The dynamic duo, Bonnie and Clyde, the perfect pair: Formlabs 3D printers and PTC Creo. Combining these two technology leaders advance businesses to their full potential. When you combine Formlabs 3D printers with PTC Creo, you get an unbeatable combination for creating designs, prototypes and final products.
What is PTC Creo?
PTC Creo is a cutting-edge CAD software with an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to design and optimize your 3D models.
With PTC Creo, you can create high-quality 3D models with powerful features for analysis, visualization, and manufacturing. You can also import existing data from other applications or use the built-in tools to convert 2D drawings into 3D models.
This 3D CAD software solution also has options for live simulation tests to minimize prototyping. You can make sure the parts you are printing have been tested for durability before they even reach the physical world.
What are Formlabs 3D Printers?
Outside of the outcome being a cool physical representation of your design, 3D printing is a fast and cost-effective way to prototype your product.
Formlabs printers use stereolithography technology (SLA) to produce high-quality parts with smooth surfaces, sharp details and no visible layers or seams – all while being fast enough for production-level throughputs. And because they’re so precise, they’re ideal for creating prototypes that look just like what customers expect from final products!
By using 3D printing, you can create prototypes that look like the final product and test them before mass production. This allows you to make changes based on user feedback before investing in tooling for manufacturing. This hardware can save you time and money on low-waste prototypes and production and improve product quality.
Combining Formlabs 3D Printing with PTC Creo
PTC Creo is an industry-leading CAD software that allows you to model, design and simulate your products. Formlabs 3D printers are the best way to bring these digital designs into physical form. When you combine PTC Creo with Formlabs 3D printing, you can:
Reduce time-to-market by enabling designers and engineers to iterate more quickly on their designs before committing them to tooling or manufacturing processes.
Improve product quality by being able to prototype complex geometries that would otherwise be difficult or impossible using traditional manufacturing methods.
Increase design accuracy by allowing for greater flexibility in prototyping new concepts without the constraints imposed by traditional manufacturing processes.
Using Formlabs 3D Printers with PTC Creo
Using Formlabs 3D printers have many benefits. It’s an inexpensive and quick way to produce prototypes, which can be used to test or validate your design before investing in expensive tooling.
Some benefits that you will see form Formlabs printers:
You can also use 3D printed parts as production-quality end products to save time and money on manufacturing while maintaining quality control throughout the process.
If you’re already using PTC Creo for your CAD/CAM needs, then combining it with Formlabs 3D printers is a smart move because they both offer powerful toolsets that have easy collaboration.
EAC has partnered with Formlabs since 2016 and we now have almost 50 customers using both Creo software and Formlabs printers.
So if you use either of those products today (or plan on doing so soon), this article will show how easy it is for them to work together!
All-in-one in house design and printing creates a smooth-running production process that will save your business money.
Here are some of the benefits of using Formlabs 3D printers with PTC Creo:
1. Faster Prototyping
When combined with PTC Creo, 3D printing with Formlabs printers is fast and efficient – you can quickly iterate on designs and convert your files to create high-quality prototypes. This means you can get your product to market faster and stay ahead of the competition.
Formlabs printers are faster print times with no visible layering and fewer supports needed to clean off.
Also, Converting PTC Creo files to files that are readable on Formlabs printers takes a few minutes on a free Formlabs converter called Freeform. It’s easy to upload a Creo design file into Freeform to convert it to an STL file and then send it directly to your Formlabs printer. Your prints will be ready to go in no time.
2. Improved Design Accuracy and Customization
Formlabs 3D printers offer high resolution and accurate prints, which means you can create prototypes that look and feel like the final product. This allows you to test your designs more accurately and make changes before committing to manufacturing.
Customization and small-scale production runs, which are great for creating unique products or limited edition runs, are made possible with Formlabs 3D Printers. PTC Creo can help you design and optimize these products to meet your exact specifications with the versatility of tools that it provides.
3. Cost Savings
By using Formlabs 3D printing for prototyping, you can save money on tooling and manufacturing costs. This is especially true with Formlabs printers, which offer high-quality prints at a lower cost than traditional manufacturing methods.
