Berlin based design automation company trinckle, has officially launched its fixturemate software within Stratasys’ GrabCAD Print Pro platform. Following the announcement of their strategic partnership earlier this year, the release marks the first live milestone in their effort to simplify additive manufacturing (AM) workflows by integrating design automation tools directly into the production environments.
Integrating and simplifying design workflows
fixturemate enables shop floor operators to design jigs, fixtures, and manufacturing aids through an intuitive interface within GrabCAD Print Pro. The software uses design automation to generate optimized fixture geometries from user-defined parameters, significantly reducing design time and bridging the gap between engineers and manufacturing staff.
“AM in manufacturing faces a strange paradox,” said Dr. Ole von Seelen, CCO at trinckle. “The people who know exactly what needs to be made often can’t make it. fixturemate bridges that gap by giving design capabilities to the people working directly on the manufacturing floor.”
The integration is expected to enhance the value of Stratasys’ software ecosystem by allowing non-specialist users to respond quickly to production needs, reduce lead times, and gain more control over internal fixture creation. “Removing the need for specialized CAD skills gives our customers more flexibility in how they develop complex fixtures and tooling,” added Victor Gerdes, Vice President of Software Strategy at Stratasys. “That means real savings in both time and training.”
This release is the first in a planned series of collaborative developments between Stratasys and trinckle. Future updates aim to expand fixturemate’s functionality to support broader use cases, based on customer feedback.
“Without accessible design capabilities, 3D printing remains just an expensive prototyping tool,” said Florian Reichle, trinckle CEO and Co-Founder. “This partnership offers a complete solution instead of loose puzzle pieces.”
fixturemate is now available to all GrabCAD Print Pro users via the latest software update.
AM integrated solutions
The launch reflects a broader trend in the additive manufacturing sector toward fully integrated software and hardware ecosystems. Leading AM companies are combining design automation, simulation, slicing, and print management into unified platforms to streamline workflows and reduce complexity.
This trend is visible in Stratasys’ earlier collaboration with nTopology, which introduced automated design tools for masking and fixturing. More recently, Authentise and Autodesk launched a bundled platform to deliver an end-to-end digital manufacturing solution, highlighting the industry’s increasing preference for seamless toolchains that scale across departments.
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Featured image shows fixture on a CNC. Image via trinckle.
