Posted on

Interview with Leo Liang and Go Say Tiam of Siemens PLM Software: Our joint efforts with SHINING 3D to promote popularization of 3D digital design and manufacturing

SHINING 3D was honored to have the leading industry media 3D2013.com to interview Leo Liang, Go Say Tiam of Siemens PLM Software and Li Tao of SHINING 3D in Hangzhou, to talk about the partnership between their respective organizations and plans for the future.

Leo Liang,

Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Siemens PLM Software for Greater China

Go Say Tiam,

Global Vice President of Siemens PLM Software for Mid-Market Portfolio

Li Tao,

CEO of SHINING 3D

Integration of digitizing solutions and taking advantage of additive manufacturing technology

As a global leader in industrial technology and industrial software, Siemens PLM Software is committed to promoting the development of “Industry 4.0” worldwide, providing enterprises with digitizing solutions to achieve transformation with higher productivity, higher efficiency, shorter time for product launch and greater flexibility. Leo Liang of Siemens PLM Software believes that digital manufacturing is changing people’s lives. Siemens PLM Software provides complete solutions for many well-known companies including mobile phones, ships, automobiles, aviation, etc. From design, simulation to seamless manufacturing, it improves the overall efficiency of workflow.

 

While additive manufacturing technology is an indispensable part of digital manufacturing, both in terms of Siemens’   own industrial product development and successful user experience of partner companies, which has been widely applied in industrial, medical, automotive and other fields. Compared with the current mainstream production methods, additive manufacturing technology has significant subversive advantages in terms of achieving the lightweight design of products, direct production of complex structures, improving production efficiency and saving cost.

Although the application of additive manufacturing is very common in high-end manufacturing and medical industries, this concept is still relatively unfamiliar to many SMEs. It is cutting-edge technology which cannot be reached. To eliminate this misunderstanding and to promote the large-scale application of additive manufacturing technology, it is urgent for more enterprises to realize the application value and necessity of additive manufacturing today.

“Next Generation Design” promoting the popularization of 3D modeling and design

Although there are many doubts toward additive manufacturing in the market – believing that it has many limitations and drawbacks when compared with other production processes. Li Tao, CEO of SHINING 3D, thinks that such a comparison is meaningless, “additive manufacturing technology actually complements the missing link in the current mainstream production process,“ he adds.

SHINING 3D currently has more than a dozen 3D printing centers across China, serving almost 20,000 companies. Customers benefit from high performance, high efficiency and low scrap thanks to additive manufacturing technology. It is undeniable that most enterprises have begun to use additive manufacturing technology to design and speed up development. However, in most cases, these 3D data for additive manufacturing is designed for other post-processing methods. It will be hard for the additive manufacturing market to grow faster if its application is limited to only this.

In fact, large-scale application of additive manufacturing is closely related to design. Many high-performance products, such as high-performance components of turbine engines and some lightweight and integrated parts in aircraft, can only be produced by additive manufacturing. However, this design capability is not grasped by the public, and it is mainly controlled by high-end manufacturing and R&D companies. Thus, the next step for the partnership between Siemens PLM software and SHINING 3D is to make this design capability accessible to the public. 

Go Say Tiam says that R&D department of Siemens PLM Software has been discussing how to bring “next-generation design.” When it comes to the field of additive manufacturing, the next-generation design gives designers more flexibility for creating the mesh models that are used for additive manufacturing. For example, generative design, one of the “next-generation design”, refers to the merger of design and topology optimization, in which the goal of the analysis is to minimize part mass while producing a component which will meet design criteria for strength. The optimized geometry can either be immediately manufactured via additive processes, or further edited in Siemens PLM software.

