Hexagon AB has announced it has completed the acquisition of CADS Additive GmbH, a provider of specialised software that helps companies prepare designs for metal 3D printing. According to Hexagon, CADS Additive simplifies the process of 3D printing on powder bed fusion (PBF) machines.
CADS Additive says its software guides users through build preparation, helping companies turn design files into printer instructions and improve their manufacturing productivity.
CADS Additive has been a partner of Hexagon since 2021, integrating its build preparation and support structure creation capabilities with Hexagon’s Simufact Additive process simulation software. The company says that shared development roadmaps will further improve workflows, allowing users to adjust the orientation and support structure of 3D prints.
CADS says this will help shorten the additive manufacturing workflow and provide easy-to-follow steps to mitigate quality implications caused to the orientation or support structure.
CADS Additive’s AM Studio software is already connected to Hexagon’s Nexus digital reality platform, which launched in February 2023. The companies say the software will complete Hexagon’s Nexus-enabled AM workflow, applying its technology portfolio to CAD model preparation, build preparation, simulation-based optimisations, quality and production intelligence, and the automation of CAM to finish parts.
“Our investments reflect the growing importance of additive manufacturing, which has huge potential but has been held back by a fragmented ecosystem that means manufacturers are not getting the results they need fast enough. The acquisition of CADS Additive enables us to provide our customers with integrated tools that empower manufacturing teams to reduce waste and increase efficiency as they move from prototyping to production," said Hexagon President and CEO Paolo Guglielmini. "Opening up the Nexus platform to our ecosystem partners and providing building blocks like CADS Additive helps customers improve their processes throughout the manufacturing value chain and realise the potential of industrial additive manufacturing."
CADS Additive was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Perg, Austria. The acquisition by Hexagon will see the company operate as part of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division.
