SolidWorks and Rize Inc., a maker of 3-D printing technology have joined to integrate the CAD software with Rize’s additive manufacturing capabilities. The companies announced their business partnership at SolidWorks World held in Dallas in February.
The SolidWorks CAD software will now feature a 3-D print add-in from Rize Inc. The feature will streamline 3D printing and make use of of Rize’s augmented polymer deposition (APD) technology, which does not produce harmful emissions and makes use of safe and recyclable materials, says Andy Kalambi, Rize chief executive officer.
Users of the SolidWorks CAD system can download the feature from the Rize website. After it’s been installed, SolidWorks users can select a “Rize 3D Print” option that transfers their CAD files to the Rize platform. The model will then be automatically pre-processed to be ready for 3D printing. This reduces the time designers spend performing pre-processing and post-processing for their models, Kalambi says.
Post processing can account for 80 percent of the costs of creating a part via additive manufacturing, he adds.
The collaboration came about because Dassault Systèmes, which owns SolidWorks, recognizes the importance of 3-D printing to the CAD and engineering community, says Gian Paolo Bassi, chief executive officer of SolidWorks.
“Printing like this is beginning to replace not only what we manufacture but the way we design and the way we work,” he says. “And wherever there is a 3-D printer there must be a design tool.
“Now we’re going to fine-tune the design process to work perfectly for 3-D printing,” Bassi adds. “Another important part of this partnership is that we can now move 3-D printing closer to the design experience.”
The partnership will allow more designers to make use of additive manufacturing, Kalambi says.
“We want to make 3D printing inclusive so anyone who wants to can use it to produce real industrial parts, not parts for play,” he says. “We want to drive sustainable innovation, which means being totally compliant with environmental standards.
“As an industry, 3-D printing has done a lot in terms of bringing new productivity to engineering, so engineers can reduce the costs and time spent making parts,” he says.
The partners hope to cut post-processing costs and to make additive manufacturing a “one-touch operation” that will allow engineers to launch a part within the SolidWorks system, manufacture it, and pick that part up from the printer within a short period of time.
“The capability to do this drives innovation. Engineers can iterate much more quickly and improve the product quality and the speed at which the product is developed,” Kalambi says.
As part of the partnership, every Rize One 3-D printer purchased will include a coupon redeemable for a SolidWorks license, he adds.