While there are some printers that have direct integrations from PTC Creo, you could be spending $50k-$80k more on printers. Converting PTC Creo files to files that are readable on Formlabs printers takes a few minutes and costs you nothing.
4. Increased Productivity
By combining PTC Creo and Formlabs 3D printers, you can work more efficiently and get more done in less time. PTC Creo’s powerful design tools and Formlabs’ fast printing speeds allow you to create high-quality prototypes and final products quickly and easily.
Conclusion
Taking advantage of the power of PTC Creo 3D CAD software for product design and creation and advanced Formlabs 3D printers for physical production, you get an unbeatable combination for creating prototypes and final products.
In conclusion, combining Formlabs 3D printers with PTC Creo offers numerous benefits that can help you create high-quality prototypes and final products faster, more accurately, and at a lower cost. So, if you’re looking to innovate your product design process, consider using Formlabs printers with PTC Creo.
Reach out to one of our experts to find out which solution would benefit your production process.
Digital transformation has become a buzzword in recent years, and for good reason. Companies that embrace digital technologies are more likely to stay ahead of the curve, differentiate themselves in the marketplace, and meet the evolving needs of their customers.
The benefits of digital transformation can be far-reaching, from improved customer experience to cost savings and increased efficiency.
In this blog, we will explore the various benefits of digital transformation, and why it is essential for companies to embrace this trend in order to remain competitive in the digital age.
What is Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation is a term used to describe the process of transforming an organization’s business model and operations through the use of digital technologies. It’s important because it can help you stay ahead of your competition, improve customer experience and attract new customers.
The benefits of digital transformation include:
- Improved customer experience: Digital transformation can help you better understand and meet the needs of your customers. With the use of data analytics and other digital tools, you can gather insights into customer behavior and preferences, and tailor your products and services accordingly.
- Increased efficiency and productivity: Digital transformation can automate many processes, reducing manual labor and freeing up staff to focus on higher-value tasks. This can lead to increased efficiency and productivity across your organization.
- Competitive advantage: By embracing digital technologies, you can stay ahead of your competitors and differentiate yourself in the marketplace. This can help you attract new customers and retain existing ones.
- Cost savings: Digital transformation can help you reduce costs by streamlining processes and eliminating unnecessary steps. This can lead to significant savings over time.
- Innovation: Digital transformation can open up new opportunities for innovation and growth. By embracing new technologies and ways of working, you can develop new products and services that better meet the needs of your customers.
See how JR Automation saved seven figures with embarking on their digital transformation journey:
Creating a Digital Transformation Roadmap
The first step to creating a digital transformation roadmap is to identify the scope of your transformation. What are you trying to achieve? What are the goals and objectives of your business? How will you measure success?
Once this has been determined, it’s time to set up a timeline for achieving those goals.
Once these steps have been completed, it’s time for action! You should now have a clear idea of what needs changing within your organization and how long it will take before those changes become visible.
Building a Digital Transformation Team
When you’re building your digital transformation team, it’s important to define roles and responsibilities. You’ll want to make sure that everyone understands their role in the process and what they are expected to do. For example, if someone is responsible for monitoring the performance of shop floor machines, they should know what the ideal OEE is of each machine, how they are going to collect that data, and how they are going to distribute it to enterprise decision makers.
It’s also important that you select team members who have complementary skillsets and experience levels. If one person has extensive knowledge of augmented reality while another knows nothing about it at all, this could lead to problems down the line when it comes time for them both to collaborate on projects together – and no one wants that!
Finally, creating a culture where collaboration happens naturally between team members will help ensure successful outcomes throughout your digital transformation project(s).
Adopting the Right Technology
The first step in digital transformation is choosing the right technology. You’ll want to consider:
Software: What are your current needs and how will they change over time? Will you need additional features or functionality?
Hardware: Do you have enough computing power and storage space for all of your data, or does it need to be scaled up or down depending on usage patterns at different times of day/year/etc.? Do you have sensors to track data that you need for production insight?
