The Siemens PLM Connection exhibition was held from Monday, October 23rd to Wednesday, October 25th, 2017, at the Estrel Congress Center in Berlin, Germany.
A record number of 1,180 professionals from 36 different cultures and 54 exhibitors participated.
During the event, Ultimaker showcased innovations that enhance manufacturing.
We showcased several successful business cases, including custom-made jigs and fixtures developed by Volkswagen Autoeuropa for use on their production floor.Such applications significantly reduce production time and costs in comparison to using external fabrication bureaus, and really highlight the benefits of FDM 3D printing for industry.
We also demonstrated new software products, including the functionalities of our latest release, Cura Connect, and the Siemens NX plugin integration for Ultimaker Cura.
Switching to 3D printing saved Volkswagen Autoeuropa 91% of their tooling development costs and reduced development time by 95%.
Business Advantages of Third-Party Plugins
Third-party plugins for Ultimaker Cura offer a unique opportunity for businesses using FDM 3D printing: the core software's functionality can be extended by creating custom additions or software tools to meet specific business needs.
One example is the Siemens NX integration plugin, which allows designs to be exported directly from Siemens NX to Ultimaker Cura with the push of a button. This is already available for download in Ultimaker Cura via the plugin browser.
Ultimaker Cura supports plugin integration with industry-standard CAD software, establishing a streamlined prototyping process.
Increased Flexibility and Efficiency in Production Workflows
The Siemens NX plugin integration is a significant improvement to typical FDM design and manufacturing workflows.
Previously, users would create a design in CAD software, export it as an .stl or .obj file, manually import it into slicing software, export it again in .gcode format, and then save it to an SD card or USB, where it would be manually loaded into the printer. If any modifications were needed to the design afterward, the entire process would have to be repeated.
The Siemens NX integration plugin bypasses this entire process. The workflow is detailed below:
First, the design is created in Siemens NX.
Users can 'push' the design directly to Ultimaker Cura by 'clicking' the "Cura Interface" button.
The plugin will prompt the user to select the file to export. The user selects it and confirms.
Ultimaker Cura will automatically open the imported model, ready for slicing. If modifications are needed to the original design, the revised model can be imported into Ultimaker Cura simply by clicking the button in Siemens NX again.
This simplifies the workflow by eliminating the need to export any files. It also greatly streamlines the design change process, as modified designs can be quickly and easily sent to Ultimaker Cura by simply pressing the button in Siemens NX again.
Even More Streamlined
Coupled with software features like the Ultimaker 3 and Cura Connect, the workflow is further simplified: the network capabilities of the Ultimaker 3 allow users to wirelessly transfer designs from Ultimaker Cura to the printer via a local network.
When used with a fleet of Ultimaker 3 printers, users can use Cura Connect to schedule and print multiple items at once for a continuous production workflow, which can be monitored through a single interface.
Cura Connect allows control of multiple Ultimaker 3 machines from a single interface.
Schedule tasks for continuous production, or distribute workloads across multiple machines for faster, more efficient production.
Showcasing these new innovations was an exciting opportunity for Ultimaker, receiving positive feedback from many visitors.
We thank everyone who participated. If you want to learn more about Ultimaker Cura plugin integrations, please refer to our latest article.
"This way of using software will make this machine future-proof."
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/51880-recap-siemens-plm-connection-2017