German 3D printing software developer 3YOURMIND has launched its Digital AM Inventory module to centralize 3D files and production data. This extension of the 3YOURMIND workflow software aims to simplify production, and create a cost-efficient alternative to physical warehouse storage of parts. The Digital AM Inventory Since 2014, 3YOURMIND has been developing digitized additive manufacturing processes […]
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3YOURMIND Demonstrating Updated Version of Additive Manufacturing Part Identifier System at formnext
Last spring, EOS and 3YOURMIND worked together to develop the Additive Manufacturing Part Identifier (AMPI), a system that will scan a company’s existing parts inventory, and then identify which ones are suitable for 3D printing. This helps the company determine which parts could potentially be replaced by 3D printed versions, which in turn increases adoption of the technology. Identifying the components and parts that could be 3D printed is still a big challenge, which is why systems like AMPI are so helpful.
formnext 2018 will begin in just a few weeks in Frankfurt, and Berlin-based 3YOURMIND, which provides software for additive manufacturing workflows, will be there to present a totally revised version of AMPI.
“Working closely with customers, we added two new ways to find AM suitable parts: first, it’s now possible for any employee to suggest items for AM by feeding them directly into AMPI,” said 3YOURMIND’s CEO Stephan Kühr. “Second, by enabling newly arriving print orders to be screened prior to being placed, companies can ensure the items are a definite fit for AM before moving into production. AMPI, alongside our other platforms, enables companies to fully exploit the advantages of additive manufacturing and ensures a significantly more efficient production workflow.”
AMPI makes it possible for organizations to find 3D printing use cases in their existing inventory, which in turn helps save on time and money. The software will automatically check large part databases in order to detect which parts would be good for 3D printing, in addition to determining if it’s better for any given part to switch from traditional to additive manufacturing to fabricate it. AMPI’s analysis, based on metadata of components like material section, production requirements, CAD specs, and quality, utilizes both economic and technical aspects to figure out if a part is right for 3D printing.
One of the latest features in the updated AMPI is Use Case Screening, which allows nearly every employee in a given company, whether they work in production, procurement, or design, to use a clearly structure, digitized process to check specific parts and components for what 3YOURMIND refers to as “their economic and technical AM-feasibility.”
“The value the new Use Case Screening directly affects employee’s workflow,” explained Dominik Lindenberger, AM Part Identifier Product Manager at 3YOURMIND. “Designers, for example, can run new parts through our screening process and check whether they are potential AM parts before they even open a CAD program. They can then create an AM optimized design, avoiding costly redesigning of parts. And this is just one example of how departments can benefit from Use Case Screening. With the new version of the AM Part Identifier, we’ve stripped back the preparatory work and the expertise needed during the whole process of part identification for AM to make it even faster and even to be usable by average employees.”
The revised AMPI platform allows users to directly access the world of 3D printing by performing Use Case Screenings on possible 3D assemblies and parts with the touch of a button. AMPI can transfer relevant 3D models into 3YOURMIND’s other tools to enter an end-to-end AM workflow…making AM adoption automated and seamless.
Moving past AMPI, 3YOURMIND’s complete suite of software tools makes it easy to optimize components, material selection and price calculation, along with facilitating print job placement in the production workflow, automated printability analysis, and comprehensive data analysis for optimizing 3D printing. All of these tools have been integrated into the newest version of the company’s Enterprise platform for industrial 3D printing.
Visitors to formnext, which takes place at the Messe Frankfurt from November 13-16, can see live AMPI demonstrations at 3YOURMIND’s booth G70 in Hall 3.1
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