3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, July 19, 2020

A variety of topics will be covered in this week’s webinar and virtual event roundup, including additive manufacturing in aerospace, CAMWorks, product management, post-processing, and more. Read on to learn more about, and register for, these online opportunities.

AM in Aerospace Virtual Panel

On Tuesday, July 21st, Women in 3D Printing (Wi3DP) will host the third event, “Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace”, in its virtual panel series. Sponsored by AlphaSTAR and Link3D, the panel will focus on how AM is used in the aerospace industry. Moderated by AM-Cubed founder Kristin Mulherin, the speakers are Anna Tomzynska, Director and Additive Manufacturing Chief Engineer for Boeing; Deb Whitis, GE Aviation Chief Engineer; and Eliana Fu, Senior Engineer, Additive Technologies, at Relativity Space.

Pre-registration will begin at 11 am EST, with a welcome speech at 11:25. The hour-long panel will begin at 11:30, with plenty of time for live Q&A, and there will be a virtual networking reception at 12:30. Register for the virtual panel here.

3DEO Webinar – Why I Switched From CNC Machining

Also on July 21st, metal 3D printing company 3DEO is hosting a live webinar, entitled “Why I Switched From CNC Machining: An Engineer’s Perspective on Transitioning to Metal 3D Printing.” The webinar, which starts at 1 pm EST, will feature 3DEO Applications Engineer Julien Cohen, who will explain the major differences between metal 3D printing and CNC machining. The following topics will be covered:

  • Compare CNC machining and 3DEO’s proprietary metal 3D printing process

  • Understand the value metal 3D printing offers engineers in design and flexibility

  • Learn about the pros and cons of each process and when metal 3D printing makes sense

  • Discover three real-world case studies of 3DEO winning versus CNC machining

  • See 3DEO’s process for going from first articles to production

You can register for the webinar on 3DEO’s website.

Free CAMWorks Webinar Series

To make sure professionals in the CAM industry have easy access to educational and training materials during the COVID-19 crisis, a free CAMWorks webinar series has been launched. Each session will give attendees the opportunity to increase their CAM skills, learning about more advanced features that can help maintain business operations. SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks: Getting Started” is on Tuesday, July 21st, at 10:30 am EST, and will be a training session on using the integrated CNC programming system SOLIDWORKS CAM Standard. It will also provide an introduction to the Technology Database (TechDB), which can automate the CNC programming process. “SOLIDWORKS CAM for Designers: A Path to Better Designs” will also take place on July 21st, at 2 pm EST, and will focus on how to use SOLIDWORKS CAM to reduce cost, improve design, and make it easier to manufacture parts.

You’ll need to attend the “Getting Started” webinar before attending “SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks: Getting Started with the TechDB” on Thursday, July 23rd at 10:30 am EST. This is a more in-depth training session for using the TechDB included in SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks. The final webinar in the series is “The Future of Manufacturing in the COVID Era,” also held on July 23rd, at 2 pm EST. This session will help attendees learn how to automate part programming to stay productive and competitive during and after the pandemic.

Protolabs Webinar: HP’s Multi Jet Fusion

On Wednesday, July 22nd, at 2 pm EST, Protolabs will be hosting a webinar with HP, called “Tips and Tricks to Leverage Multi Jet Fusion in your Product Development Cycle.” One of the company’s Applications Engineers, Joe Cretella, and Brent Ewald, HP’s Solution Architect, will discuss design tips that result in good MJF parts, how to implement the technology, and where MJF fits within additive and subtractive manufacturing.

This webinar will help attendees understand how the HP Multi Jet Fusion technology 3D printing process can be leveraged in various stages of the product development lifecycle. The experts at HP and Protolabs have teamed up to give you key insights into Multi Jet Fusion materials, processing capabilities, and part quality. Whether the attendee is new to additive manufacturing or evaluating Multi Jet Fusion for their production project, this presentation will help identify when the technology provides the most value and what to consider when manufacturing Multi Jet Fusion parts.”

Register for the webinar here.

Dassault Systèmes on Project Management Solutions

At 10 am EST on Thursday, July 23rd, Dassault Systèmes will hold a live webinar,”Discover How to Deliver Projects on Time and Under Budget, a Real-time Online Experience,” all about collaborating with integrated project management solutions connected to 3D engineering data in order to drive project success. Dassault speakers Maximilian Behre, the Online Industry Business Consultant Director, and 3DS Industry Process Consultants Siddharth Sharma and Alessandro Tolio, will discuss project management challenges, shortening the design cycle through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, provide a demonstration of Project Management on the cloud, and answer questions.

“Whether you are managing big programs that involve hundreds of people or are leading a smaller project, an easy to use integrated project management solution will help you to seamlessly collaborate across all disciplines with any stakeholder. Connect the dots between Marketing, Engineering to Manufacturing and customer services.”

Register here.

KEX Knowledge Exchange on Post-Processing

Finally, former Fraunhofer IPT spinoff KEX Knowledge Exchange AG is holding its second webinar on its KEX.net web platform, “Online Seminar Post-Processing for Additive Manufacturing,” on Thursday, July 23rd. Lea Eilert, the project and technology manager for the ACAM Aachen Center for Additive Manufacturing, will teach attendees about typical heat treatment for AM materials, the necessity of post-processing for 3D printed components, and various post-machining and surface finishing methods.

