Siemens Sees Atlas 3D as Part of Additive Manufacturing Puzzle

From day one, 3D printing was supposed to provide an easy avenue for companies to create anything. Unfortunately, potholes in the road have made it difficult from most firms to easily transition designs from small runs to useful production parts. The high rate of 3D print failures is a key challenge companies face in leveraging additive manufacturing for high-volume production. Parts often need to go through several design and analysis iterations before the optimal build orientation and support structures are determined. Typically, designers don’t have the capabilities to consider such factors as part orientation, distortion, and heat extraction uniformity in their design. This puts the onus on engineering specialists to resolve such issues.