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.Compared to using external suppliers,
such applications significantly reduce production time and costs, highlighting the advantages of using FDM 3D printing in industry.
We also demonstrated new software products, including the features of our latest release, Cura Connect, and the Siemens NX plugin integration for Ultimaker Cura.
Volkswagen Autoeuropa saved 91% of tool development costs and reduced development time by 95% by switching to 3D printing.
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 functionalities can be extended by creating custom
additions or software tools to meet specific business needs.
One such example is the Siemens NX integration plugin, which allows designs to be exported directly from Siemens NX to
Ultimaker Cura with a single button click. This is already available for download in Ultimaker Cura via the plugin browser.
Ultimaker Cura supports plugins with industry-standard CAD software integration, establishing a streamlined prototyping process.
Increased Flexibility and Efficiency in Production Workflows
The Siemens NX plugin integration represents a significant improvement to typical FDM design and manufacturing workflows.
Previously, users would create designs using CAD software, export them as .stl or .obj files, then manually import them into slicing software, export them in .gcode format,
and then save them to an SD card or USB, which would then be manually loaded into the printer. If any modifications to the design were needed later, this 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 directly 'push' the design 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 to the original design are needed, the modified model can be imported into Ultimaker Cura simply by clicking the button in Siemens NX again.
This streamlines the workflow, eliminating the need to export any files. It also greatly simplifies the process of design changes, as modified designs can be quickly and easily sent to Ultimaker Cura by pressing the button in Siemens NX again.
Further Streamlining
Coupled with the software features of 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 group of Ultimaker 3 printers, users can use Cura Connect to schedule and print multiple projects at once for a continuous production workflow, which can be monitored through a single interface.
Cura Connect can control 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, and they were well-received by many visitors.
We thank everyone involved. If you would like to learn more about Ultimaker Cura plugin integration, please refer to our latest articles.
"This way of using software will make this machine future-proof."
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/51880-recap-siemens-plm-connection-2017