Register for the webinar here. In addition, Eilert will also present the third KEX webinar on August 6th, entitled “Market, Costs & Innovation.”

Will you attend any of these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know! 

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3D Printing Webinar and Virtual Event Roundup, July 13, 2020

We’ve got six webinars and virtual events to tell you about in this week’s roundup, including two about ceramics 3D printing, one focused on patents and another on pharmaceuticals, a live tour, and a live look at 3DEXPERIENCE. A few of these are taking place today…read on to learn the details!

Patents in Additive Manufacturing

The European Patent Office (EPO), one of the largest public service institutions in Europe, is launching a new study on Monday, July 13th, titled “Patents and additive manufacturing – Trends in 3D printing technologies,” to offer evidence that Europe is a global 3D printing innovation hub. Ahead of the launch, there will be a panel discussion between EPO president António Campinos and Christian Archambeau, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and then the EPO’s Chief Economist, Yann Ménière, will present the study.

The study is part of a four-day digital conference, from July 13-16, regarding the impact of 3D printing intellectual property, organized by the EPO and the EUIPO and including speakers like Isinnova founder and CEO Cristian Fracassi and stereolithography inventor Chuck Hull. You can register for the entire conference here.

3D Printing in Pharmaceuticals and Dietary Supplements

From 9 am to noon each day July 13-16, the US Pharmacopeia (USP) and International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology (APV) will be co-hosting a virtual workshop series, “The Promise of 3D Printing in Pharmaceuticals and Dietary Supplements: Quality and Standards Considerations,” that will look at how pharmaceutical and supplement 3D printing is progressing near and at point-of-care (POC), standards and guidance, and potential applications. Several key objectives of the series including discussing quality management needs in areas like testing, design optimization, and terminology, understanding best practices, engaging stakeholders to look at 3D printing progress in health and wellness, and determining what quality needs can be fulfilled with better guidance and standards.

These webinars are suggested for POC healthcare practitioners, 3D printing enthusiasts and industry professionals, pharmaceutical industry stakeholders, and business and science leaders from academic institutions, companies, and advocacy/professional organizations related to personalized health. You can register for the webinar series here. You can select which days you want to join, though USP and APV encourage total workshop attendance.

Exploring 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS Live

Also on July 13th, 3DEXPERIENCE experts John Martorano III and Gian Calise will begin hosting a live webinar series focused on exploring 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS. In this series of webinars, which will take place every other Monday, Calise and Martorano will answer all your questions about the platform in a fun, yet informative way. Each session will feature a different 3D design workflow, along with best practices and tips, and guest appearance from other SOLIDWORKS experts.

At the end of every webinar session, attendees can also take a poll to suggest future topics. Register for the webinar series here.

Lithoz on 3D Printing Ceramics

The first ceramics webinar this coming week will be held by Lithoz on Wednesday, July 15th, at 10 am EST, and titled “Ceramic 3D printing: advancing new applications in AM.” For the first 30 minutes, webinar moderator Davide Sher, the co-founder and CEO of 3dpbm, and Lithoz co-founder and CEO Johannes Homa will discuss the unique properties of the material, talk about how ceramics can benefit AM applications in a variety of applications, and provide some insight into LCM technology. The final 15 minutes will be reserved for Q&A.

“The impact of 3D printing is today being felt far beyond the metal and the plastic industry. This is particularly true in the world of ceramics, where processes such as Lithoz’ ceramic 3D printing technology are unlocking new applications which were previously impossible.”

Register for the free webinar here. If you miss this one, Lithoz will be holding another webinar about ceramics in August.

Live Tour of Ricoh 3D

Also on July 15th, Ricoh 3D will be offering a live tour of its Additive Manufacturing Centre, since COVID-19 is keeping it from offering an in-person look at its AM, metrology, and process control capabilities. During the tour, you’ll get a chance to see the company’s in-house 3D printing technology, in addition to learning from its material and design experts how AM can benefit your business in a low-risk way, meaning without any “capital expenditure commitments.”

The tour will take place at 10 am EST, and will also discuss more advanced 3D equipment, services, and technologies. Register for the live tour here.

Ceramics Expo 2020 Webinar

This week’s second webinar on ceramics will be held at noon EST on Thursday, July 16th, by Ceramics Expo, the largest annual trade show in the US for the technical ceramic and glass industry. The webinar, “Accelerating the Commercialization Process of Ceramic Materials to Stimulate Growth in the Wake of Covid-19,” will discuss how to speed up commercialization to stimulate growth for the glass and ceramics supply chain, how regulation helps or hurts this process and if the pandemic has changed it, and how glass and ceramics manufacturers can “work with their clients to ensure continued investment in new product development.”

“By making more efficient the processes of material characterization, prototype production and material optimization, the reduction in cost and resources will help give ceramic materials an edge over those which may have a shorter and less expensive process. This session is designed to help bridge the gap between research and engineering in order to accelerate the process of scaling up new products.”

Register for this ceramics expo here, and the Ceramics Expo Connect virtual event in September here.

