NX

NX AM Fixed-Plane

NX AM Fixed-Plane provides the solutions you need to setup your build for printing on fixed-plane print systems, like powder bed or jetting systems.

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Screenshot of an additive manufacturing build.

Why NX AM Fixed-Plane?

Accelerate your build setup for fixed-plane additive manufacturing (AM) equipment using our NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions. Regardless of the material type or parts you print, our solutions cover fixed-plane modalities, such as powder bed, jetting, Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), fused filament fabrication (FFF) and more.

Import parts and setup your build tray
Use the NX AM Fixed-Plane tools for build tray setup, basic support geometry (block, line and point) creation, and the build processor framework, which supports build processors for various types of additive manufacturing equipment. The solution also provides 3MF and STL file-based export of the build tray. Access these products as part of a bundle that includes NX solid modeling and drafting, feature modeling, basic freeform modeling, assembly modeling and user-defined features.

Edit and fix models before printing
Use the integrated NX CAD tools, like synchronous modeling, to prepare 3D models for printing and to edit part geometry to accommodate design change requests. The assembly capabilities enable you to model complete multi-part assemblies you can print.

Maximize your productivity with advanced capabilities
Gain more functionality when you add in advanced support geometry types, such as gusset, contour, web, cone, volume and user-defined supports. Create a bundle with access to best-in-class facet body editing tools for working directly with mesh bodies, such as imported STL or 3MF files.

NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions provide advanced additive manufacturing build setup tools, including:

NX AM Fixed-Plane Basic tools:

  • Effortless drag-and-drop part placement and orientation
  • Automatic and manual support structure creation
  • Automated print mark generation
  • Generation of print code for direct printing to supported hardware
  • Slice viewer for supported printer types

NX AM Fixed-Plane Advanced tools:

  • All capabilities present in NX AM Fixed-Plane Basic solutions
  • Gusset, contour, web, cone, volume, and user-defined support structure creation
  • 2D and 3D nesting of parts in the build tray

Note: For a current list of printers with direct print support, please talk to your salesperson.

Featured capabilities

NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions allow you to easily populate your build tray by adding parts through a seamless drag-and-drop interface. You can quickly pattern parts in the build tray to create duplicates for printing. You can also define the orientation manually or according to the AM Build Coordinate System, which is created at design time or by simulation.

Advanced licenses include the ability to 2D and 3D nest parts in the build tray. Options for nesting include settings for the allowable distance between parts and the chosen optimization method. This allows you to quickly optimize the space within the build tray for the most efficient prints possible.

Many manufacturing processes, regardless of industry, require the ability to apply serial numbers to parts for tracking purposes. Since additive manufacturing produces unique parts, it is well suited to do this. However, the software driving manufacturing processes often needs to include a robust system for assigning and creating print marks at the time of manufacture. This leaves the operator on the shop floor to model those print marks.

You can make processes more efficient if your build setup tool is integrated tightly with CAD. This makes print marks easier to create. During design in NX, you can assign the print mark location to a specific area of the part. Then it will easily flow into manufacturing where the appropriate print marks are placed in the specified position. Print marks in NX can be generated manually, with a spreadsheet or text file, or via a program. This gives you maximum flexibility for assigning print marks and tracking their production.

Generate supports from a built-in library after selecting your desired printer. Different printers are associated with different support types in the library. You can also generate custom support types to be included in the library and associated with different printers.

Additive manufacturing power users can use NX to create custom support structures using the robust design functions in NX for design.

The basic NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions include basic support structure types such as block, wall and point, with more complex support types available to add.

A mesh or facet body imported from a STL or 3MF file.

Get the ability to import and export both STL and 3MF files. These common file formats are used for movement and storage of additive manufacturing part data.

Import and export STL and 3MF files to get the best of both worlds. You can use the integrated design-to-print solutions that Siemens provides, but you are also free to use discrete point solutions from other software vendors in the additive manufacturing space.

With NX AM Fixed-Plane software, you can access all the major design, drafting and assemblies functions in our NX CAD system. You can use these tools to create amazing 3D-printed parts. Furthermore, with these functions integrated with the build setup functions for additive manufacturing in NX, any design changes will seamlessly flow to the build tray.

However, designing parts for additive manufacturing (DfAM) is more than just creating the part geometry. A robust DfAM process includes validation to ensure that the designed part will be printable. The NX AM Fixed-Plane solution options include validation routines for overhang, porosity, wall thickness, minimum radii, print volume, enclosed volumes, internal channels, trapped supports, print time and others. Use these tools to create the geometry you need and to assure the geometry you've created will print properly.

Generate parts with both facet or mesh bodies existing alongside and interacting with nurbs areas using Convergent Modeling, a Siemens’ patented technology. This reduces the messy work of editing facet bodies. While direct facet editing tools are present in NX, most interaction with facet bodies can be accomplished with normal CAD tools like extrudes, Boolean operations and blends. Those CAD tools work on mesh bodies just like they do on nurbs bodies in NX. In fact, nurbs bodies and mesh bodies can even be united or subtracted from one another, just as you would expect if working with purely nurbs bodies. This results in massive time savings when designing and preparing parts for 3D printing.

Advanced DfAM capabilities, like lattice structure generation or topology optimization, are also integrated into NX and can be added to the NX AM Fixed-Plane bundles.

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