Materialise Enables Control of 3D Printing Process via Software

Materialise offers its Process Control software for metal 3D printing and introduces the Build Processor Software Development Kit (BP SDK). The new solutions enable additive manufacturing (AM) users to take control of the 3D printing process by using automated quality control and customizing 3D printer parameters.

Automated Quality Control

Materialise Process Control enables manufacturers to introduce quality control using data gathered during the 3D printing process. By analyzing and correlating layer data from the 3D printing process, users can identify defective parts before they are sent to post-processing and quality inspection. Analyzing the layer data also enables users to find the root cause of defects faster, allowing them to optimize the process and adapt their 3D printing parameters. 

“Materialise Process Control uses artificial intelligence to automate quality control, helping our customers save significant time and money,” says Bart Van der Schueren, chief technical officer of Materialise. 

Materialise Process Control uses artificial intelligence to examine two-dimensional images of the powder bed taken during the 3D printing process. Materialise Process Control is available as part of CO-AM, Materialise’s end-to-end software platform for 3D printing, and as a standalone software solution. As an open software solution, partners will be able to add their software and monitoring technology.

Optimizing the 3D Printing Process 

A Build Processor (BP) connects 3D printers with software for data preparation, such as Materialise Magics.

“More and more AM users want to scale up their activities and serve the demand of quality end-part manufacturing. Very often the standard build parameters of a 3D printer don’t match their needs,” says Karel Brans, senior director Partnerships at Materialise. “They are looking for ways to improve the machine utilization rate and achieve consistent quality. With a BP developed for a specific use case, you can push productivity and quality to a whole new level.”

The BP software development kit is an open development process that supports collaboration.

The BP SDK offers AM users the opportunity to deploy BPs tailored to their needs. It allows users to manufacture complex parts and mass-produce identical or customized products with consistent quality, decreased scrap rate, and shortened lead times, the company reports, adding that optimizing the 3D printing process will help to make more AM use cases sustainable and drive industrial adoption of the technology. Build Processors co-developed with the BP SDK provide full connectivity to CO-AM and Materialise Magics.

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