Managing CAD files can be a headache — especially if you don’t have a way to share them with your partners. But with the new release of GrabCAD Print in November 2016, clients can simplify their 3D printing workflow. In this blog, we outline the new GrabCAD Print features and how they can make your company more productive.
Traditional Slicing vs GrabCAD Print
Historically, traditional slicing programs operate one-directionally, starting from a single point. The CAD file had to move from CAD Designers/Engineers to a single Printer Operator before ever reaching a printer. This created a bottleneck effect, which slowed down product development, made the workflow less flexible and caused issues while trying to iterate a design.
GrabCAD saw the challenges businesses were facing in terms of inputting files directly from CAD, material tracking, scheduling of the printers and visibility of all printers in a company. So to accommodate these issues, they made their software more accessible, user-friendly and adaptive. GrabCAD Print was designed with a collaborative environment, where it is simple to see what is running, who is running it and when it will be done. Being more transparent helped businesses get to that final design change more effectively and efficiently.
/SSYS_Grab%20CAD%20Print%20Bottleneck.png "GrabCAD Print") |
/SSYS_Grab%20CAD%20Print%20Communication.png "GrabCAD Print") |
| Before GrabCAD Print | With GrabCAD Print |
Helpful GrabCAD Print Features
In the last few months, GrabCAD Print has released several new features to improve user-experience. Among these updates is reporting, native CAD support, error correction and cloud accessibility.
Reporting
Instead of tracking your printing in complicated spreadsheets through Excel or worrying about who is keeping them updated, now users can easily access reports at their fingertips. Features are accessible from your GrabCAD Print company dashboard and allow users to sort by date, printer and even material type.
/SSYS_Grab%20CAD%20Print%20Excel.png "GrabCAD Print") |
/SSYS_Grab%20CAD%20Print%20Report.jpg "GrabCAD Print") |
| Before GrabCAD Print w/ Excel Charts | With GrabCAD Print |
Native CAD Support
/SSYS_Grab%20CAD%20Print%20Support.jpg "GrabCAD Print")
GrabCAD Print’s Native CAD Support is another time-saving feature. By giving users this added capability, it prevents them from having to export .stl files. Not only does this eliminate file conversion, but it also reduces potential translation errors and allows assembly files to be put into a tray all at once.
Simply drag and drop the top level assembly file, and you instantly have a beautiful tray of parts. Plus if you fill up a tray, it will automatically flow over onto another tray, so you don’t have to worry about reprogramming a second tray. This saves a ton of time and hassle during the pre-processing phase.
Error Correction
Error correction also makes designers, engineers and manufacturers more productive. This feature is not present in current slicing software’s. In most cases this step is skipped which can cause failure of prints which in turn loses time and money. The healing functionality is as simple as clicking “Heal” and letting GrabCAD Print repair damages.
Cloud Accessibility
The GrabCAD Print software is cloud-based, so users can now access their print jobs from anywhere. Whether using desktop or mobile, users can monitor, schedule or keep up with their print que. It also can notify you when your job is complete with the phone app, making it possible to work off-site and still get real-time notifications./SSYS_Grab%20CAD%20Print%20Cloud2.jpg "GrabCAD Print")
Conclusion
With using GrabCAD Print and its unique features, companies can easily become more productive. Improvements have been made to every aspect of the workflow including preparing 3D prints, accessing file formats, scheduling, monitoring and collaborating with peers. By making these stages of the workflow easier, companies can be more productive than ever.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free version of GrabCAD Print at GrabCAD.com, or watch this video to learn even more about the Stratasys GrabCAD Platform.
***Note: Currently supported printers for GrabCAD Print include: uPrint SE, uPrint SE Plus, Fortus 250mc, Dimension Elite and Dimension 1200es (SST & BST), with more coming soon!
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