Nikon SLM Solutions Partners with Materialise

Nikon SLM Solutions and Materialise, both companies vested in 3D printing technologies, unveil a collaborative venture to cultivate the generation of Materialise build processors (BP) tailored for Nikon SLM Solutions printers, integrating them into the Materialise CO-AM platform, the companies report. This collaboration is poised to equip manufacturers with the right machine and the autonomy to customize their 3D printing processes, according to the companies.

With the advent of NXG machines, Nikon SLM Solutions is positioned as a provider of metal 3D printers designed for high-volume manufacturing, Nikon reports. Powered by twelve 1kW lasers, these machines have a large build envelope, facilitating needed part sizes and quantities in a single run. 

Nikon SLM Solutions and Materialise have expertise to curate the next-gen BPs, the companies note. The BP is slated for release in the upcoming months for NXG and all SLM users employing Materialise software solutions.

“Working with Materialise, we have made a giant leap in developing a high-performative build processor,” says Nicolas Lemaire, product manager—Software, Product Control, and Strategic Partnerships at Nikon SLM Solutions. “With this next generation of build processors, our customers using Materialise software will save time during the print job setup and profit from tools to optimize their print process.”

A BP links 3D printers with data preparation software like Materialise Magics. Post-data preparation, data volume requires processing to furnish the requisite information for the 3D printer to fabricate the parts. The forthcoming Materialise BPs expedite this phase, offering AM users the flexibility to customize process parameters to optimize application outcomes, according to Materialise,.

This milestone was achieved through the Materialise BP Software Development Kit (SDK), fostering close collaboration during development and allowing machine manufacturers to securely encapsulate their own intellectual property (IP). Nikon SLM users will see reduced calculation times, with ability to optimize machine parameters through the Nikon SLM Open Architecture or use the Materialise BP SDK to formulate parameters and create their own IP. By fine-tuning print parameters, AM users can attain cost-efficiency, production speed and part quality, enabling the manufacture of parts and mass production of identical or personalized products with consistent quality, reduced scrap rates, and abbreviated lead times.

 “Nikon SLM Solutions and Materialise share a vision of open systems that enable AM users to make optimal use of their equipment and connect it to their preferred solutions,” says Bart Van der Schueren, CTO of Materialise. “We look forward to offering the next generation of BPs to Nikon SLM Solutions users and providing them access to software solutions covering the whole AM workflow.”

In conjunction with the emergent Materialise BPs, Nikon SLM Solutions users will relish direct machine connectivity to the Materialise CO-AM Software Platform via SLM.Link, Nikon SLM Solutions' open platform communication interface. CO-AM facilitates users to integrate their 3D printers into existing production systems. The software platform unveils access to auxiliary solutions from Materialise and third parties, including CO-AM partner solutions for design automation, mass customization, automated labeling and various post-processing technologies. CO-AM empowers AM users to connect and manage technologies from diverse machine builders over a singular platform.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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