3MF Consortium Announces Ultimaker’s Founding Level Membership

The 3MF Consortium continues to expand, one member at a time. The newest addition to the 3MF team is Ultimaker, which announced today that it has joined the consortium at the Founding membership level. The Consortium has been gathering members since its inception in April, when Microsoft unveiled the new 3MF file format. More recently, it introduced an associate level of membership, which allows in-depth access to forums, documents, and publicity.

3MF Consortium, in case you haven’t been following it, is a group of companies dedicated to developing and implementing the new 3MF file format, which is expected to take over the 3D printing world in the future. 3MF is being developed as a solution to the frequent disparity between files, services, printers and platforms; right now, there are so many file formats being used in 3D printing that information gets lost and corrupted in the jumble as it moves from design to print. 3MF, which is being designed as a unified file format specifically for 3D printing, is expected to smooth the road considerably.

The 3MF format has begun to show up in the software packages of major corporations, and is making its way as an accepted file format on many online 3D printing platforms. New Founding member Ultimaker will be including the 3MF format in the next release of its Cura software. Like the other companies that have jumped on the 3MF bandwagon, Ultimaker was attracted by the file format’s promise of reducing interoperability issues and snags, allowing companies to focus more on product development and innovation.

“Ultimaker strives to evolve 3D printing into a capable, versatile and accessible production technology,” said Siert Wijnia, CTO and founder of Ultimaker. “For this fast-growing industry to create meaningful progress, we need a more modern, future-proof and free format that is still easy to implement.”

Ultimaker is the twelfth company to join the 3MF Consortium at the Founding membership level. The first version of the 3MF specification is available for free download; the specification sets a baseline that can be used to add additional capabilities in the future. With Ultimaker on board, adding its expertise to the collaborative process, development should continue to speed forward, and it’s unlikely that Ultimaker will be the last company to join; the Consortium’s list of members has been steadily growing.

“Ultimaker’s vision — to make 3D printing accessible to all — is one we share at the 3MF Consortium,” said Adrian Lannin, 3MF Consortium executive director. “We’re pleased to welcome Ultimaker and know that its award-winning innovation and experience serving both professionals and novices will help strengthen the 3MF specification and its global adoption.”

What are your thoughts on the new addition to this consortium?  Let us know in the 3MF forum thread on 3DPB.com.