When 3D Systems acquired CAD/CAM specialist software companies, GibbsCAM and Cimatron, in February of this year, it provided a perfect addition to our growing theme of delivering a complete Digital Manufacturing Thread for designers, engineers, manufacturers and innovators to produce what they want, how they want.
Now with 3D Systems software and hardware, you can scan, design, manufacture using traditional techniques, 3D print, and then 3D inspect the products for accuracy all in a single, integrated thread. Or you can do just parts of that to suit your needs.
The Digital Manufacturing Thread video below is a result of what we started to demonstrate during the 2015 RAPID event in May 2015, and shows a few of the possibilities:- Creating new CAD data and a 3D printed part from an old broken part for which no CAD data existed; Creating totally new parts that use the key scan data (in this case the position of critical holes and gaps on the back side of the part; and then creating a new product that combines machining via GibbsCAM plus a 3D printed part for lower overall weight.
Key to our efforts was Quickparts, the on-demand printing service of 3D Systems, and the amazing team there rapidly turned around 3D prints and machined parts without a moment's notice in time for the RAPID event.