Stratasys Ltd., the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, today unveiled a new software strategy designed to make 3D printing significantly easier, more intuitive and highly accessible. The approach is powered by a new, open architecture “design-to-3D print” workflow application, GrabCAD Print* – residing on the popular GrabCAD SaaS platform and supported by a community of more than 3 million designers, engineers and students.
The GrabCAD Print solution's easy-to-use and intuitive print preparation environment removes typical complexities from the design-to-3D print process.
Unified Platform for Job Preparation, Scheduling and Monitoring
3D printing techniques are typically characterized by significant “model fixing” time which forces businesses to devise costly, manual solutions to construct an acceptable workflow. GrabCAD Print is designed to make 3D printing fast and easy-to-use, while reducing errors by eliminating requirements to translate and repair computer-aided design (CAD) files. Product designers, engineers, and 3D printer operators can now send native CAD files to a Stratasys 3D Printer or service bureau directly from their familiar CAD environments. Further bolstered by an extensive new business intelligence environment, the application also accelerates data-driven decision-making.
Video: Stratasys to Offer Universal Design-to-3D Print Software with GRABCAD Print*
“When we acquired GrabCAD two years ago, our vision was to provide a digital manufacturing backbone to support adoption of 3D printing technologies,” said Josh Claman, Chief Business Officer, Stratasys. “Underscoring the critical nature of software as an essential ingredient for complete and smooth 3D printing workflow, GrabCAD Print is our first new application built on the GrabCAD platform - empowering customers with a single, open, cloud-based environment for job preparation, scheduling and monitoring. Accelerating integration of additive manufacturing on the shop floor, GrabCAD Print also generates real-time business intelligence which can be prepared in actionable reports for Stratasys 3D Printers on the user’s GrabCAD Print network.”
An Open Environment for 3D Printing Expansion
GrabCAD Print works with a variety of Stratasys FDM and PolyJet 3D Printers and can natively read several popular CAD formats from PTC Creo, Dassault Systèmes’ SOLIDWORKS, Siemens PLM Software’s NX software, CATIA and Autodesk Inventor. The application also facilitates data sharing related to job scheduling, print queue status, material usage and historical usage. All information is readily available via standard Web browsers, mobile applications or locally installed clients while securely managed through the GrabCAD Platform.
Committed to architecting an open and partner-friendly solution, Stratasys is making full use of a powerful 3D design ecosystem – creating additional value-added applications based on the GrabCAD Platform. Industry leading CAD solution providers such as PTC, Dassault Systèmes’ SOLIDWORKS, and Siemens PLM Software will be collaborating with Stratasys to further simplify key functions in CAD-to-3D print workflow. Users of these offerings will be able to access Stratasys 3D printing solutions, analyze designs for 3D printability, and prepare and print jobs from their native CAD environment.
"When keeping up with fast paced development, frequently things will change in the last minute. In the past when a build had to be switched to a different 3D printer I'd have to do a clean restart - redo all of that file preparation work. With GrabCAD Print it's easy to switch between 3D printers within a single app. That's a huge step forward in improving the workflow," said Jimmy Callaway, Design Engineer, Joe Gibbs Racing.
*The GrabCAD Print application is planned for public beta in North America this summer with additional releases planned throughout the year alongside new language and regional support.
For more information, please visit: www.grabcad.com/print. Full image and multimedia assets for this press release are available in the Stratasys newsroom: www.stratasys.com/corporate/newsroom.
The Company plans to hold an investor conference call to discuss the announcement on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. (ET). The investor conference call will be available via live webcast on the Stratasys Website at www.stratasys.com under the "Investors" tab; or directly at the following web address: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/zv7iua2h. To participate by telephone, the domestic dial-in number is (855) 319-2216 and the international dial-in is +1 (503) 343-6033. The access code is 12331467. Investors are advised to dial into the call at least ten minutes prior to the call to register.
For more than 25 years, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force and dominant player in 3D printing and additive manufacturing – shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across a broad range of vertical markets by enabling new paradigms for design and manufacturing. The company’s solutions provide customers with unmatched design freedom and manufacturing flexibility – reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving designs and communications. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and SolidScape, and the Stratasys ecosystem includes 3D printers for prototyping and production; a wide range of 3D printing materials; parts on-demand via Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; strategic consulting and professional services; the GrabCAD platform with over 3 million professional users; and the Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities with over 2 million 3D printable files for free designs. With more than 2,700 employees and 800 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents, Stratasys has received more than 30 technology and leadership awards. Visit us online at: www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com/, and follow us on LinkedIn.
Stratasys is a registered trademark of Stratasys Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates. GRABCAD is a registered trademark, and GrabCAD Print, GrabCAD Workbench, and GrabCAD Community are trademarks of Stratasys Inc. NX is a trademark or registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. SOLIDWORKS is a registered trademark Dassault Systèmes’ SOLIDWORKS Corporation in the US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release relating to Stratasys’ beliefs regarding the benefits consumers will experience from the GrabCAD Print, Stratasys’ expectation on the availability GrabCAD Print, and its potential collaborations with other Industry leading CAD solution providers and any benefits thereof, are forward-looking statements reflecting management's current expectations and beliefs. These forward-looking statements are based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to rapid and even abrupt change. Due to risks and uncertainties associated with Stratasys' business, actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that consumers will not perceive the benefits of the GrabCAD Print and/or the benefits deriving from any cooperation with other industry leading CAD solution providers to be the same as Stratasys does; the risk that unforeseen technical difficulties will delay the availability of the GrabCAD Print; and other risk factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in Stratasys' most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 21, 2016. Stratasys is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by the rules and regulations of the SEC.