A Win-win cooperation to provide integrated tools for more customers

Leo Liang of Siemens PLM Software believes that this cooperation is a win-win choice for both companies. SHINING 3D has a leading position in 3D digitizing and 3D printing market as well as a complete product eco-chain. The partnership between Siemens PLM Software and SHINING 3D can integrate product systems from both sides to better serve more customers. “We hope that customers can quickly realize the value of software and hardware integration and use these new cutting-edge technologies to break with traditional manufacturing processes.”

In the view of SHINING 3D, Siemens PLM Software ranks the first in global industrial software, providing design and manufacturing integrated system solutions for the world’s top industrial enterprises. SHINING 3D hopes to bring such high-end technology to more SMEs and users in the education field, promoting the popularization of a new generation of digital design systems.

Solid Edge SHINING 3D Edition, the result from SHINING 3D and Siemens PLM Software partnership, integrating powerful functionalities of reverse engineering, 3D CAD design, generative design and simulation modules, offers users with a proven solution covering “3D Digitizing- Design & Simulation- Additive Manufacturing ” to generate more high-quality 3D data for production. As an outstanding software, Solid Edge owns significant price-performance ratio and functionality advantages over many other high-end design software, enabling designers to handle engineering changes to keep up with rapidly rising customer demands and maximize the re-use of imported 2D and 3D data.

Constant innovation is the source of inexhaustible power of enterprises

When talking about the secret of 171 years of prosperity for Siemens, Leo Liang says that the market is constantly changing and so is the technology. From electrification to automation, Siemens today leads digitizing and intellectualization. Walking in the forefront all the time requires the company to innovate constantly.

About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, is a leading global provider of software solutions to drive the digital transformation of industry, creating new opportunities for manufacturers to realize innovation. With headquarters in Plano, Texas, and over 140,000 customers worldwide, Siemens PLM Software works with companies of all sizes to transform the way ideas come to life, the way products are realized, and the way products and assets in operation are used and understood. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.

About SHINING 3D
SHINING 3D, founded in 2004, rapidly became China’s first listed OTC stock company in the 3D digitizing and 3D printing industries segment. SHINING 3D develops, manufactures and commercializes a wide range of 3D technologies, including 3D scanners for multiple industries and applications, 3D printers for both consumer markets and additive manufacturing, 3D materials, 3D design and manufacturing services, and an online 3D cloud platform. SHINING 3D is well-positioned in the market and has the capacity to handle large sales volumes, offer powerful 3D technologies, and provide strong service support. As the leader among Chinese 3D printing companies, SHINING 3D has currently extended a strong international influence with customers in more than 70 different countries in Asia and Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and the Middle East.

For more information, please contact us at
Tel: +86 571 82999050
Email: sales@shining3d.com
Shining3D.

Posted on

CES 2019: SHINING 3D Showcased Latest 3D Printing, Scanning, and Digitizing Solutions

CES 2019 came to a close on Friday in Las Vegas, and from all of the announcements we’ve heard recently, the show floor was a pretty impressive place to be last week. Top Chinese 3D printing and digitizing company SHINING 3D was also at CES, on hand to show off its latest 3D scanning and digitizing solutions.

Founded in 2004, the company was China’s first listed OTC stock company in the 3D digitizing and 3D printing industries segment. SHINING 3D creates, manufactures, and commercializes a large range of 3D technologies, including 3D printers, an online 3D cloud platform, 3D scanners for multiple industries and applications, 3D materials, and 3D design and manufacturing services. In addition to Hangzhou, the company also has facilities in Germany and the US.

At last year’s CES, the company introduced two new accessories for its popular EinScan Series of 3D scanners. This year at the event, SHINING 3D showcased its EinScan Pro 2X series of multi-functional handheld 3D scanners, which were first introduced in November at formnext 2018. In addition, the company also introduced an all-inclusive array of solutions that cover “3D Digitizing – Design & Simulation – Additive Manufacturing” for several different industries.

