Stratasys Delivers Open Software Platform

Stratasys Ltd. has introduced the GrabCAD Additive Manufacturing Platform, an open and enterprise-ready software platform that enables manufacturers to manage production-scale additive manufacturing operations.

Stratasys’ platform is designed for the needs of additive manufacturing across the entire digital thread—from design through production—while also integrating with Industry 4.0 infrastructure and enterprise applications. 

“We see manufacturers moving their 3D printing operations from the lab to the production floor, and that significantly increases operational requirements for everything from productivity to quality assurance,” says Nadav Goshen, executive vice president of Software for Stratasys. “The GrabCAD AM Platform, our enterprise software stack specifically for 3D printing, can be a catalyst for the growth of the additive manufacturing software market. It enables customers to efficiently manage ever larger and more complex operations to produce consistent, high-quality production parts at scale. This is an essential part of our vision to digitally transform manufacturing operations around the world.”

The GrabCAD Additive Manufacturing Platform integrates GrabCAD applications and third-party GrabCAD Software Partners via the GrabCAD Software Development Kit (SDK). It enables two-way connectivity between 3D printers, additive manufacturing and enterprise applications, and Industry 4.0 infrastructure. GrabCAD applications in the platform include:

• GrabCAD Print: Simplifies the workflow between Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) and 3D print preparation. GrabCAD Print is CAD-agnostic, uses security protocols, and is managed on the desktop or mobile. 
• GrabCAD Shop: Cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) work order management application that simplifies the 3D printing workflow. All orders are managed in one location and are assigned to all networked printers, including Stratasys and non-Stratasys systems.
• GrabCAD Print Manager: A new application that enables manufacturers to manage fleets of industrial 3D printers. GrabCAD Print Manager manage licenses to software and open material partners and provides customers the ability to view and manipulate production print schedules and view in-depth reports via desktop or mobile. 
• GrabCAD Software Development Kit (SDK): Industry 4.0-ready SDKs provide API’s, documentation, code samples and support integration with enterprise IT as well as third-party applications for account management, asset management, planning and order management, security, quality management, and analytics.

In addition to Stratasys’ own GrabCAD applications, the platform is open to any software vendor that meets requirements such as references and performance testing, via an SDK licensing fee. Stratasys has added a dozen partners since the beginning of 2021 including AMFG, Teton Simulation and Link3D.

As of October 2021, the GrabCAD AM Platform consists of more than 38,000 application users, 20,000 3D printers, and 3,000 workflow users. The platform processes 35 gigabytes of data streams per day and is supported by a global team of more than 100 developers.

“Additive manufacturing can be a significant beneficiary of smart manufacturing, leveraging its digital-native capabilities, with the right software platform support,” says Ryan Martin, research director, ABI Research. “We believe an effective additive manufacturing platform should be comprehensive, scalable as additive implementations scale, open to the significant innovation we’re seeing from the growing community of AM software vendors, and supportive of multivendor 3D printer implementations. Stratasys is a candidate to lead with its GrabCAD Additive Manufacturing Platform.”

To learn more about the GrabCAD Additive Manufacturing Platform, click here. 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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