
Hexagon acquires CADS Additive in order to expand its offering of additive manufacturing solutions. Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions that combine sensor, software, and autonomous technologies, while CADS Additive GmbH is a rapidly growing provider of specialised software that assists businesses in preparing designs for metal additive manufacturing (AM).
3D printing augments existing technologies by providing manufacturers with greater design freedom as well as the potential to reduce waste and increase flexibility. CADS Additive makes 3D printing on powder bed fusion (PBF) machines easier. The software guides users through the build preparation process, assisting businesses in converting design files into printer instructions and increasing manufacturing productivity.
Hexagon acquires CADS Additive
Since 2021, CADS Additive has been a Hexagon partner, integrating its build preparation and support structure creation capabilities with Hexagon’s market-leading Simufact Additive process simulation software. Shared development roadmaps will improve workflows even further by allowing users to change the orientation and support structure of their 3D prints. This will aid in shortening the additive manufacturing (AM) workflow and providing simple steps to mitigate quality implications caused by changes in orientation or support structure.
CADS Additive’s AM Studio software is already linked to Hexagon’s Nexus digital reality platform. Hexagon’s Nexus-enabled AM workflow will be completed by the software, which will apply its extensive technology portfolio to computer aided design (CAD) model preparation, build preparation, simulation-based optimisations, quality and production intelligence, and the automation of computer aided manufacturing (CAM) to finish parts.
“Our investments reflect the growing importance of additive manufacturing, which has huge potential but has been held back by a fragmented ecosystem that means manufacturers are not getting the results they need fast enough. The acquisition of CADS Additive enables us to provide our customers with integrated tools that empower manufacturing teams to reduce waste and increase efficiency as they move from prototyping to production.”
– Paolo Guglielmini, President and CEO, Hexagon
Guglielmini added, “Opening up the Nexus platform to our ecosystem partners and providing building blocks like CADS Additive helps customers improve their processes throughout the manufacturing value chain and realise the potential of industrial additive manufacturing.”
CADS Additive GmbH, headquartered in Perg, Austria, was founded in 2016 and has 21 employees who serve 150 customers in 25 countries through 19 resellers. The business will be part of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. Hexagon’s earnings are unaffected by the acquisition.