Do you have news to share about future webinars and virtual events? Let us know!

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3D Printing News Briefs: December 15, 2019

In this edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, it’s business, business, business, and then an upcoming event, 3D Alliances signed a collaboration agreement with Xact Metal. Sigma Labs has appointed a new Executive Chairman to its board of directors. Finally, mark your calendars – NAMIC Summit 2020 is coming to Singapore in May.

3D Alliances Teams Up with Xact Metal, Welcomes Team Member

Israeli consulting company 3D Alliances has announced a new collaboration agreement with Pennsylvania startup Xact Metal, which develops metal powder bed fusion systems. 3D Alliances will be supporting Xact Metal as it works to deploy channels and find new sales partners in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

“No doubt, metal 3D printing solutions are on the rise as professional and industrial users are looking for new solutions that will help them integrate metal technologies in their research and development, prototyping and short run manufacturing processes. Xact Metal answers these exact needs offering professional systems in a very attractive entry point,” stated Gil Lavi, the Founder and CEO of 3D Alliances. “Once the price barrier is no longer a big issue, the acceleration in the adoption of metal systems is inevitable. We look forward working with Xact Metal team bringing it’s great products to the Asia Pacific market.”

But that’s not the only news 3D Alliances is sharing – Scott Hill, a veteran in the 3D printing industry, is joining the company as a senior consultant for North America. This completes its global coverage, as 3D Alliances also has teams in APAC and the DACH region of Europe.

Sigma Labs Names Mark K. Ruport New Executive Chairman

Speaking of new additions, 3D printing quality assurance software developer Sigma Labs has appointed Mark K. Ruport as its executive chairman, and a member of its board of directors. Ruport is an accomplished software executive, with over three decades of experience in both public and private companies, and will work with fellow board member, and the company’s CEO, John Rice to help drive the formation of strategic relationships and sales strategies, increase shareholder value, and speed up growth.

Ruport said, “The ability to have an immediate, tangible impact on Sigma Labs with the apparent adoption of its incredible technology in the marketplace is a unique and exciting opportunity. My focus will be on accelerating our commercial adoption with strategic partners and amplifying the recent success John and his team have achieved. This blueprint is something I am very familiar with given my experience with disruptive companies in the software sector and I look forward to working with the entire team at Sigma Labs to drive forward its strategic initiatives.”

As an inducement award outside of its 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, Sigma Labs granted Ruport non-qualified stock options, in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

Save the Date for NAMIC Summit 2020

NAMIC (National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster) is hosting its AM Summit 2020 at the Marina Bay Sands EXPO and Convention Centre in Singapore, May 11-15. In addition to a full conference, featuring more than 1,000 local and international delegates and industry leaders, the summit will also include workshops and certification courses, an industry showcase, behind-the-scenes tours at several industry facilities, and the NAMIC Start-up Innovation Forum, held at SGInnovate on the last day of the summit.

“Presenting a variety of activities and programmes with the NAMIC Conference anchoring the summit, this will be a unique experience for global 3D printing experts, adopters, innovators and professionals to interact for knowledge sharing and discussions on the latest 3D printing innovations, designs and process development as well as wide-spread industrial adoption,” the NAMIC AM Summit 2020 states on its website.

You can register your interest in attending the latest summit by NAMIC here.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below. 

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3DEXPERIENCE Modeling & Simulation Conference: Keynote by Skunk Works & Executive Roundtable

Last week, Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE software company, held the 3DEXPERIENCE Modeling & Simulation Conference in Michigan. I was invited to attend the event, which was held from September 18-19 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

At the first plenary session, keynote speaker Clifton Davies, a Principal Aeronautical Engineer for Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, talked about the defense contractor’s use of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and its simulation process and design exploration apps, to work on aircraft design for the non-proprietary EXPEDITE project.

Skunk Works began working with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on the EXPEDITE project in 2017. According to ESTECO, EXPEDITE, which stands for EXPanded MDO for Effectiveness Based DesIgn TEchnologies, is the latest in a series of successful AFRL programs with a goal of advancing “the state-of-the-art of Multi-disciplinary Analysis and Design Optimization (MADO)” for USAF programs. The project aims to rapidly improve early conceptual MDO capabilities for the aerospace industry in several areas, including Effectiveness-Based Design (EBD), high-performance computing, and cost and reliability.

“Whatever your business process is, there’s a good chance it needs high-performance computing,” Davies said.

He explained what EXPEDITE was currently working on, stating that efficiency and support of higher fidelity physics are necessary for the tasks, which included next generation mobility, next generation UAS, and high-speed systems.

In terms of delivering EBD to customers, Davies said that the most important aspect to keep in mind is not how fast or far it can go, but if it finished the job in an affordable way. He said the design process needs to be taken “down into the statistics” to find the answer.

Davies continued, “What’s the probability it can complete the mission?”

Skunk Works wanted to make sure that risk to the USAF was minimal for the project, and wasn’t sure if there was anyone in the MDO framework industry capable of handling it. So the company partnered with Dassault, and several other companies, to determine who could best address the particular challenges of EXPEDITE.

In terms of what the company is using on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the focus is mainly on MDO tools, such as SIMULIA.