The EinScan Pro 2X and EinScan Pro 2X Plus 3D scanner models have higher quality data and an increased scanning speed: able to process up to 1,500,000 points per second (30 fps) under the Handheld Rapid Scan Mode. In addition, with a more optimized interface and workflow and enhanced algorithm in the new EXScan Pro software, the 3D scanner series makes it possible to scan objects of varying sizes much more quickly and easily. These two new 3D scanners, along with add-ons and the rest of SHINING 3D’s EinScan series, were displayed at CES 2019.

At the show last week, the company also showcased the results of its expanding collaborations with several of its partners. For instance, SHINING 3D is partnering with Siemens PLM Software on a new product development solution. The Solid Edge SHINING 3D Edition makes it possible to use simulation, reverse engineering, and generative design together with CAD tools in the same platform.

Additional partner solutions presented at CES 2019 include:

  • Virtual Display Solution – ability to easily generate and create high-quality 3D models with full-color texture.
  • Human Body 3D Scanning Solution – applied in orthotics, prosthetics, footwear, custom made equipment, etc.
  • Art & Culture Solution – applied in digital archiving, restoration of cultural relics, recreation of sculpture work, etc.
  • The Solution for Education – offers the education bundle from 3D scanning to 3D printing, inspiring the next generation through 3D technology.
  • Revolutionary Nail Scan Solution – brings new opportunities and innovations for the nail beauty industry. Visitors to SHINING 3D’s booth were able to experience a new nail 3D scanning experience.

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

[Images provided by SHINING 3D]

Posted on

GE Additive and Vera Announce Partnership to Secure 3D Printing Workflow

GE Additive and data protection company Vera have announced a new partnership centered around a technology integration that secures the entire additive workflow, from design to print. Design engineers can now protect and encrypt their proprietary designs before moving to the next step in their build preparation workflow, or upon final submission to GE Additive 3D printers.

“Today’s additive workflow uses a vast array of unsecured mix of tools, technologies, and formats,” said Lars Bruns, software leader at GE Additive. “To help the industry grow and lower barriers of adoption, we need to drive towards a secure, more integrated workflow that protects design IP from theft or illegitimate use at the point of design. Together with Vera, we’re enabling usability and efficiency from the design creation in CAD tools all the way to the final 3D printed part of a machine.”

Engineers can now use Vera’s data-centric security along with GE Additive’s new Build Preparation workflow services to secure their workflows. GE Additive is using Vera’s native SDK to protect files throughout the entire document and printing life cycle. This will also ensure continuous security beyond the build preparation workflow to secure powder and material parameters, machine configurations, part printing and more with end-to-end encryption and advanced data protection.

GE and Vera originally partnered up last year, and GE has since been using Vera’s security platform to protect its own intellectual property. In addition to security from design inception throughout the entire 3D printing workflow, Vera’s dynamic encryption travels with the designs everywhere, so there’s no need to rely on secure storage systems. Full data visibility and reporting allow users to understand how content is used and by whom, and to investigate unauthorized access attempts with detailed reports for SOC. Access can be revoked instantly from any individual, device, group or location.

“Being the first to bring secure 3D printing to market marks a seminal moment for Vera,” said Carlos Delatorre, CEO of Vera. “GE Additive has elevated the state-of-the art of manufacturing with its 3D printing technology and techniques. Together we are ensuring that technology is fully secure. 3D printing changed the face of manufacturing by putting the power to manufacture even the most complex designs in the hands of almost anyone. But that power comes at the cost of risking billions of dollars intellectual property from design to production. Our announcement today mitigates that risk dramatically and helps secure the overall workflow.”

In addition to the partnership with Vera, GE also announced partnerships with Autodesk, PTC and Siemens PLM Software, as well as a collaboration agreement with Dassault Systèmes. The terms of each agreement were not disclosed.

GE is at formnext this week and demonstrated its forthcoming digital workflow software solution, as well as announcing its plans to introduce a suite of secure build preparation services next year. The workflow solution simplifies the additive manufacturing process and enables an interoperable workflow. Currently, the 3D printing industry uses a wide variety of build preparation tools, technologies, interfaces and licenses, which creates more complexity for designers. GE wants to create a common experience through a single tool that reduces design iterations and speeds up the time to print.

