FDM printer manufacturer Ultimaker has launched its new software package – Ultimaker Essentials. The paid subscription service is aimed at companies looking to incorporate 3D printing into their existing workflows, promising to help in overcoming some barriers that may be in the way. As a bonus, Essentials also gives access to Ultimaker’s recently launched eLearning platform, Ultimaker 3D Printing Academy, giving companies the resources they need to educate and train their employees.
Jos Burger, CEO at Ultimaker, states: “As one of the core pillars of Industry 4.0, 3D printing is an essential part of progressive business solutions and processes. In the wake of the recent pandemic, companies need to quickly realize, if they haven’t already, that global supply chains and manufacturing workflows can be easily disrupted. The transition to digital distribution and local manufacturing is now imminent and more imperative than ever.”
Software distribution
The Essentials package allows an employer to mass roll-out a number of Ultimaker’s own software programs without any of the hassle, giving the IT guys a little breathing room. Included in the bundle are Cura Enterprise, Digital Factory, Marketplace, and even some technical support.
Beyond just simplifying the initial distribution process, Essentials also ensures updates and plugins are rolled out simultaneously across all users in the organization. The new direct support function, coupled with a catalogue of verified plugins, is intended to help scale up 3D printing output. As a result, Ultimaker claims that subscribing companies should have no problem at all in adopting a comprehensive 3D printing infrastructure.
eLearning for the masses
Included in the package is access to three online courses from the Ultimaker 3D Printing Academy. The results from Ultimaker’s 2019 3D Printing Sentiment Index indicated that 69% of professionals in the industry believed a lack of knowledge was the greatest barrier to success. Of the 69%, 40% also mentioned a lack of hard skills necessary to truly make use of 3D printing’s potential. This is exactly what the eLearning platform aims to remedy, with content ranging from novice to expert level.
Nuno Campos, CMO at Ultimaker, concludes: “We are thrilled to roll-out the Ultimaker 3D Printing Academy as a premier platform for learning, which will significantly increase in value over time. This is only the first step of our program as in Q4 we will expand the Academy by releasing multiple role- and topic-based courses, which will lead to additional certifications. We look forward to the continued adoption and education of 3D printing and are excited to help businesses uncover how 3D printing can benefit their business now and in the future.”
Within 3D printing, workflow-related software can be just as crucial as the more technical engineering programs. Earlier this month, Tech Soft 3D announced that it would be using its HOOPS Platform to help Proplanner integrate 3D model data into its Assembly Planner software. The collaboration will allow Proplanner’s customers to better plan out their engineering workflows, consolidating multiple sources of data into one wrapper.
Elsewhere, Renishaw, with the help of TRACEam, will be deploying an end-to-end quality management tool for its industrial additive manufacturing systems. The newly developed software will be integrated directly into Renishaw’s InfiniAM API ecosystem and aims to provide customers with a simple and scalable method of managing parts.
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Featured image shows Ultimaker Essentials being used in the office. Photo via Ultimaker.