“We’re leveraging SIMULIA apps for creating MDO workflows,” Davies said. “We built the aircraft design workflows for the program using the SIMULIA apps.”

3DEXPERIENCE platform implementations can vary from very large to very small. The EXPEDITE project set up the platform on multiple virtual machines in Palmdale, California and Fort Worth, Texas, so more work could be distributed to more locations.

Davies then showed a slide which illustrated the conceptual design workflow that Lockheed Martin uses for the aircraft elements it’s executing with 3DEXPERIENCE. It’s broken down into multiple activities, based on both where the project might be executed and by which group.

The company has also integrated the V5 version of Dassault’s CATIA software program, and even built on top of it due to “multiple customizations,” which is why the newest version of the software was not used. Because an adapter did not exist, the company had to connect CATIA via COM interface through a VBScript driver they wrote.

But the company really wanted an adapter, and Davies said that Dassault “really came through for us.”

“It [the adapter] supports the normal things you’d expect, but this also supports Macros, which lets you leverage your IP and capability with geometry to get out what you need to do,” Davies explained.

He said that one of the most useful features of the plugin that the CATIA team created for EXPEDITE is a Screen Capture capability: it allows users to see exactly where the process failed, which really helps to reduce run time.

Moving back to computing, Davies said that the next generation of super computers will offer plenty of flexibility in terms of the various 3DEXPERIENCE platforms users can visit.

Davies wrapped up by discussing the company’s lessons learned, next steps, and future needs in terms of 3DEXPERIENCE. He talked about how nice it was to be able to load design data without having to leave the platform, in addition to being able to compare designs in tabular and graphical form, apply constraints, and having opportunities to streamline the user’s post-processing experience.

In closing, Davies said that he encourages Dassault Systèmes to “continue improving ergonomics for debugging models, best practices for large model distribution,” and the overall user experience.

Next up, PLM expert Dr. Michael Grieves, Chief Scientist for Advanced Manufacturing at the Florida Institute of Technology and the father of the digital twin, came onstage to speak for a few minutes before moderating the executive roundtable.

“We’re doing a lot of exciting things,” Dr. Grieves said.

“What I want to talk about is the digital twin – the model I developed.”

He talked about how in the 21st century, we developed 3D models and created a virtual space filled with virtual products – a big change from years past.

“At the beginning, we actually have a digital twin before we have the physical thing,” Dr. Grieves explained. “We really have this digital information that we work on. I like to design, test, make, and support the product virtually, and only when I get it all right do I want to make physical things. Ideally, I’d really like to print it – I think additive manufacturing is really going to change how we manufacture things.”

Then he referred back to the point that Davies had made early on – does the product do its job?

“If we can take the digital twin and test that to destruction, I have a better feel for the fact that it will perform the way it’s supposed to perform in the real world. Digital twins will save us a whole lot of resources,” Dr. Grieves said. “I should be able to predict failures and fix them before they happen.”

The way to do this, he explained, is by doing as much work as possible in advance on the virtual side.

“Industry 4.0 is talking about reducing the time of an event occurring to fixing it. I think about the digital twin as figuring out which events will occur and fixing them before they happen.”

With that, Dr. Grieves introduced the three speakers of the executive roundtable: Philippe Laufer, the CEO of CATIA; David Holman, Vice President R&D and Brand Leader for Dassault’s SIMULIA; and Garth Coleman, the VP of Marketing for Dassault’s ENOVIA.

Coleman was in definite agreement with Dr. Grieves’ thoughts on virtualization.

“We can do the modeling of the experience well before you have the product out in the world. We can innovate around that experience, and include the customer in that experience,” he stated.

“Once you have the real twin, you can connect that data in and refine the product, the experiences, everything.”

In this way, Coleman continued, companies can achieve cost savings, with maximum flexibility, early on in the process.

Then Dr. Grieves asked the experts how they felt about this kind of connectivity – how smart, connected products “fit in to what we do.” Coleman brought up the fact that the IoT and the IIoT are both “generating boatloads of data,” which is interesting for companies to have access to. But, he wondered if customers were using the features in the correct way.

“Being able to be in tune to all the trends and your finicky and satisfied customers is really important,” he said. “But what’s a great experience today – a better one may come along tomorrow.”

Holman chimed in here, stating that the digital twin is a good tool for success, as major challenges companies today face include the demand for increased customization and better quality.

“The only way to keep up is with the true 3DEXPERIENCE digital twin,” Holman said.

Dr. Grieves then asked Laufer for his opinion regarding the 3DEXPERIENCE digital twin.

“All signs show that we are changing the world,” he answered. “Experience is not at the level it should be, so it’s the time for the industry renaissance, and to have the citizen, consumer, and patient at the heart of the experience you’re creating.”

Industry Renaissance [Image: Dassault Systèmes]

Laufer brought up cars, and talked about simply riding in one versus the driving experience; for example, Laufer asked the audience members how many of us were satisfied with our car’s air conditioning. He mentioned that during a recent visit to Boeing, company representatives discussed the flight experience, as opposed to just delivering an airplane, and wanted to know why we weren’t all talking about the Industry Renaissance.