(L to R) Jason Oliver, President & CEO, GE Additive, Karsten Heuser, Vice President Additive Manufacturing, Andreas Saar, Vice President, Manufacturing Engineering, Siemens PLM Software & Lars Bruns, software leader, GE Additive

Finally, GE is inviting interested parties to participate in beta testing through its Software Advisory and Technical Preview program.

“Feedback is a critical activity in the development of any software system, which is why we are demonstrating our current capabilities in Frankfurt,” said Bruns. “Over the next eight months, we’re seeking customer input from our users to help us inspect, adapt and iterate ahead of our commercial launch.”

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

Posted on

GE Additive announces M Line Factory release date and forges software partnerships

GE Additive has formed software partnerships with industry leaders and has announced the release date of the M LINE FACTORY system. In 2016, GE Additive acquired a 75% stake in Concept Laser, a German metal 3D printing manufacturer and maker of the M LINE FACTORY system. Since then the M LINE FACTORY has undergone software […]
Posted on

3D Printing News Briefs: August 31, 2018

Welcome to this month’s last edition of 3D Printing News Briefs! Today, in honor a new month starting tomorrow, we’re starting with stories about everything new. BEEVERYCREATIVE will soon launch a new 3D printer kit, while Fast Radius is opening a new headquarters and Thor3D welcomes a new CEO. Verashape is introducing the latest version of its SOFTSHAPER software, and Link3D launched a new additive manufacturing scheduling solution. Moving on from new things, Midwest Engineered Systems, an official KUKA partner, will be displaying its technology at IMTS 2018, and a company used its innovative laser cladding technology to restore a CNC spindle.

BEEVERYCREATIVE’s New 3D Printer Kit

Portuguese 3D printer manufacturer BEEVERYCREATIVE is getting ready to launch a new 3D printer DIY kit, and will present it publicly for the first time at the upcoming TCT Show 2018 in Birmingham. This is a big deal for the company, as it hasn’t introduced had a product launch for a new 3D printer since 2015; employees have been very busy working on the MELT project for the European Space Agency for the last two years, and are more than ready to introduce the new B2X300 3D printer kit.

BEEVERYCREATIVE conduct multiple studies before the launch, including market research on 3D printer user patterns and collecting quantitative and qualitative information from users about its helloBEEprusa 3D printer kits. The B2X300 is named for the company’s brand (B), its two extruders (2X), and its 300 x 200 x 300 mm print area (300), and was delivered to several beta testers this spring for testing and feedback. Aside from its build area, number of extruders, and the fact that it features auto bed leveling and trinamic drivers, we don’t know much about the 3D printer kit yet. But all will be revealed by mid-September.

Fast Radius Opening New Headquarters and AM Factory

The Fast Radius team, L-R: John Nanry, chief product officer; Bill King, chief scientist; Lou Rassey, CEO; and Pat McCusker, COO [Image: Manuel Martinez, Chicago Business]

3D printing solutions provider Fast Radius is scaling up its manufacturing footprint, and recently opened its new headquarters in Chicago’s West Loop, which features an advanced, industrial-grade 3D printing facility. This facility is home to extensive HP MultiJet Fusion technology, as well as what the company calls the largest Carbon production facility in the Western Hemisphere. This was a well-thought out location: the building of the Chicago-based Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) was where the company’s new CEO Lou Rassey first collaborated with several other Fast Radius executives, including Chief Scientist Bill King, PhD, Chief Product Officer John Nanry, and Enterprise Solutions Leader John Ramirez. The rest of the company’s executive team includes Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brian Simms and COO Pat McCusker.

Rassey said, “It was important to the Fast Radius team that we were headquartered in Chicago, as we are passionate about being a part of the next great industrial manufacturing renaissance in this city, the Midwest, and ultimately, the world.

