3D Systems launches updated AM design solutions for SolidWorks

3D Systems, Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA, has released two updated software solutions for use exclusively in SolidWorks, published by Dassault Systèmes, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France. The new versions of Geomagic®, for SolidWorks® 2019, and 3DXpert™, for SolidWorks 14, have been designed to help SolidWorks users streamline 3D scan data workflows and optimise and prepare part designs for both polymer and metal Additive Manufacturing.

Geomagic for SolidWorks is said to be the AM industry’s only complete integrated 3D scan-to-SolidWorks software solution. The software reportedly helps designers reduce the time required to build CAD models of real-world objects from hours to minutes, by using advanced, automated wizards to quickly and easily create sketches, surfaces, and feature-based editable solid parts inside SolidWorks, directly from 3D scan data.

“After implementing Geomagic for SolidWorks into our 3D scanning and design process, we have seen an approximate 30% reduction in cycle time, from initial 3D scanning to having a SolidWorks file ready for the CAD design process,” commented Eric Steen, R&D Manager at Yoshimura R&D of America. “Geomagic for SolidWorks greatly improved the accuracy and speed of our 3D point cloud collection process, and having Geomagic run smoothly inside of SolidWorks instead of a standalone software has simplified this process even further. Yoshimura R&D relies on Geomagic for SolidWorks as an integral part of our R&D processes.”

Geomagic for SolidWorks has previously received SolidWorks’ Gold Product Certification, said to signify the highest level of integration and support for SolidWorks’ users. For users designing products for metal AM, the newest version of Geomagic for SolidWorks will enable them to:

• Scan with the latest devices and import the most recent formats needed for their workflows – facilitating more rapid design
• Work in a more intuitive user interface and user experience environment, with a clearer distinction between the scan-specific tools and the SolidWorks application’s own tools.
• Enhance workflows: new tools and enhancements are said to provide users with more streamlined workflows in their modelling process through new commands for Probe Points, Extract Reference Point and Edit Scan, to manipulate multiple scan objects simultaneously.

General availability of the new version of Geomagic for SolidWorks is planned for March 2019.

3DXpert for SolidWorks is an add-on for SolidWorks which extends its design capabilities with a complete Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) toolset, equipping designers with tools to prepare and optimise their designs for AM. The new version of 3DXpert for SolidWorks is said to further enhance the direct path from SolidWorks to AM and enable users to:

• Design more shapes in more ways, with new lattice types and extensive control over lattice structures to allow users to develop their own structures and to convert their expertise and IP into competitive edge, creating lighter weight parts with enhanced functional properties
• Shorten time to market by bringing SolidWorks CAD data directly into 3DXpert for SolidWorks with one click, before reading back to SolidWorks the optimised and build-ready data. Engineering changes are said to be easily applied to build-ready models without losing work completed so far, helping designers to stay within schedule and budget
• Design for AM and gain an understanding of manufacturing constraints and the design decisions’ implications on the quality and cost of the printed part with new 2D / 3D nesting tools, new joint-cut tool and enhanced part orientation and analysis tools to make manufacturing considerations accessible to SolidWorks designers during the design process.

The standard edition of 3DXpert for SolidWorks is available via download. Additional add-ons and 3DXpert for SolidWorks Professional edition are available through the VAR network.

“The lattice performance of 3DXpert for SolidWorks is ten times faster compared to any other solution we tested, enabling us to shorten the design for additive cycle of complex geometries by 50%,” stated Didier Guillon-Cottard, Chief Executive Officer, Imprint Medical. “Moreover, being able to alter lattice cell parameters allows us to bring our competitive expertise into play.”

Radhika Krishnan, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Software, 3D Systems, commented, “3D Systems’ end-to-end software solutions are a catalyst in the product development cycle. With the new releases of Geomagic for SolidWorks and 3DXpert for SolidWorks, 3D Systems is reinforcing our commitment to the SolidWorks community to streamline digital product design as well as making Additive Manufacturing an integral part of the workflow – increasing efficiencies and lowering total cost of operation. The power of these software solutions to transform business is what delivers true competitive advantage.”

www.3Dsystems.com