Tools: What tools do developers use to build applications on top of this platform (e.g., Creo vs. Solidworks)? How easy is it for them to integrate their code with existing systems like databases and messaging queues? Are there any security issues with using these tools – and if so, how can they be mitigated by using another tool instead (e.g., switching from MySQL database server software to Microsoft Azure).
Developing a Digital Transformation Strategy
The first step to developing a digital transformation strategy is to define the scope of the project. What are you trying to accomplish? What are your objectives, and how will you measure success?
These questions can help guide your organization through its transformation journey by setting realistic goals for both short-term wins and long-term gains.
Once you’ve defined what needs changing, it’s time for step two: defining how those changes will happen. This involves creating an action plan that includes timelines for each phase of implementation as well as resources required for each stage (e.g., time from IT staff).
Some companies may choose to tackle multiple projects simultaneously; others might choose only one area at a time depending on their resources available in terms of money/manpower/etcetera).
EAC Assessments help companies answer all those questions and how to get where they want to be.
Implementing the Digital Transformation Plan
Develop a timeline. The first step in implementing your digital transformation plan is to develop a timeline with milestones that will help you track progress.
Set goals and objectives for each milestone. Once you’ve established your milestones, it’s time to set goals and objectives for each one of them so that everyone involved knows exactly what needs to be done at any given time during the project.
Track progress regularly by reviewing dashboards or reports generated from data collected during testing phases of development projects (if applicable). It’s important not only for managers but also employees on lower levels within organizations who may not have access
Monitoring and Evaluating Performance
Monitoring and measuring performance is an important part of the digital transformation process. It allows you to identify areas where you are successful, and areas that need improvement.
Monitoring can be done using a variety of tools, including:
Data Analytics Dashboards (e.g., Thingworx Analytics)
Real-time Data Share (e.g., Windchill, EAC Productivity Apps)
Digital Twin Performance (e.g., Augmented Reality)
Adapting and Adjusting the Plan
As you progress through your digital transformation, there will be changes in the market that you need to respond to.
If a competitor introduces a new product or service, or if something happens in the industry at large, it may change how you approach your own strategy.
You might also find that your goals and objectives have changed since they were first set out; perhaps there’s been an increase in customer demand for something specific that wasn’t previously considered important enough for inclusion on the list.
The best way to handle these situations is by reviewing them regularly with other members of your team – and making sure everyone has input into decisions about how best to adjust course as needed.
Communicating the Benefits of Digital Transformation
In order to communicate the benefits of digital transformation, it’s important to understand who your stakeholders are and what they want.
If you’re working in an organization with a large number of stakeholders (such as a government agency), then there may be multiple groups that need convincing. For example:
The board wants to see results from their investment in IT infrastructure. They’ll likely be interested in metrics such as ROI and cost savings.
Executives want quick wins that will help them achieve their goals, but they also need proof that this new approach will work before they can commit time and resources to implementing it throughout the organization.
Employees want something tangible they can hold onto when explaining why this change is important for them personally (and why it matters).
Conclusion
Digital transformation is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your business goals. It’s important to remember that digital transformation is not just about implementing new technologies, but also about changing how you work and think as an organization.
Digital transformation requires commitment from everyone involved in the process – from the C-suite down through every level of your organization.
To be successful, it must be an ongoing effort rather than a one-time project or initiative. You will need to continuously innovate and improve what you’re doing if you want to stay ahead of competitors who are also pursuing digital transformation strategies.
In conclusion, digital transformation is becoming increasingly essential for companies to stay competitive and meet the needs of their customers in the digital age. However, the process of digital transformation can be complex and challenging, which is why EAC assessments can be extremely helpful.
By conducting an assessment of your organization’s current digital capabilities and identifying areas for improvement, you can develop a roadmap for digital transformation that is tailored to your specific needs and goals.
EAC assessments can help you identify gaps in your digital capabilities, streamline your processes, and develop new products and services that better meet the needs of your customers. By embracing digital transformation and leveraging the expertise of EAC assessors, you can position your company for success in the digital age.
