3D printer manufacturer Stratasys has once again expanded its GrabCAD Software Partner Program with the addition of artificial intelligence (AI) software firm Oqton and 3D modeling software developer Riven.
The GrabCAD partner program now totals nine companies and aims to leverage the capabilities of its partnered 3D printing software providers to provide its customers with end-to-end additive manufacturing offerings.
“New GrabCAD Software partners give us the ability to grow the number of technologies available through the GrabCAD AM Platform and allows us to support our customers’ goals by creating a connected ecosystem that supports additive manufacturing at scale,” said Paul Giaconia, Vice President of Software Products for Stratasys.
“We welcome these two new partners and look forward to continuing to grow this program and supporting our customers’ Industry 4.0 initiatives.”
The GrabCAD partner program
Stratasys’ GrabCAD Partner Program is part of the firm’s recently introduced GrabCAD Additive Manufacturing Platform, which brings together GrabCAD applications and third-party software partners through the GrabCAD Software Development Kit (SDK).
The program aims to better integrate Stratasys’ FDM 3D printers into factory floor production environments by enabling two-way connectivity between the machines and various enterprise software applications. The idea is to provide more sophisticated processes for remote monitoring and sending and receiving printer commands, while supporting Stratasys’ customers in realizing their Industry 4.0 ambitions.
Initial partners of the GrabCAD software program included 3D printing software provider Link3D, San Francisco-headquartered software firm Identify3D, and industrial manufacturing firm Siemens. Stratasys later added additive manufacturing software startup IndusIntel and cybersecurity software firm Vistory to its list of partners.
In June last year, Teton Simulation became the sixth addition to the program and the first to utilize the program’s new GrabCAD Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) SDK, designed to help customers improve the reliability of their 3D printed builds. A few months later, MES program developer AMFG also joined the program to integrate its workflow automation system into Stratasys’ FDM systems and GrabCAD platform to enable users to enter serial production.
Oqton and Riven become latest GrabCAD additions
With the addition of Oqton and Riven, the GrabCAD software partner program has now expanded to include nine companies specializing in various additive manufacturing software areas.
Oqton, which recently announced its planned acquisition by 3D printer manufacturer 3D Systems, is known for its machine-agnostic, cloud-based software platform that leverages AI and intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities to automate the end-to-end 3D printing workflow on the production floor.
The platform automates repetitive tasks such as order tracking, scheduling, latticing, build preparation, and slicing to allow users to optimize their manufacturing processes and deliver their products to market quicker.
“Our solution empowers humans and machines to work together seamlessly – which is the key difference between manufacturing success and manufacturing failure,” said Benjamin Schrauwen, CEO at Oqton.
“We’ve made it very easy to combine and visualize data from different machines, from different manufacturers, and across different technologies, and by partnering with Stratasys we can help our shared customers achieve automated manufacturing success.”
Riven, meanwhile, is an open cloud software firm specializing in 3D reality intelligence to accelerate the volume of highly precise end-use 3D printed parts. In December, the company launched a technology that enables the production of up to “10 times more accurate” 3D printed parts, called Warp-Adapted-Model (WAM).
Riven’s software utilizes data from 3D scanners and proprietary algorithms to allow users to reduce iterations and time-to-part, while its WAM capability can scale from singular high-value parts to series production to make possible innovative new end-use applications.
“Together with Stratasys we recognize how critical it is that production parts are delivered quickie and to spec in order for additive to reach its full potential,” said James Page, Riven’s Founder and CTO.
“Riven’s next-generation predictive, machine learning technology enables customers to realize higher part quality and reduced time to production deliveries.”
With the latest additions to the platform, Stratasys hopes its GrabCAD Software Partner Platform will better support its customers in achieving additive manufacturing at scale, thanks to new capabilities in manufacturing operating systems and 3D workflow software options.
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Featured image shows Oqton provides users with a cloud-based software platform purposely built for additive manufacturing. Photo via Stratasys.
