New Autodesk Business Solutions Portfolio for Additive & Subtractive Manufacturing Unveiled at IMTS

3DPrint.com was on the scene this week as the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) delivered with over 2,400 exhibitors, all gathered in Chicago September 12-17. To say that you would see a range of solutions in manufacturing would be a grand understatement as over 1.3 million square feet was given to show visitors the latest in progressive manufacturing technologies.

This show is the perfect setting for Autodesk’s latest release, as they unveil a comprehensive set of both additive and subtractive solutions. This is something we are seeing more and more too as companies realize that as exciting as the world of 3D is, traditional methods still can’t be discounted. And with the new Autodesk manufacturing portfolio, not only do we see a mix of technology—but also some big names bringing it all together.

Allowing manufacturers to reap the benefits with higher-quality products that are made rapidly and more affordably, giving them a leg up on less progressive competition, this new portfolio brings together a set of hybrid manufacturing solutions from companies such as Autodesk, Delcam, Netfabb, Pan Computing and Magestic Systems—also including HSMWorks, Inventor HSM, Fusion 360, FeatureCAM, PowerMill, PartMaker (now included in FeatureCAM), PowerShape, and PowerInspect.

The idea is for the customer to be able to find solutions to the challenges they are working to overcome within manufacturing. With this portfolio, they should also be able to integrate design with machining in a streamlined fashion through capabilities such as cloud connection, allowing for more efficient product development and workflow. The manufacturing portfolio covers:

• Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
• Additive manufacturing
• Composites
• Robotics fabrication
• Factory layout
• Inspection and modeling

“Autodesk has long been a leader and innovator in 3D design, engineering and the technologies that expand the applications of industrial 3D printing, but we appreciate that no product is really complete until it’s realized through physical manufacture,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of products at Autodesk. “We’ve also become a leader in technologies that expand the applications of industrial 3D printing. Now, we’re truly integrating the design, make and use phases of product development. This new set of solutions goes big on the ‘make’ component—equipping manufacturers with all the software they need to go from digital design to real-world product.”

See the following list of features for more specifics.

Autodesk HSMWorks: A fully integrated CAM solution for SOLIDWORKS, allowing users to get up to speed and become productive quickly, using tools and workflows they are familiar with.

Autodesk Inventor HSM: Assists CNC programmers, designers, and engineers in the rapid production of machined parts that can be created in nearly any CAD system.

Autodesk 2017 CAM Products: Offering a wide range for advanced manufacturing applications, these new products combine CAM software from Delcam with Autodesk’s 3D design and manufacturing prowess. Solutions include FeatureCAM for automating CNC programming; PartMaker for precision part manufacturing with Swiss-type lathes; PowerMill for programming the most complex molds, dies and other components; PowerShape for preparing complex models for manufacture; and PowerInspect for inspection in every environment.

Autodesk Netfabb: Complete software is included for reduction of cost, increasing efficiency, and improving part performance in additive manufacturing and 3D printing.

“Not only is the Netfabb bundle easy to use, it also does much of the heavy lifting in preparing models for 3D printing,” said Dan Ko, strategic initiatives lead at Shapeways. “The software streamlines the process of fixing common 3D print file problems and if we didn’t have it to automate a large portion of file preparation process, each build would be substantially more time consuming and labor intensive.”

Fusion 360: Fusion 360 combines CAD, CAM and CAE together in one package. It allows users to take their designs all the way to production with included 3D printing capabilities as well as HSM powered toolpath technology for 2 through 5 axis milling machines, turning centers, and waterjets.

“This new integrated portfolio from Autodesk brings together technology Autodesk has been growing and investing in across the full manufacturing spectrum,” said Hanspal. “This combination of solutions makes modular and scalable manufacturing solutions available to manufacturers of all sizes.”

Those attending IMTS this week can speak with Autodesk representatives further as they will be available at Autodesk IMTS booth #E-3222. You can also find out more online, and Autodesk invites you to follow them on Twitter as well at @autodesk. Discuss further over in the Autodesk 3D Business Solutions Portfolio forum at 3DPB.com.