HP and Siemens Deliver New Additive Manufacturing Software Module

Siemens and HP have been working together for some time now. Siemens has been one of HP’s primary partners in its mission to transform 3D printing from a prototyping to a production technology, and its software has been integral in the development and scaling of HP Multi Jet Fusion technology. Now the two companies are building further on their partnership through a new HP-certified Additive Manufacturing software module from Siemens. Called Siemens NX AM for HP Multi Jet Fusion, the module is an extension of Siemens’ existing end-to-end design-to-production software solution for 3D printing.

The NX software module will allow users to develop and manage parts for HP 3D printers in a single software environment. They will be able to combine design, optimization, simulation, print job preparation and inspection processes, load multiple 3D models into the system, auto nest them and 3D print them on an HP printer in a single environment with only a few steps. There’s no longer any need for data conversion or third party tools, thanks to the integration of the NX software and Jet Fusion 3D printers. There will be more features coming to the software in the future, too, that will allow the user an even higher level of control, including material characteristics down to the individual voxel level. That means they will be able to 3D print parts with variable textures, density, strength and friction, plus thermal, electrical and conductivity characteristics.

“HP and Siemens are bringing together the best in design and manufacturing workflow software for the best in 3D printing, unleashing a wave of new product possibilities with the speed, quality, and economics required for the modern digital industrial era,” said Michelle Bockman, Global Head of 3D Printing Commercial Expansion and Development, HP Inc. “We look forward to collaborating with Siemens to continually raise the industry bar on what’s possible for customers with the voxel-level design capabilities of our Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions.”

Siemens and HP are also working together to create future technology roadmaps that will allow designers and engineers to redesign products in a way that fully takes advantage of HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing capabilities, producing products at faster speeds and with more cost effectiveness. The partnership between the two companies stems from a shared goal of taking 3D printing from prototyping to production, and reflects both organizations’ moves toward a stronger focus on 3D printing, which both happened in the past two years: HP with the introduction of its Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing system, and Siemens with its PLM 3D printing software platforms.

“At Siemens, we see additive manufacturing as a transformative digital force that is empowering companies to reimagine their products and factories to achieve new levels of business performance,” said Zvi Feuer, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing Engineering Software, Siemens PLM Software. “Deepening our partnership with HP and driving their innovative 3D printing technology is especially important as companies look to increase speed to market, differentiate on product performance, simplify production and supply chain operations, and implement new business models. As products become more complex and individualized, we look forward to the next frontier of 3D printed parts with multiple materials, tunable mechanical properties and integrated electronics.”

The partnership comes on the heels of HP’s alliance with Deloitte, and further demonstrates that HP is on a mission to link up with the giants of the manufacturing industry in order to transform that industry through 3D printing. The introduction of Multi Jet Fusion was only one part of the plan; the other part, which is ongoing, is to leverage the specific expertise of manufacturing partners in order to fully integrate the technology throughout the industry, and to present it as a new option for making manufacturing processes faster, cheaper, and overall better. Discuss in the HP Siemens forum at 3DPB.com.