Carbon Expands Capabilities of Its 3D Printing Software

The latest version of Carbon’s 3D printing software expands its tools to enable users to design, engineer and make polymeric parts using the company’s digital light synthesis (DLS) technology and resins. These new software tools are backed by finite element analysis (FEA), a cloud-based computational technique that simulates the forces of DLS.

Features include an advanced auto support function, which analyzes customers’ parts and helps ensure successful printing in the first iteration, as well as helping customers understand where a part may need more support by aiding in the design of a manual support strategy. New fence supports can be used to support edges, improving precision and minimizing material usage and support artifacts. Simulations use a secure, cloud-based computing architecture that can speed up simulations from days to hours, according to the company.

The cloud-connected approach integrates Carbon’sunit operations and offerings, and release updates every six weeks are designed to help help ensure peak performance and streamline the introduction of new resins.

The software’s physics and chemistry models control chemical reactions in the printing process, which the company says help speed iteration from design to prototyping to production. Its algorithmic design assists designers in creating internal lattice structures and adding aesthetic and functional textures. The company’s printers come with multiple printer profiles, which are optimized for production speed and repeatability. This is also helpful for producing prints in a broad range of geometries.

The software digitally traces the full lineage of a produced part, down to a unique ID that can be engraved or embossed on the part and used to identify its digital historical record, including the printer, resin and postprocessing protocols. Its fleet management capabilities, including real-time dashboards to aggregate data and reports and an application programming interface that integrates with existing business systems, help customers to scale production volumes.