“The new book is the experience,” Laufer stated, quoting Dassault. “We are creating a 3DEXPERIENCE twin. In the virtual world, you can blow on it, push it, pull it.”

Dr. Grieves asked him how we can help customers “bridge the gap” between the physical and virtual worlds. Laufer explained that companies are using cyber systems to create these experiences, and that we have to be able to create, master, and model those systems – after all, when you want to make music, you must first practice the scales. In most companies, a designer creates the concept for a product and passes it on to the analyst engineer, who then runs simulations and sends it back for the changes to be made. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is able to streamline all of these processes.

He asked, “How can you automate if you don’t do it properly in an interactive way?”

Dr. Grieves then brought up how generative design is tied into manufacturing, since we need to be able to create new shapes, and asked Coleman how he feels that it “plays into the classic bill of materials and collaboration.”

“From the ENOVIA side, this is a common thing that everyone wants to achieve – this lack of productivity,” he answered. “The common metric that comes back is 30% – what would you do with 30% of your time back?

“The bill of materials can’t keep up now, it’s too static, it’s too slow,” Coleman continued. “You can’t stimulate and optimize this. So it’s really a report of where you’re at – basically a 2D drawing.”

Turning to Holman, Dr. Grieves asked him where simulation fit.

“Basically, we can provide the tools, the manpower, the signers, and the innovators to build products that behave the way they are intended. This is what we’re bringing together with generative design,” Holman answered.

“In the end, the products we create have to deliver the right experiences to the customers, they have to be sustainable.”

Dr. Grieves then asked Coleman his perspective of where he thought everything in the discussion fit in.

“Requirements are driving everything, including what you do in modeling and simulation,” he said. “A lot of times, these are managed in emails, sticky notes, documents, Excel files, so on. Traditionally, we can do file management, and we do it well. But we need to move past this and start managing the innovation. Extract the important information as data, and connect it.”

Laufer then had the chance to share his views on the matter.

“The challenge engineering teams face is you have a problem in front of you – the topic is to optimize several KPI. How do you model in your current system? We have a way in the platform to follow KPIs while you’re designing and simulating to make sure you’re going in the right direction. This solution will augment the engineering teams by allowing them to explore, and simulate.

“I’m heavily using David’s technology in my CATIA applications,” Laufer continued. “Your role as an engineering team will be to explore, simulate, and optimize – the geometry, material composition, material selection, manufacturing process. This is what the future of engineering is about. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides this integrated environment that lets stakeholders of these decisions play together. 3DEXPERIENCE is multidisciplinary.”

Finally, Dr. Grieves asked each participant what the most important takeaway from the discussion was for the audience to understand. Holman stated that SIMULIA was making some strong investments in order to fulfill the promise of making high fidelity simulation more accessible, which “is gong to be great for all of you.” Coleman explained that ENOVIA is working to optimize things at the business process level, as it concerns “organizing and orchestrating all of this, and being able to modify the plan.”

Laufer said, “Speaking to you as users, your job will evolve. Simulation experts will be able to modify mesh, and work with the designer to propose alternatives. I think there’s going to be a fusion, but don’t be afraid of that.”

Stay tuned for more news from my time at the recent 3DEXPERIENCE Modeling & Simulation Conference!

Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

[Photos by Sarah Saunders]

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Dassault Systèmes Announces Extended FDA Partnership, Dassault Aviation Collaboration, Earnings

Dassault Systèmes makes numerous announcements this week, as they continue to lead in partnerships and projects around the world, usually connected to their proprietary 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Currently the FDA has extended their collaboration regarding development of their cardiovascular device review tool for five years. This is meant to offer a completely new process for the medical industry, accelerating diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

The second part of the collaboration is connected with the 21st Century Cures Act, with the creation of a fascinating process—again geared toward improving medical treatment—with the use of virtual patients and simulation for clinical trials.

“Our collaboration with the FDA underscores the relevance and sustainability of digital twin experiences created with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to test devices and drugs in scientific and medical innovation,” said Claire Biot, Vice President, Life Sciences Industry, Dassault Systèmes.  “Enriching technology already well established in regulated industries such as aerospace and automotive, virtual patients support the complex development of therapies for the heart, brain and more by eliminating traditional cost and time bottlenecks.  With this new review process, Dassault Systèmes and the FDA can be partners in the transformative impact of the virtual world on industrial innovation, new treatments and the patient experience.”

The project is multi-faceted, also including a Living Heart simulated 3D heart model meant to function as a ‘source of digital evidence for new cardiovascular device approvals,’ including an in silico (by way of computer simulation) trial meant to decrease the need for testing on animals—or for patients to be involved in trials. Dassault Systèmes expects for this project and innovative digital process to be more efficient and less expensive.

“Modeling and simulation can help to inform clinical trial designs, support evidence of effectiveness, identify the most relevant patients to study, and assess product safety. In some cases, in silico clinical trials have already been shown to produce similar results as human clinical trials,” said Tina Morrison, Ph.D., Deputy Director in the Division of Applied Mechanics, Office of Science and Engineering Labs, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, FDA.  “The FDA continues to encourage research to facilitate the introduction of safe and effective therapeutic solutions.”

