Stratasys introduced a new work order management software for shops that provide centralized 3D printing services. GrabCAD Shop will streamline work order management processes by improving the way engineers, designers, and shop operators collaborate on 3D printing orders.

Enterprise 3D printing shops – within larger design firms, manufacturing enterprises or educational institutions – typically lack effective purpose-built solutions to manage shop work orders. Instead, many rely on email, spreadsheets, whiteboards and paper because simple and affordable software designed specifically for 3D printing has been lacking in the market. However, as 3D printing’s usage continues to grow by double digits every year, the efficiency penalty of this approach is becoming a significant business issue.

A private beta program began this summer and Schneider Electric was quick to sign on. “We’ve switched over completely to GrabCAD Shop,” said Doug VanWaart, print manager for Schneider Electric. “Our previous print request process was a Word document, and no one liked filling that form out. GrabCAD Shop’s simple set-up makes it quicker to create print orders, and easier for me to manage them through the process. We also like how all the jobs are stored in the cloud so we can always go back and reprint an old job if needed.”

According to Stratasys’ analysis, approximately 15% of work hours in a typical 3D print shop are wasted tracking down work order requirements and manually communicating status updates to engineers, designers and operators. GrabCAD Shop streamlines this process. Requiring no IT implementation support, the cloud-based software organizes print work requests, CAD files, and project specs all in one space. As jobs progress, shop operators and engineers receive status updates on the platform and via email. GrabCAD Shop comes pre-populated with Stratasys printers and materials so that any Stratasys customer can achieve immediate value. It also provides the ability to add third party printers and traditional fabrication technology systems.

“Today, communication of requirements between designers, engineers and shop operators is inefficient and lacks traceability. This results in a loss of productivity,” said Paul Giaconia, vice president of product software for Stratasys. “GrabCAD Shop streamlines 3D printing work order management so that shop operators can focus their valuable time on making and delivering parts to their end users.”

Stratasys added significant software development capability through its acquisition of GrabCAD in 2014, and the development of Stratasys’ GrabCAD Print software, which makes it easy to print native CAD files on any Stratasys printer, is now used by over 20,000 people. GrabCAD Shop is the next evolution of Stratasys’ continued software investment to improve the 3D printing workflow and part quality.

The GrabCAD Shop public beta is now available at no charge and is expected to be commercially available globally in Q1 2020. For more information on GrabCAD Shop or to join the beta program, visit grabcad.com/shop.

Stratasys
www.stratasys.com