Materialise Introduces Magics 22 and Other Software Updates at formnext

Tomorrow, formnext will kick off in Frankfurt, Germany. Attendees will have a lot to see – new 3D printers, new materials, and of course new software. The arrival of formnext means the arrival of a new version of Materialise Magics, and right on schedule, Materialise will be delivering Magics 22, the latest version of its popular 3D printing data preparation software.

Magics 22 features an improved workflow and design optimization tools, increasing speed and reducing material consumption. Users will be able to generate metal support structures more quickly, as well as create denser platforms for SLS 3D printing. They will also be able to fit more parts on SLA, DLP and FDM platforms. There’s something for every technology, and no matter what type of 3D printing is being used, the overall workflow will be smoother and faster.

“Smoothness in the data prep workflow has been mentioned by beta testers as one of the biggest benefits of this new version. Improvements include: part list, build time estimation, perforation and label tools, to name just a few,” said Thomas Moens, Senior Product Director at Materialise. “Time-saving enhancements in the Sinter Module resulted in a speed increase of 20% on 3D nesting and around half an hour per build on multiplatform nesting.”

New design features are also included in Magics 22, such as honeycomb structure to reduce weight while retaining strength, and a shelling feature that reduces material consumption without changing functional design.

You can learn more about what’s new in Magics 22 here.

A new module that integrates simulation tools into the file preparation process will be presented as a proof of concept in demo sessions at formnext. This upcoming module provides a thorough additive manufacturing process understanding, improving efficiency and reducing scrap rate.

Additional updates in the Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite involve the Inspector software. Inspector helps users define the best machine parameters, limits the number of part iterations needed, and reduces both the amount of time and the amount of material needed. It also helps users to prove that their production facilities meet quality standards. The new version of the software offers online error detection. The software analyzes build images in real time, and the machine operator can immediately stop the build if there’s an error.

“The combined functionalities of Materialise’s inspection and simulation software for Metal AM provide the missing link to bring 3D Printing into manufacturing environments. Once your parameters are tuned and validated, you can automatically validate the quality of your production parts throughout the different production stages,” said Tim van den Bogaert, Sr. Director New Business of Materialise. “Materialise is focusing on bringing automated science and physics-driven tools to help users run their production environment as reliably and efficiently as possible. Simulation will play an essential role in this.”

Improvements have also been made to the Materialise Control Platform, which has been optimized for multi-optics machines. The Materialise Control Platform connects 3D printers to 3D print software and facilitates fast market entry for new 3D printers. Visitors to Materialise’s booth at formnext can get a look at this as well as the recently introduced Materialise Magics Print Metal, which is a version of Magics optimized for metal 3D printers. Finally, Materialise is now offering consultancy for OEMs on topics including calibration, Lua scripting, and more.

Materialise will be in Hall 3, Booth C48 at formnext. Attendees can stop by to see the new releases as well as the full Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite.

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[Images: Materialise]