Dassault Aviation also continues to push their Next Generation Enterprise platform forward, with six new ‘industry solution experiences’ meant to offer better performance for businesses with streamlined performance and better savings on the bottom line. They will be focused on the following features, based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform:

  • Winning Concept
  • Program Excellence
  • Co-design to Target
  • Ready for Rate
  • Build to Operate
  • Keep Them Operating

With 3DEXPERIENCE, businesses can integrate 3D design, analysis, simulation, and more in one, comprehensive digital environment. Teams can collaborate more efficiently—along with communicating with their entire global supply chain, partners, contractors, and more.

“As we move forward with our digital transformation, we are using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to develop a digital, multi-program approach with easy access to data, especially for program management, procurement and quality processes,” said Jean Sass, Chief Digital Officer, Dassault Aviation. “All of our industrial partners will work in collaboration with their customers on one digital platform. Ultimately, this will enable us to provide our customers with new, innovative flying experiences.”

Dassault Aviation’s Falcon range of aircraft has been in demand for over 50 years, with more than 2,100 of them in service in 90 countries. In the future, these aircraft will continue to be refined for the following:

  • Low fuel consumption levels
  • Low CO2 emissions
  • Comfort and distance features

“The 3DEXPERIENCE platform represents a holistic approach to innovation,” said David Ziegler, Vice President Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systèmes. “It equips Dassault Aviation with integrated technologies and capabilities to connect all the dots from concept to operations, bring real-world data into the virtual world for analysis and action, build powerful, dynamic value networks of suppliers, and coordinate knowledge, know-how and processes to build their future aircraft.”

Dassault Systèmes has also released their first-half revenue statement, reporting growth in in the double digits—along with reaffirming their financial goals for 2019. These figures offer results for both the second quarter and the first half, ended June 30, 2019:

  • The second quarter shows non-IFRS revenue increasing by 13 percent, and software revenues increasing by 12 percent. According to Dassault Systèmes, these figures are on the ‘high end’ of their financial objectives range.
  • From an ‘organic basis,’ non-IFRS revenue was up 10 percent and non-IFRS software revenue was up 9 percent in Q2.
  • 3DEXPERIENCE non-IFRS software revenue was up 40 percent in H1.
  • Dassault Systèmes and Medidata signed and definitive acquisition agreement on June 12, 2019.
  • Updated 2019 financial objectives target non-IFRS EPS of €3.45-3.50, well aligned with a five-year plan to double non-IFRS earnings per share in 2019.

“We believe the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a critical enabler for innovation and transformation across all major industries where the drive to provide new types of customer experiences and new business models is emerging and accelerating. We see these possibilities across the three spheres addressed by our purpose: Product, Nature and Life and the proof points with our strategic wins across a number of diverse industries over the last two years,” said Bernard Charlès, Dassault Systèmes’ Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“Our plan to acquire Medidata, announced in June, fits perfectly into our strategy in that regard. As the Life Sciences industry shifts to science-based experience, we believe scientific innovation 2 and industrial performance call for a unified new approach and this is what we have been working towards with our investments in Life Sciences over the past years. The acquisition of Medidata, with its clinical and commercial solutions, reinforces our position as a science-based company by providing the Life Sciences industry with an integrated business experience platform for an end to-end approach to research and discovery, development, clinical testing, manufacturing and commercialization of new therapies and health technologies.

“Thanks to our platform strategy, more companies view us as a strategic partner to help them transform. We were very honored and pleased that Groupe PSA has named Dassault Systèmes a key supplier, and its preferred digital partner for its digital transformation. With Dassault Systèmes as Groupe PSA’s preferred digital partner, the two companies are engaging in a long term strategy with the intent to deploy the 3DEXPERIENCE platform as a key innovation enabler across the group’s activities.”

Dassault Systèmes continues to be a dynamic force also with recent collaborations, acquisitions, and a long and impressive client base continually signing on to adopt the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: Dassault Systèmes press release]

The post Dassault Systèmes Announces Extended FDA Partnership, Dassault Aviation Collaboration, Earnings appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

SOLIDWORKSWORLD 2019: Global R&D Team Discusses New and Improved Features in SOLIDWORKS

Earlier this week, I arrived back home in chilly Ohio after spending a couple of days in Dallas, Texas. But I wasn’t just visiting the Lone Star State to enjoy the warmer temperatures – I was there to attend one of the biggest events in 3D software, SOLIDWORKS World 2019, which was held in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

This was my first time at the event, which was in Los Angeles the last couple of years, and I’d heard a lot of good things about it, so I was excited.

While I missed the first full day of SWW 19, I was off to the races on Tuesday morning. Three different General Sessions were offered during the same time, and I decided to skip ‘New Horizons’ and ‘Design to Profit’ in favor of ‘R&D Futures,’ which promised attendees a preview of “the cutting-edge technologies taking form at Dassault Systèmes/SOLIDWORKS R&D Labs.”

Manish Kumar, Vice President of R&D for SOLIDWORKS, said that a single global R&D team binds together all of Dassault’s 12 brands, and the 6,700 members of this team, who are spread out across 21 nations, are encouraged to work on their dream projects. Kumar said that design is the starting point at Dassault, but posed two questions – is design still the way we learned it? What is its future?

