqton, which 3D Sys- tems acquired this past September.
An integrated tool to prepare and opti- mize parts quickly, 3DXpert enables rapid design for AM to shorten production time and increase part precision, according to company officials, noting that it supports each step of the AM workflow, from design to printing. Users reportedly can streamline their AM processes to transition rapidly and efficiently from a 3D CAD model to a 3D-printed part, enabling shifts from rapid prototyping to serial AM production.
Features available in the new version reportedly accelerate part design with higher yield and faster print times.
Specifically, Version 17 shortens design- to-manufacturing lead time through automation of AM design and manufac- turing workflows, including a Wizard mode based on user inputs, machine learning that provides for automatic part classification and generation of cus- tomized workflows. It also provides new capabilities for optimizing design struc- ture via a powerful generative-design engine and the use of implicit modeling, which creates complex function-based geometries and rapid, seamless visuali- zation. To minimize manufacturing costs, 3DXpert Version 17 provides an enhanced slicing algorithm that reportedly yields efficient, high-quality printing results. For
multiple-laser-head applications, the soft- ware provides an automatic best-fit assignment of laser heads to parts while optimizing the workload balancing of the laser heads.
Implicit-modeling capability in the software enabled creation of a heat
exchanger (pictured below), which fea- tures a variable double-gyroid design. This creates two separate fluid domains, explain company officials, with baffles that prevent fluid blending. The cutaway part, displayed at Formnext, also includes external ribs to provide additional strength and protection.
3D Systems: www.3dsystems.com
New Version of Sigma Labs’ In-Process Quality Control Software Sigma Labs demonstrated version 7.0
of its PrintRite3D software, which provides in-process monitoring for quality assur- ance. It also showcased the software at the booths of DMG Mori and Additive Industries, which provide the software in their printing platforms. Sigma Labs has
announced a number of such partnerships, most recently with Materialise via the com- bination of the Materialise Control Platform and Sigma Labs' PrintRite3D sensor tech- nology. This open platform allows users to identify and correct metal build issues in real time. This improves metal-AM productivity and reduces scrap rates, paving the way for manufacturers to advance their operations and implement metal AM in serial production, according to Sigma Labs officials.
In addition to the platform, Materialise and Sigma Labs will collaborate with end users and machine producers to refine processes for their unique applications. Version 7.0 of PrintRite3D includes new features such as temper- ature monitoring and calibra- tion, neural net machine
learning, recoater interaction detection, user-facing machine-learning predictive models, multiple-laser quality metrics, and 3D-visualization diagnostics.
Sigma Labs: www.sigmalabsinc.com Materialise: www.materialise.com
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