nTopology & EOS Solving a Major Bottleneck

Technology Advancement Clears Major Workflow Bottleneck

____ KRAILLING, GERMANY, MAY 02, 2023 

nTopology, the leading engineering design software developer, and EOS, the industrial 3D printing industry pioneer and market leader, today announced they are proceeding with the development of a new Implicit Interop capability, solving a major bottleneck in the additive manufacturing (AM) workflow by allowing the transfer of the most complex designs in megabyte-sized files, thereby quickening the time to manufacturing.  Previewed at Formnext 2022 in Frankfurt, Germany, the technology advancement was eagerly received by nTopology partners and customers.

File sizes for output to 3D printers can exceed 10s of gigabytes, but nTopology, and EOS,  have created a new nTop Implicit File that can result in up to 99% smaller file sizes, 500x faster file generation and 60% faster load time – making it more readily available to AM build preparation software for manufacturing.

nTopology will provide an Implicit Interop plugin for EOS customers that is compatible with EOSPRINT 2.14, expected to release in June 2023.

The Formnext preview also featured a large industrial heat exchanger created as a proof-of-concept by Siemens Energy.  Its complex design, exported to an nTop Implicit File in a matter of seconds, required less than 1 MB of storage space. Then, easily imported to EOSPRINT, the file was used to additively manufacture the heat exchanger on an EOS M 290 industrial 3D printer.

To spur even broader adoption of their Implicit Interop technology, nTopology and EOS are also working with the 3MF Consortium on the standardization of the Implicit File format.  It is expected that the technology will be incorporated in a future update to the 3MF industry-standard 3D printing file format.  

"nTopology has opened up design freedom and enabled engineers to design products that they weren't able to do before. This has led to even more complex designs that have led them to uncover design data bottlenecks in printing those designs. With our focus on being a useful tool for engineers – to not just design but produce these parts –  we worked with EOS to come up with a solution to enable these complex parts to be printed. We look forward to advancing the entire industry based on this type of partnership with OEMs.”
Bradley Rothenberg, nTopology Co-founder and CEO

“With modern design approaches such as topology optimization, generative design, and DfAM on the rise, the complexity of part geometries has been skyrocketing. Discretization of such complex models often results in meshes with file sizes greater than several gigabytes which can make them very challenging to handle in later production steps. EOS tackles the problem and drives the standardization of implicit geometry representation, which makes it possible to build designs that were previously unbuildable.”
Alexander Bockstaller, Software Product Line Manager at EOS

Industrial heat exchanger printed on EOS M 290

“This is a fascinating technical development. nTopology and EOS are years ahead of the game. The rest of the AM ecosystem now needs to catch up.  File size hasn’t been much of a challenge in the past.  However, with the industry’s advancements regarding topology optimization, generative design, and design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), part geometries are getting increasingly complex. As a result, exchanging such complex geometries with traditional data formats is becoming more challenging, severely hindering thermal management innovation.”   
Ole Geisen, Head of Engineering Services for Additive Manufacturing at Siemens Energy

About the Companies

 

nTopology
nTopology was founded in 2015 with the belief that engineers’ ability to innovate shouldn’t be limited by their design software. Built on proprietary technologies that upend the constraints of traditional CAD software while integrating seamlessly into existing processes, nTopology allows designers to create complex geometries, optimize instantaneously, and automate workflows to develop breakthrough 3D-printed parts in record time. Customers across the globe, in fields including aerospace, automotive, medical devices, and consumer goods, rely on nTopology to create the strategic parts that redefine their industries. For more information, visit www.ntop.com.

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Siemens Energy
Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies.  The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire energy value chain – from power generation and transmission to storage.  The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology, such as gas and steam turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power  
generators and transformers.  More than 50 percent of the portfolio has already been decarbonized.  A majority stake in the listed company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) makes Siemens Energy a global market leader for renewable energies.  An estimated one-sixth of the electricity generated worldwide is based on technologies from Siemens Energy.  Siemens Energy employs around 92,000 people worldwide in more than 90 countries and generated revenue of €29 billion in fiscal year 2022. For more information, visit www.siemens-energy.com.

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EOS     
EOS provides responsible manufacturing solutions via industrial 3D printing technology to manufacturers around the world. Connecting high quality production efficiency with its pioneering innovation and sustainable practices, the independent company formed in 1989 will shape the future of manufacturing. Powered by its platform-driven digital value network of machines and a holistic portfolio of services, materials and processes, EOS is deeply committed to fulfilling its customers’ needs and acting responsibly for our planet.  

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