Last year, Belgian 3D printing software company Materialise announced Udo Eberlein as its new Executive Vice President of Software. At Formnext 2024, I caught up with Eberlein to reflect on his first year in the role and learn about the company’s latest announcements.
He outlined Materialise’s decision to open its software development kit (SDK) for Magics, allowing customers to create custom workflows using Python scripts. Several new partnerships were also announced at Formnext. The conversation revealed the key details and motivations behind collaborations with the likes of nTop, Renishaw, Stratasys and Ansys.
Eberlein joined Materialise in November 2023, bringing over two decades of experience in the software technology sector. Originally from Germany, but having spent most of his career in the U.S., he boasts expertise in digital platforms and business model development.
Before joining Materialise, Eberlein helped build a digital workflow platform for BASF and remains an Entrepreneur in Residence at Chemovator, BASF’s business incubator. He explained that his core mission at Materialise is to introduce business model innovation into the company’s software delivery strategies.
Eberlein explained that the “technology innovation curve isn’t as sharp as when additive manufacturing first emerged.” As such, Materialise is now targeting customer collaboration to deliver greater value. This includes cost reduction, automation, and scalability, all key concerns for customers adopting 3D printing.
Notably, Eberlein is working to develop and expand Materialise’s CO-AM software platform. Introduced in 2022, CO-AM is a cloud-native platform encompassing the entire additive manufacturing process chain. It encompasses design, simulation, order management, and manufacturing execution. Eberlein explained that the company is working to bolster this offering further. In the future, “everything we do in software will reside within this platform,” providing value for clients across the aerospace, medical, and automotive sectors.
Materialise announces new updates for Magics
At Formnext 2024, Materialise announced that it had opened the SDK for Magics, its 3D printing data and build preparation software. Users can now create custom workflows using Python and C++ scripts.
According to Eberlein, Materialise’s Magics software was initially built on the high-level C++ programming language. The company has since transferred this code to the more accessible Python language. Opening the SDK now allows customers to build and deploy their own Python scripts in their systems. Materialise also provides professional support to create bespoke scripts for those without in-house programming expertise.
This allows users to optimize workflows and automate repetitive tasks, reducing manufacturing times. “It enables customers to press a button once and walk away,” Explained Eberlein. He stated that increased automation is vital for cutting production costs. “In order to scale, you need to bring costs down,” added Eberlein. “That’s a key challenge for the industry as a whole. With SDK, we give our customers the ability to achieve this.”
Materialise is adapting its approach to cater more precisely to customer applications. Eberlein explained that the company is currently focused on automating the verticals which have the biggest scaling potential. These include the medical, aerospace and defense sectors. In the future, the company will develop more general automated workflows to support additional use cases.
Additionally, Materialise has introduced a new Orientation Comparison capability within e-Stage for Metal+, a tool in Magics that automates support generation for metal 3D printing. Component orientation is critical in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D printing. It can reduce support structures, manage heat distribution, improve surface quality, cut build time, ensure dimensional accuracy, and support powder removal.
The new feature can compare any set of orientations and provide cost- and quality-related information. This includes build height, max XY cross-section, and mean and max deviation of simulated support structures. The update reportedly allows less experienced users to evaluate and compare optimal 3D printing options more efficiently, lowering material and production costs in the process.
New 3D printing partnerships
Materialise announced several new partnership updates at the Frankfurt-based trade show. Eberlein advocated the importance of industry collaboration, arguing that this allows Materialise to “better address specific challenges.”
Notably, Eberlein provided an update on the news earlier this year that Materialise partnered with nTop to integrate the latter’s implicit modeling API with Materialise’s Magics Suite and NxG Build Processor.
Announced earlier this year at RAPID + TCT 2024, the combination with nTop reportedly streamlines the design-to-manufacturing process and unlocks new design possibilities. It allows implicit files to be exchanged between design and manufacturing teams. These can then be prepared for production without meshing or other intermediate processes. According to Eberlein, this “significantly reduces file size, pre-print time and costs to help customers scale.”
nTop CEO Bradley Rothenberg called this “game-changing” for the 3D printing industry. He told me that the integration “completely removes design bottlenecks” by allowing users to build directly from nTop’s Implicit technology. “Parts that used to be gigabytes in file size are now kilobytes, parts that would have taken hours or days to export as a mesh can now be done instantly,” Rothenberg added.
Materialise and nTop launched an early access program for the integrated software in June 2024 with an initial cohort of ten companies, including metal 3D printer manufacturer Nikon SLM Solutions. The firm used the platform to design and produce a high-performance, 3D printed cylinder head for the marine and energy company Wärtsilä. This part is 60% lighter than conventionally manufactured alternatives and offers enhanced cooling performance.
Now, Materialise has extended these capabilities to new 3D printer OEMs including Additive Industries, Renishaw and Stratasys. These partners will also support the development of Materialise’s Next-Gen Build Processor. This configurable software can translate complex and large design files into 3D printable instructions. nTop and Materialise are already working to ensure the new Next-Gen offering includes nTop’s implicit modeling kernel out of the box.
Materialise has also signed a multi-year agreement with Chinese 3D printer manufacturer Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies (BLT). The company will integrate its software solutions with BLT’s advanced metal 3D printers to improve productivity and reduce costs. The partnership also includes plans for joint research into new 3D printing technologies and seeks to promote the adoption of additive manufacturing for personalized healthcare, aerospace, and automotive design applications.
Additionally, Formnext 2024 saw Materialise join the Leading Minds consortium alongside Ansys, EOS, HP, Nikon SLM Solutions, Renishaw, Stratasys, and TRUMPF. This new partnership seeks to overcome barriers hindering the broader adoption of additive manufacturing. Initially, the consortium will work to create a common language framework for 3D printing to help better communicate the technology’s value for more applications.
Eberlein emphasized that Leading Minds “is not a technology or sales initiative,” but a “mind sharing initiative.” He believes “there is not enough visibility for what AM can do for manufacturing,” something which Leading Minds seeks to overcome.
An optimistic outlook for Materialise
How will the 3D printing market change over the coming years? On the one hand, Eberlein conceded that the industry can expect smaller companies to drop out. He stated, “It’s a tough business to be in, and margins are not huge.”
Despite this, Eberlein believes Materialise is well-positioned to continue its growth trajectory. He stated that the company needs to “think carefully about where to invest,” meaning that innovation doesn’t necessarily always take the front seat. Instead, the software developer is prioritizing automation to boost productivity and lower manufacturing costs.
Ultimately, while the company’s margin and investments are smaller than they were ten years ago, Eberlein is confident that Materialise is in a “good position” and on track for continued success.
All the news from Formnext 2024.
Who are the leaders in additive manufacturing? Vote now in the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards!
What does the future of 3D printing hold?
What near-term 3D printing trends have been highlighted by industry experts?
Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.
You can also follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.
Featured image shows the Materialise booth at Formnext 2024. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.
