3D Systems Announces Free 3DSPRINT Cloud Design-to-Manufacture Platform

Today has been an incredibly busy day for 3D Systems. The company not only announced a major cash acquisition of Cimatron, instantly putting them among the leaders within the CAD/CAM market, as well as a new smaller 3D scanning system, but has also just unveiled a new 3D data cloud and desktop platform.

Called 3DSPRINT, the platform enables easy sharing, manipulation, and printing of 3D models anywhere that there is access to the internet. The new platform could transform the way in which manufacturers and designers collaborate over extended distances, and provide a streamlined process of modeling and printing objects in 3D without the worry of multiple file transfers, or making sure that everyone involved in a project has the most up-to-date files.

“We are very excited to deliver the full power and benefits of our integrated digital thread to our extensive user community worldwide,” said Avi Reichental, President and CEO, 3DS. “With 3DSPRINT we are giving engineers and designers the ultimate streamlined shared cloud and desktop platform experience that makes the design-to-manufacturing workflow faster, simpler and ubiquitously connected.”

3DSPRINT will be a free platform for anyone who has access to any of 3D Systems’ ProJet and ProX machines to download and begin using. The platform is immediately available for the ProJet 1200 and ProJet 5500X printers, and will be demoed at EuroMold later this week. There will also be premium paid features aimed towards power users and those looking to extend the capabilities of the platform.

Whereas manufacturers and designers today are in a constant state of flux, usually needing to get to a particular PC or laptop in order to make a change to a design or initiate the fabrication of an object, this new cloud platform should change everything. A designer in Tokyo can now access the same 3D model as their manufacturing partner in New York, making changes in real time from a tablet on their sofa, and then initiating a print which will take place thousands of miles away. The platform includes sophisticated analysis to determine an object’s printability as well as a cost estimator for those seeking to print via 3D Systems’ Quickparts service.

The 3DSPRINT cloud platform, along with the CAD/CAM assets they will be acquiring via the Cimatron purchase announced earlier today, should provide 3D Systems with quite a formidable additive manufacturing ecosystem. As mentioned earlier, the company obviously realizes the potential within the market for growth, and is rapidly seeking an expansion of their business model. There is a race within the industry to become the de facto leader within the additive manufacturing space, and 3D Systems, today, may have taken the lead… for now.

Let’s hear your thoughts on 3D Systems’ new 3DSPRINT cloud platform in the 3DSPRINT forum thread on 3DPB.com.