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform by Dassault Systèmes now includes a portfolio of applications in its new 3DEXPERIENCE.WORKS that will put user experience and simplicity at the core. Kumar likened the platform to a story with three chapters: industry renaissance, knowledge and know-how, and the workforce of the future. He explained that these interconnected chapters “are the themes that drive us.”

Kumar shared a personal story about his father, who once nearly missed a flight because, “like any dad, he refuses to seek any additional help,” such as smartphone airline apps that make traveling more efficient by providing helpful things like notifications of gate changes.

“How many of you face the same problem in your day to day life?” Kumar asked. “When you start your design, when you are extremely busy trying to finalize your design, how many times has it happened where someone who is working on the other design – which your design depends on – changed that design and they forgot to tell you? So you’re working off data which is already out of date.

“How are you gathering information? How are you sharing information, and how are you keeping everything up to date? Is it still like a printed boarding pass, which gets outdated right after it was printed, or is it like an airline app which is connected all the time to a single source of truth?”

Having been notified of more than one gate change this week through my airline app, this analogy really speaks to me…and it’s definitely applicable to additive manufacturing.

“We are in a world where technology enables people from all walks of life to share their knowledge and know-how like never before,” Kumar stated.

“What is your expertise? You are creators, you are designers, you are manufacturers, you are dreamers. If you have to share your expertise with the world, how would you share it?

“Our 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a platform for knowledge and know-how. This quest is also the core of our DNA. We at Dassault Systèmes R&D understand that the world is changing and the future is right now.”

Kumar reminded everyone that the current generation is working with technology in ways we never thought possible. While I was learning how to use Microsoft PowerPoint in eighth grade, students today are making actual robots…and using 3D printing to do it. A few years ago, I was sitting in a local yogurt shop that had an old typewriter on the counter, which patrons were encouraged to use for fun. A man brought his young daughter up to see it, and after running her finger over the keys, she said, “Daddy, where’s the search button?”

These personal anecdotes popped in my head during Kumar’s talk, both of which prove his point: kids today know that everything is connected.

“Today our kids are growing up in an environment where the global market is accessible to them,” Kumar said. “Our future generation is growing up in an entirely different world…connected to a global world of intelligent machines and computing power.

“So as they become our next generation workforce, we need to be ready for their needs. At Dassault Systèmes R&D, we take all these factors into consideration.”

Kumar then invited six members of the global R&D team onstage to show the audience what the team is working on, and SOLIDWORKS employee Aaron Kelly joined him first.

“24 years ago when I started at the SOLIDWORKS brand, we had the mission to put the power of 3D at every engineer’s desktop,” Kelly said. “We’ve been working on that passionately over that time, but there was one other thing. There was this unwritten promise, and that promise was that we would work together to make products…to build this ecosystem of products that were valuable and got you to get your job done faster and better.

“3DEXPERIENCE.WORKS, to me, is kind of a culmination of that promise.

“I know you’ll work with us together, and I know we’ll continue to make great products, because 3D is not enough – you’ve told us that. 24 years ago, 3D was new, it was exciting, and many of you have adopted it, and you’ve come back to us and said ‘We need more. We need to take our business to the next level, we need more tools.’ And when I think of 3DEXPERIENCE.WORKS…I think of that taking us down a path to smashing down the walls of limitations and gently opening the doors to infinite possibilities.”

Kelly then introduced the other experts from the SOLIDWORKS R&D team, which, according to John Sweeney, just released several hundred new features in SOLIDWORKS 2019, and is currently working to do the same with SOLIDWORKS 2020.

Sweeney discussed some of the team’s multi-year initiatives, such as Sketch Enhancements, and 3D MarkUp, which can now be completed with a mouse. Mesh Modeling now allows for the addition of textures by grabbing a bitmap, dragging it to the correct place, and actually changing the surface of the mesh right then and there. This means it comes right off the 3D printer with that texture.

He also mentioned some big performance initiatives from last year that are continuing into next year, like a telescope model with huge assemblies that can be opened, and edited, in LDR, or Large Design Review, mode. Sweeney also discussed the new Detailing Mode, which gives users access to all project sheets and the ability to complete edits, like deleting dimensions.

Hubert Masson, who works with the 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace, talked about how the company helps customers with collaboration, and mentioned two specific applications: 3D Drive, which has to do with file storage and sharing on the cloud, and social media collaboration on the 3D XPoint platform through 3D Swym.

Users can upload files to the cloud with a simple drag and drop from their web browser to 3D Drive.

“In a few seconds, all those files become available and accessible from anywhere – from the web browser as well as right from within SOLIDWORKS,” Masson explained.

You can also drag and drop files in order to add more components to a model, and send the files to other users, who can then work on them from their own devices and send suggestions back and forth, which will remain forever in the cloud as searchable comments. In 3D Swym, groups of people can create and publish social contact, react to it, and share existing content. The application was recently enhanced in order to increase user engagement, so people can now have private conversations on 3D Swym.

[Image: Dassault Systèmes]

Both 3D Drive and 3D Swym are available through iPhone apps, and 3D Drive also offers an augmented reality feature that allows users to get an even closer look at models from their phones. Additionally, you can even make video calls, which Masson demonstrated by calling a colleague in the front row.

