Materialise and nTop have announced a pioneering collaboration to “push the boundaries of what’s possible” with additive manufacturing (AM). The integration of nTop Core (nTop’s implicit modeling API) with Materialise’s Magics 3D Print Suite and NxG Build Processor will help manufacturers accelerate the entire design-to-manufacturing process and enable the production of complex parts that were previously impossible to print.
This collaboration has already demonstrated success in producing a high-performance, 3D-printed cylinder head for technology group Wärtsilä, significantly enhancing cooling performance and reducing weight by 60 per cent, which was printed by Nikon SLM Solutions.
In a press release, Materialise and nTop say that this partnership solves a common problem for complex, high-performance designs by enabling implicit design files to be exchanged between design and manufacturing teams and natively processed for production without meshing or other intermediate processes. In turn, this allows engineering teams to design higher-performance parts with more features and capabilities while assuring they can be produced precisely and economically.
nTop has developed new implicit modeling kernel and corresponding file format that can characterize highly complex, high-performance geometries at a fraction of the size of traditional CAD or mesh-based files. Until now, high-performance product designs created in nTop could not be natively processed by Magics, requiring time-consuming translations for build preparation and production. Materialise’s NxG Build Processor is configurable software that translates large and complex 3D design files into 3D printable instructions, optimizing and managing the 3D printing process from start to finish. By integrating nTop’s design software with Materialise’s Magics and NxG Build Processor, these designs can be easily transferred natively to Materialise Magics for fast, high-quality build preparation and slicing.
Materialise and nTop have launched an Early Access Program to accelerate the adoption of high-performance geometries in additive manufacturing. Aimed at users pushing the boundaries of this technology, the program allows participants to tackle challenges, helping them enhance design-to-manufacturing workflows and overall performance. Phase 1, starting in Q3 2024, will invite 10 companies, with an additional 20 companies joining in Q1 2025. Participants will benefit from faster, higher-quality build preparation by integrating nTop’s implicit modeling API within the Materialise Magics 3D Print Suite, eliminating time-consuming implicit-to-mesh conversions and streamlining the additive manufacturing process.
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