 "Stratasys Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrator")
Stratasys Ltd and Siemens have formed a partnership to integrate Siemens’ Digital Factory solutions with Stratasys’ additive manufacturing solutions. The partnership is intended to lay the foundation for the two companies to fulfil their shared vision of incorporating additive manufacturing into the traditional manufacturing workflow, helping it to become a universally recognised production practice which can benefit multiple industries, including aerospace, automotive, transportation, energy and industrial tooling. This tie-up also builds on Siemens’ recently announced end-to-end solution integrating digital design, simulation and data management with conventional and additive manufacturing.
Stratasys and Siemens have been collaborating on multiple projects including the direct link from Siemens’ NX software for CAD/CAM/CAE to Stratasys’ GrabCAD Print platform - enabling a seamless design-to-3D print workflow - and the recently previewed Stratasys Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrator that incorporates Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software and its motion control and CNC automation technologies, to produce strong, lightweight performance parts.
"Siemens is enthusiastic about this partnership with Stratasys and the opportunity to help our customers adopt a new manufacturing mindset that we believe will result in better products produced more economically and delivered more efficiently. We are committed to the industrialisation of additive manufacturing with all of its unique advantages, including complex part geometries, on-demand production and mass customisation. This relationship helps set the course for continued innovation and leadership through the tight integration of our product lines and through collaboration on comprehensive additive manufacturing solutions,” said Zvi Feuer, SVP manufacturing engineering software, Siemens PLM Software.
Arun Jain, VP of motion control, Siemens Digital Factory US, added, “Siemens' capability and commitment to the digital enterprise vision, along with its close collaboration with Stratasys, can help many industries realize shorter time-to-market, achieve flexibility in operations and improve efficiency in workflows through horizontal (machine-to-machine) and vertical (plant and top-floor to factory floor) integration.”
While additive manufacturing technology has made great strides over the past years, additional criteria are required for it to take its place in volume production environments and become as commonplace as CNC. Ideally, additive manufacturing solutions should deliver robust, repeatable and reliable operational performance with predictable properties across a broad portfolio of materials that are certifiable for specific applications and that are driven by a seamless, digital integration from design to production. Together, Stratasys and Siemens plan to address these challenges.
"With our complete 3D printing ecosystem of customer applications, hardware and software platforms, advanced material offerings and consulting services, Stratasys is uniquely positioned to help manufacturers leverage 3D printing to transform their business models. Stratasys is excited to formalise our partnership with Siemens and views it as a major catalyst for the industrialisation of additive manufacturing,” said Dan Yalon, executive vice president, products, Stratasys.
He added, “Together, our companies are joining forces to create a cohesive, best-of-breed technology foundation that enables large-scale manufacturers to enjoy the benefits of additive manufacturing in traditional production environments. We believe that the impact on production practices will begin sooner rather than later with the aerospace, automotive and factory tooling industries expected to benefit first.”
