RAPID 2025: Stratasys & trinckle Announce Strategic Software Partnership

News continues to flood in from last week’s RAPID+TCT 2025, including a new partnership between AM market leader Stratasys and Berlin-based software company trinckle. By automating important steps in fixture design, trinckle’s fixturemate software makes it possible to rapidly create precise, secure holding solutions. Now, it will be integrated with Stratasys’ GrabCAD Print™ Pro software in order to make custom fixture design faster, easier, and less expensive. The two showcased their new integration at the trade show in Detroit, so attendees got a firsthand look at how automated fixture design can make manufacturing workflows easier.

“Together, we’re removing one of the biggest barriers in additive manufacturing, the need for specialized CAD skills and the costs associated with the manual design process,” explained trinckle’s CEO and Co-Founder Florian Reichle. “With fixturemate, anyone, regardless of design experience can create custom production ready fixtures in just minutes. By integrating fixturemate with GrabCAD Print Pro, we’re making it easier than ever for manufacturers to create custom, production-ready fixtures in minutes – eliminating bottlenecks, accelerating workflows, and maximizing the value of additive manufacturing.”

Many manufacturing processes are supported by additive manufacturing technology, but the companies often have difficulties with design and application expertise. Both Stratasys and trinckle are focused on making design for manufacturing easier with a seamless workflow, and automation is definitely one way to do that. As Executive Editor Joris Peels once wrote, “jigs and fixtures are truly the gateway drug to 3D printing,” and trinckle was right on the money with its fixturemate software, which can help feed the growing demand for 3D printed tooling and manufacturing aids.

With fixturemate’s intelligent automation for industrial manufacturing, the manual effort and complexity of traditional fixture design is a thing of the past. Based on a fixture’s particular part shape, the software optimizes its geometry; this ensures a strong hold, and also exposes necessary surfaces for machining, inspection, and assembly. Thus, fixture design time is reduced, and teams without significant CAD experience can actually assist with AM tasks, which helps get rid of bottlenecks. Additionally, the scalability of this kind of automated software solution will be very valuable to companies involved in assembly, logistics, welding, metrology, or similar operations, as well as industries like automotive, aerospace, and industrial manufacturing.

Through this new partnership, trinckle can take advantage of Stratasys’ breadth of experience and large installed base to scale up industrial fixture use. The integration between GrabCAD Print Pro and fixturemate will help achieve a seamless AM workflow, and manufacturers who use the solution can respond more quickly and effectively to demand and fluctuations in the market and supply chain. An easier workflow will also allow users to gain more control over their internal processes, make better use of AM, shorten lead times, and decrease their reliance on external supplies; in a time of tariff wars, this last is of critical importance.

“By eliminating the need for specialized CAD skills, we’re giving customers flexibility with their manufacturing workforce when it comes to the development of complex fixtures and tooling. This will deliver significant savings in time and workforce development. Integrating this capability directly into our GrabCAD Print Pro platform allows customers to use our solutions not only in print preparation, but also in the critical design phase of manufacturing,” said Victor Gerdes, Vice President, Software, Stratasys.

The integrated software solution from Stratasys and trinckle is expected to be available later this year.