Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has announced a new suite of software that is designed to support manufacturers’ adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) on an industrial scale by bringing scalability, reliability, and repeatability to their AM operations.
Called ‘HxGN Additive Manufacturing Suite’, the software suite is built on Hexagon’s deep experience in AM and machine shop production. By bringing together four of Hexagon’s best-in-class software tools in one place, the suite will drive operational excellence in machine shops and 3D printing service bureaus by:
- Enabling manufacturers to efficiently design parts, reverse-engineer products, and run CAD agnostic model preparation in DESIGNER, Hexagon’s CAD for manufacturing solution
- Allowing build preparation for any metal Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) AM printer with highly efficient support structures and best-in-class slicing and hatching with AM STUDIO
- Helping manufacturers quickly estimate costs, identify manufacturing issues, and optimise workflows, printing strategies and build orientation in Simufact Additive, ensuring that the manufacturing process is refined early in the product lifecycle
- Ensuring that the post-process CNC machining of metal AM parts is highly optimised, precise and efficient with Hexagon’s ESPRIT EDGE, which uses artificial intelligence and is powered by digital twin technology
Today, conducting AM on an industrial scale is hindered by a complex array of tools that are not cross-compatible, making it hard for manufacturers to scale and repeat processes globally. Additionally, existing solutions in the market have a prototyping focus and are often complex and expensive, limiting adoption for manufacturing applications.
HxGN Additive Manufacturing Suite addresses this problem. As a manufacturing-focused, high-performance 3D printing software solution that is machine independent and CAD agnostic, it brings agility and repeatability to the shopfloor, unrestricted from having to source individual tools from multiple vendors or being forced to use software that is tied to specific machines. The new suite from Hexagon can be used with existing CAD software, metal Powder bed fusion (PBF) printers, and CNC machines for post-processing, speeding up manufacturing processes and lowering costs.
The suite will also allow manufacturers to collaborate and automate workflows and share best practice using Nexus, Hexagon’s open digital reality platform, which is designed to help manufacturers accelerate innovation and bring ideas to life faster than ever before.
Chuck Mathews, general manager, production software at Hexagon said: “Additive manufacturing is a technology at the edge of industrial adoption, ready to be scaled up and used to produce high quality parts for critical applications in a range of industries. This new suite provides the capabilities and tools for manufacturers to increase the use of additive technologies via streamlined workflows that deliver efficiency, scalability and reliability to the AM process. Manufacturers can now build on time, on budget and at increased scale with AM thanks to Hexagon’s Additive Manufacturing Suite.”
Parth Joshi, chief product and technology officer at Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, said: “The demand to scale additive manufacturing is there, but manufacturers need to be able to automate time-intensive processes and optimise production virtually before building any parts. This new suite complements Hexagon’s extensive additive manufacturing portfolio perfectly, and support for other AM technologies will be added in the future as we continue to empower operational excellence in AM across industries from medical to aerospace and beyond.”
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