Materialise announces a collaboration with Nikon SLM Solutions to develop the next generation of Materialise Build Processors (BPs) tailored for Nikon SLM Solutions printers, seamlessly integrating them into the Materialise CO-AM platform. Manufacturers are increasingly turning to metal 3D printing capabilities for end-use components, and the demand for improved part quality, competitive pricing, and rapid production is critical.
This collaboration aims to provide manufacturers with the right machine as well as the freedom to customise their 3D printing processes.
Materialise and Nikon Enhance Metal 3D Printing Capabilities
Nikon SLM Solutions is now positioned as a provider of highly productive metal 3D printers designed for high-volume manufacturing, thanks to the introduction of NXG machines. These machines, powered by twelve 1kW lasers, have the industry’s largest build envelope, allowing for unprecedented part sizes and quantities in a single run. The large printer volume necessitates the processing of a large data volume, which traditionally extends calculation times, impeding the workflow’s ability to initiate print jobs.
Bridging the gap between data preparation and actual printing is critical for maximising productivity. Nikon SLM Solutions and Materialise have combined their expertise to curate the next-generation BPs, addressing this bottleneck and giving AM users the freedom to modify their 3D printing process as needed. The novel BP will be available in the coming months for NXG and all SLM users who use Materialise software solutions.
“Working with Materialise, we have made a giant leap in developing a high-performative Build Processor. With this next generation of Build Processors, our customers using Materialise software will save time during the print job setup and profit from tools to optimise their print process.”
– Nicolas Lemaire, Product Manager — Software, Product Control, and Strategic Partnerships at Nikon SLM Solutions
Interlink Metal 3D Printing Capabilities
A BP serves as a link between 3D printers and data preparation software such as Materialise Magics. Post-data preparation, a large data volume must be processed to provide the necessary information for the 3D printer to fabricate the parts. The upcoming Materialise BPs accelerate this phase by allowing AM users to customise process parameters to optimise application outcomes. The Materialise BP Software Development Kit (SDK) enabled this milestone, fostering close collaboration during development and allowing machine manufacturers to securely encapsulate their own intellectual property (IP).
Nikon SLM users will benefit from significantly reduced calculation times, as well as the ability to optimise machine parameters via the Nikon SLM Open Architecture or the Materialise BP SDK to formulate parameters and create their own IP. AM users can achieve the sweet spot of cost-efficiency, production speed, and part quality by fine-tuning print parameters, enabling the manufacture of intricate parts and mass production of identical or personalised products with consistent quality, reduced scrap rates, and shorter lead times.
“Nikon SLM Solutions and Materialise share a vision of open systems that enable AM users to make optimal use of their equipment and connect it to their preferred solutions. We look forward to offering the next generation of BPs to Nikon SLM Solutions users and providing them access to software solutions covering the whole AM workflow.”
– Bart Van der Schueren, CTO of Materialise
In conjunction with the emergent Materialise BPs, Nikon SLM Solutions users will relish direct machine connectivity to the Materialise CO-AM Software Platform via SLM.Link, Nikon SLM Solutions’ open platform communication interface. CO-AM facilitates users to integrate their 3D printers into existing production systems and refine the AM workflow from order inception to delivery.
The software platform provides access to Materialise and third-party auxiliary solutions, including CO-AM partner solutions for design automation, mass customization, automated labelling, and various post-processing technologies. CO-AM enables AM users to connect and manage technologies from a variety of machine builders.
