Cimatron Group
CimatronE
Cimatron has announced that its next software release will support the Additive Manufacturing File (AMF) format - the new standard for converting 3D models into digital files or 3D printing.
This capability will be built into the upcoming CimatronE version 12 - due for release mid-2014 - and President and CEO of the company Danny Haran believes this is a key move, as more and more people adopt AMF.
He stated: "We keep looking at solutions that Cimatron can offer to the growing market for additive and hybrid manufacturing. We are pleased to be among the first CAD vendors to offer direct support of AMF. We believe more market participants will adopt AMF as their preferred method of 3D printing file interface in the coming years."
Principal Consultant and President of Wohlers Associates and member of Cimatron's 3D Printing Advisory Board Terry Wohlers said: "Since the late 1980s, the STL file format has been the de facto industry standard for transferring CAD data to additive manufacturing equipment (3D printers). However, the STL format has no provisions for representing colour, textures, materials, lattice/mesh structures, units and other properties of the finished printed part.
"The new XML-based AMF standard was developed to bridge the gap between CAD and modern additive manufacturing technology. This file format contains all relevant information required for making a 3D printed part, including the final part's material, colour and internal structure.
“The AMF format was jointly adopted as an industry standard by both ASTM International and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) last year and I am glad to see that Cimatron has completed development for supporting this capability in its next software release."