Velo3D releases Flow 3.0 software to support larger Additive Manufacturing parts
Velo3D, Campbell, California, USA, has released Flow 3.0, an updated version of its Flow print preparation software for Additive Manufacturing. The new version is said to support larger models of parts that are able to be additively manufactured on the company’s Sapphire XC (Extra Capacity) Additive Manufacturing machine, which can produce parts that are up to 400% larger than the Sapphire machine. Flow 3.0 also supports the scheduling of additional lasers to maximise the efficiency of the Sapphire XC’s eight 1,000 W lasers and increase productivity by up to five times, compared to the Sapphire.
“By providing an end-to-end solution we are able to let engineers focus on building the mission-critical parts they need,” stated Daniel Russel, Velo3D Director of Engineering. “The 3.0 release brings support for the sorts of large models that can be printed on Sapphire XC, warnings and guidance to customers during build preparation, along with tools for managing build preparation on clusters, Amazon Web Services, and many other improvements. The initial feedback we’ve heard from our customers has been very positive.”
Flow 3.0 print preparation software is unique in the Additive Manufacturing industry, states Velo3D, it enables engineers to simply upload a traditional CAD file of a part they want to build, rather than having to spend additional resources designing for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). By eliminating the need for DfAM, Velo3D enables its customers to freely design the mission-critical parts they want and then additively manufacture them with precision.
The software accomplishes this by utilising a generalised set of recipes to precisely prescribe and simulate the layer-by-layer build for the desired part. The software’s composer detects geometric features and applies the corresponding process to achieve that desired outcome. Unlike other software offerings, Flow 3.0 uses information from previous layers to inform the build strategy for subsequent layers, resulting in better parts and greater design freedom.
Victorien Menier, Velo3D Senior Software Engineer, commented, “When we are building new features into Flow we aim to simplify the experience for engineers who want to create parts using our additive manufacturing technology. Our team is extremely proud of all that Flow 3.0 has achieved throughout the beta period. The revised scheduling rules make it so Sapphire XC can reach 98% efficiency with its eight lasers, which is a big contributor to its ability to achieve a 5x improvement in performance.”
