Materialise has announced an update to its Magics design platform, prioritizing connectivity and tracking to facilitate digital production. By integrating Magics into the CO-AM system, Materialise has added traceability to the 3D printing process with a revision tree that records every action applied to a part or structure, including which user performed it. This combination of data, 3D print prep software and manufacturing systems is critical to tracking part status from start to finish.
“Tracking is critical to any 3D printing production,” comments Egwin Bovyn, product line manager at Materialise. “Not only is this a requirement for highly regulated industries such as aviation, it also plays an important role in improving quality. Tracking the parameters of past designs gives users insight into what works and what doesn’t. It gives them a detailed log they can refer to as they improve their processes.”
The Magics update introduces integration between Magics and Materialise Machine Manager, which connects users to their design processors to transfer design information and parameters necessary for successful construction.
“By combining Magics with our Machine Manager, we offer a new cloud-based solution for fleet management of AM machines and connected engineering processors,” explains Brecht Pellens, product manager at Materialise. “Cloud-based work is inherently more collaborative – users don’t have to rely on a single workstation for all construction preparation – which also makes it easier to share files and processing parameters with colleagues. Moreover, all processing parameters and construction files are now stored in the cloud, continuing the tracking factor at this stage of the work.”
Another feature of the updated Magics is the first “off the shelf script” for workflow automation. Workflow Automation is a Magics tool that offers ready-to-use and custom scripts – developed by Materialise or you – to automate repetitive workflows during data preparation and construction. The first off-the-shelf script – smart labeling – was created for use by Protolabs and automatically tags parts in minutes. Additional workflow automation scripts will be made available later this year.
Source: www.materialise.com