Sweeney took center stage again to discuss design applications, and mentioned the recently announced xShape, which allows freeform design on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Then Kenneth Hallberg talked about Dassault’s ENOVIA PLM software, which works to keep things more product-based.

“We’re kind of taking a giant leap with 3DEXPERIENCE PLM Collaboration Services, and next to our 3D Drive solution, which is file-centric, we are delivering an all-embracing environment that supports everything from innovation processes to design and engineering work that spans over and across enterprises,” Hallberg explained.

“3DEXPERIENCE PLM Collaboration Services is connecting not only the SOLIDWORKS desktop users but all of the product stakeholders in a company, no matter what function you have or applications that you’re using.

“In addition to this, we are leveraging the ENOVIA portfolio and we’re providing really strong applications and capabilities for planning work…development work…and finally release activities, like engineering and comprehensive change management.”

Delphine Genouvrier has helped SOLIDWORKS create many simulation products over the years and is currently working with its SIMULIA team.

[Image: Dassault Systèmes]

“Lots of great things are coming for the SOLIDWORKS community, with a strong focus on power, robustness, and intuitiveness, ” she said.

To help customers increase efficiency and innovation, Genouvrier noted that it was imperative to assess product performance early on, with the highest possible fidelity. She explained that now through SIMULIA, users can test out projects with any physics through SOLIDWORKS, which is “completely new” for the community and can be accessed in the cloud through a “unique engineering workflow.” The 3DEXPERIENCE platform makes it easy to share simulation results during design, which can then be reviewed on any device anywhere.

Finally, Trever Diehl introduced the room to DELMIAWORKS, which is the rebranded version of IQMS – a recent acquisition of Dassault’s. Diehl described it as the bridge between designing and executing a product, as it provides all sorts of helpful features:

  • part quoting
  • process monitoring
  • scheduling, order processing, & shipping
  • shop floor integration
  • accounting suite

This helps ensure that your product is actually profitable.

“Think about making cookies,” Diehl said. “You get the dough together, you batch it out onto a baking sheet, you put it in the oven, you take out a batch of cookies.”

The R&D team members also talked about the 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace, which makes it easy to collaborate between partner companies to “get your parts made in record time.”

Before the session ended, we got a surprise – the next morning, on the last day of SWW 19 and before the last General Session, the entertaining (and only slightly corny) SOLIDWORKS News Network team, or SNN, would perform a “What’s New” skit to provide attendees with a sneak peak at some of the latest features and platform updates “that even Wikileaks wouldn’t report” coming in SOLIDWORKS 2020.

After a day of interviews and a press conference, both of which I will talk about in more detail later, I spent the evening attending the SWW 19 special event, which was held nearby at a giant entertainment venue called Gilley’s and included everything from horseshoes, trivia, and a photo booth to hearty snacks and drinks, lots of live music and opportunities to meet new people, and armadillo racing…yes, you read that correctly.

The special session the next morning began with Dassault’s Mark Schneider announcing the winners of the Lenovo-sponsored Model Mania Challenge, which pitted users against users and resellers against resellers to see who could model and analyze a part most efficiently, accurately, and quickly.


Then, the six members of the SNN team – Schneider, Mark Barrow, Megan Duane, Michael Steeves, Jeremy Regnerus, and Yan Killy – went into full Anchorman mode, complete with plenty of groan-worthy jokes, to bring the room the latest SOLIDWORKS 2020 updates.

For instance, weatherman Schneider said that a massive approaching deadline could “lead to elevated stress levels” across the entire design ecosystem, and mentioned enhanced features for the Sketch Relations application, which allows users to control curves and will soon be able to make models even smoother with the new G3 Curvature constraint.

Another new assembly function coming is Envelope Publisher, as SW 2020 will include the ability to fill in mass properties for wires and cables; thanks to another new feature, the mass can also be calculated automatically. The team’s sportscaster brought up March Feature Madness, and explained some of the features of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform that would make up his top 10 list, including new tools that he was able to use to fix the remote he broke out of excitement over the Patriots’ recent Superbowl win.

One example is the ability to drag freeform primitive surfaces in order to easily customize geometry onscreen. In addition, users can select the Cage manipulator to achieve an alternate perspective for making detailed changes to freeform surfaces, and selection filters offer multiple ways to work with geometry. xDesign is a new browser tool that can use a merge function to knit freeform shapes into solid bodies, Flexible Parts can make any component dynamic, and SW 2020 will also allow you to run simulations and share design data more easily with other team members.

Killy, the team’s undercover reporter, tracked down a major developer to determine their favorite new features. Detailing Mode, which Sweeney mentioned the day before during R&D Futures, was brought up – it lets users quickly open drawings, no matter the complexity or size, without losing any detail, and also allows for annotation. While SW 2019 lets users add markups to past assemblies, SW 2020 takes it a step further with the new Markup view, which lets you choose a writing utensil and add markups directly to the screen of your device, then save, send, and post as a PDF.

Stay tuned for more news from SOLIDWORKS World 2019 – in the meantime, enjoy some of the pictures I took at the event:





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[Images: Sarah Saunders, unless otherwise noted]