Rapid prototyping and manufacturing (RP&M) specialist, Materialise, has releasedn Magics 11. Magics is the key element of the Magics e-RP Suite, a full range of professional software products designed to streamline, automate and boost almost every step in the RP&M process. Magics 11 both consolidates the enhancements of Magics X and offers several new and enhanced features. Here’s a brief overview of what’s new in Magics 11:
Speed up and facilitate the build set-up process significantly
Magics 11 paves the way for an automatic planning and process control system:
Prepare multiple platforms in a single Magics session, enabling you to plan production on different machines simultaneously. Even if you have just one machine, the ‘Multiplatform’ feature can simplify production planning by preparing your consecutive builds
Free up enormous amounts of memory when dealing with duplicate parts. Magics 11 uses ‘virtual copies’ of the original, which allows you to prepare your platforms more quickly and efficiently
Automate the application of machine-related compensations: you can indicate machine-related parameters in the machine settings in order to let Magics compensate automatically when exporting a platform
Build life-like prototypes directly
Use Magics 11 to manipulate textured models easily:
Apply an image onto the surface of a model
Import textured models (VRML & ZPR files)
Edit and fix the part for prototyping production, while preserving the textures
Build your prepared textured model directly on a Z Corp or Contex
machine, thanks to the export of ZPR format
Realise perfect builds
Anticipate future quality issues with the ‘Wall Thickness Analysis’ function:
Quickly identify problem areas where the walls of a part are too thin or too thick to be built properly
Avoid scrap and build failures
Ensure fast, clear project communication
Thanks to Magics 11’s very efficient communication tools, misunderstandings due to communication problems belong to the past:
Easily add attachments, pictures, drawings and annotations to clarify any element of the 3D model on screen
Create different scenes to explain the requirements in detail
Transform GIS surfaces into easy to handle 3D printed models quickly
Turn the textured surface GIS data into a solid, watertight model to be built with RP equipment
Make these models easy to handle, thanks to a unique material saving functionality
Get perfect parts
Magics 11 renews the Z-Compensation to enhance the quality and accuracy of the parts from your SLA machine:
Avoid time-consuming manual part finishing, thanks to the new and efficient algorithm
Ensure high surface quality for SLA parts
Magics 11 further improves support generation:
‘Cross line’ support generation has been perfected
The manual gusset support generates teeth and notches to allow for fast, easy removal
The corners of a combined gusset and block support are automatically reinforced, ensuring strong support