AstroPrint & SkyForge Both Integrate Materialise’s 3DPrintCloud–the File Fixing Wizard

Gone are the days of 3D printing blindly, caution to the wind, hoping for the best. As frustration with errors and failed prints became an immediate and number one issue for makers, companies like Materialise wasted no time in rolling out assistance; after all–unhappy 3D printing enthusiasts would not make for a long-lasting or profitable customer base.

With the advent of 3DPrintCloud, one doesn’t have to deal with the frustration of trying to figure out what to do with a troublesome design file–all you have to do is sit back and watch the software fix it for you; in fact, Materialise says that even if your file is “riddled with errors,” their file-fixing wizard can help. Now, connected with both AstroPrint and Skyforge, the service is friendly for everyone.

3D printing has become so popular that it’s hard to find a child who hasn’t heard of it. From the younger grades, through the colleges, and exploding onto every level of use, 3D printing has hit the mainstream. It’s not enough for a myopic engineer to create something that works just for his peers anymore.

“3D Printing is no longer the exclusive domain of geeks, and AstroPrint and Skyforge are here to make 3D Printing an encouraging experience for as many people as possible,” states the Materialise team.

AstroPrint is a platform for 3D printing apps, and also allows users wireless connection to their 3D printers through the use of the ‘AstroBox.’ With AstroPrint, users benefit from features like search tools, CAD tools that are cloud based, and a range of other helpful utilities. It’s a great way to organize and slice files as well as writing G-Codes and more. The platform is meant to become a one-stop shop that garners attention from the youngest users, drawing them in rather than turning them off due to frustration and intimidation due to difficulty level.

“We started AstroPrint because we felt that 3D Printing should be super simple. We wanted the advanced settings to be there, but didn’t think most people should have to deal with them every time they print. AstroPrint users can slice, store and print designs from any web-enabled device (phones, tablets, and computers) and with the addition of the 3DPrintCloud App they can now reliably import and repair a bigger selection of model file types,” said Daniel Arroyo, AstroPrint CTO, of their use of the 3DPrintCloud platform.

Skyforge picks up the slack for the many more experienced users, and groups. The platform was designed as a tool for helping larger institutions deal with vast groups of users who may be operating on different skill levels and 3D printing a wide range of items, such as in a library, university setting, or perhaps a firm with different locations. The idea is help manage the queue as it fills up, and optimize everyone’s workflow in an organized fashion–on whatever scale required.

“This partnership with Materialise enables Skyforge to significantly improve workflow for our clients,” said Skyforge customer Chris Walker, CEO of Element Robot LLC. “Our end users start with 3D files in a wide range of file formats and quality, and now they can rely on Skyforge to handle them automatically. Before this integration, we only supported STL uploads and limited file repair. Materialise is the most trusted name in 3D printing software, and their 3DPrintCloud outperforms the competition!”

The integration between all these platforms occurred as Materialise offered 3DPrintCloud as being “up for grabs as an API.” Both AstroPrint and SkyForge snapped up the opportunity to give their customers more on each platform, in being able to fix files before they are off to the printer–eliminating disappointment with failed builds.

3DPrintCloud is available to other platforms interested in using the troubleshooting service to help their user. Email here to find out more.  Let us know your thoughts on this news in the Astroprint forum thread on 3DPB.com