“Pat, John, Bill, John and Brian form the perfect core team to grow Fast Radius as we build out our technology platform and global footprint to bring manufacturing innovation to the world at scale.”

Thor3D Welcomes New CEO

Anna Zevelyov

This week, Moscow-headquartered 3D scanner manufacturer Thor3D announced that it has appointed its very first Chief Executive Officer. The new CEO, Anna Zevelyov, is a company co-founder and a 3D printing market veteran who had been serving as Thor3D’s Sales Director; her long-time lieutenant, Vadim Fomichev, will now be taking on this role. Under Zevelyov’s leadership, the company will be focusing on R&D, with plans to release at least one new 3D scanner each year.

“Some history…the company was, until now, ruled by committee. Although periodically, this “collective-wisdom” approach was beneficial, over time we realized that a strict hierarchy and one person at the helm is needed,” Zevelyov wrote in a statement. “The Board of Directors took 6 months to consider whether to nominate a CEO and if yes, who that might be. After much debate about how this could change the culture of the company, the decision was made this month. I was elected unanimously, which, naturally, boosts confidence, as I take on this new challenge.

“I am honored and optimistic. My first priority will be R&D (after all, Thor3D is, first and foremost, a technology company). My aim will be to significantly improve our current technology and to introduce a new 3D scanner at least once a year (expect to hear big news before the end of the year). Another priority will be organization of our intellectual property. I anticipate filing a number of international patents over the next year to formalize the innovative work that has been done in the company over the previous months.”

New SOFTSHAPER Software Version

Verashape, which manufactures the VSHAPER line of 3D printers, has just introduced the latest version of its SOFTSHAPER software. Thanks to a license granted to the company by Siemens PLM Software last year, SOFTSHAPER 2019 is based on Parasolid Communicator. There are many improvements and new features in this latest version of SOFTSHAPER, including a technological process tree, detailed reports, and the ability to group layers and print manually adjusted supports.

“A huge simplification that SOFTSHAPER 2019 provides us with is the ability to print supports with higher density,” explained Seweryn Nitek, a Software Engineer at Verashape. “The density is higher only in the area of contact with the model. In other areas, the density of supports is selected in relation to the required stiffness. This saves time for printing supports, which are then removed by the user.”

Midwest Engineered Systems Displaying KUKA Technology at IMTS 2018

Two years ago at IMTS 2016 in Chicago, KUKA Robotics showcased how its robots integrate with 3D technology thanks to partnerships with companies like Midwest Engineered Systems (MWES), a leader in complex systems integration. MWES provides services such as robotic welding, machine tending, material handling, and automated production lines, but has become well-known in the last few years for its work in laser wire additive manufacturing. This technology is able to create very large parts, while also saving up to 90% of the material normally machined away.

“We’ve actually come up with a way way to print with metal using wire. Really what that does is allows you to print larger parts and it allows you to print them faster,” said Scott Woida, the President of MWES, in a video.

The company’s additive manufacturing system uses the hot wire process to preheat wire before it enters the molten pool. At the upcoming IMTS 2018, you can check out the MWES technology for yourself at KUKA’s Booth N-236200.

Restoring CNC Spindle with Laser Cladding

A company called Synergy Additive Manufacturing LLC (SAM), which claims to be one of the only turnkey jobshops to offer metalworking services like final machining, heat treating, metal forming, 3D CAD design, and 3D printing, also developed a laser cladding process is a more cost-effective alternative to hard chrome coatings. The company offers a 24 hour turnaround on the dimensional restoration of rotating components, like motor shafts and CNC spindles, using this technology.

In a new video, SAM demonstrated how its laser cladding method can be used to restore a CNC spindle. The technology offers a good metallurgical bond, and there is no chipping away or peeling once the restoration is complete. You can see this for yourself in the video below:

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