EAC and INTAMSYS are partnering to expand 3D printing solutions for the Midwest

EAC Product Development Solutions, a Premier PTC partner, has recently entered into a strategic alliance with INTAMSYS to amplify their concentration and assistance towards Additive Manufacturing concerning product development.

Who is INTAMSYS?

Specializing in high-performance materials, INTAMSYS is a world-renowned expert in advanced solutions for 3D printing and industrial additive manufacturing.

INTAMSYS offers advanced 3D-printing solutions that are fine-tuned to cater to the specific needs of various industries and organizations, with the support of its partner network.

Offering a diverse array of 3D printing hardware, INTAMSYS effectively meets the needs of various industries, including but not limited to Aerospace, Automotive, Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Healthcare, and Research.

INTAMSYS operates across multiple locations. They are headquartered in Shanghai (China) with regional offices in Stuttgart (Germany) and Minneapolis (Minnesota), where they extend their services to offer sales, operations, and support for their cutting-edge technology.

“We are very excited to be partnering with EAC Product Development Solutions”, says INTAMSYS CEO Charles Han. “EAC Product Development Solutions have a proven track record with various product development software offerings that strongly reside adjacent to our solutions. We believe this is the beginning of a strong partnership as they further dive into additive manufacturing with INTAMSYS. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they are right down the street from our Minnesota office.”

EAC’s Industry Role

EAC Product Development Solutions, a predominant player in the product development industry, prioritizes staying ahead of the curve by providing top-of-the-line technology solutions to clients while also being responsive to market trends and customer demands. Teaming up with INTAMSYS enables EAC to enhance their market offerings, addressing additional business challenges encountered by their customers.

EAC Product Development Solutions (EAC) provides innovative solutions that transform the way companies design, manufacture, connect to, and service their products. The organizations’ primary objective is to improve and optimize product development systems, with the ultimate goal to help clients succeed in the marketplace.

EAC is renowned for their unparalleled expertise in product development, systems, architecture and innovative solutions, particularly in the areas of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), the Internet of Things (IoT) and Augmented Reality (AR).

“We help businesses and organizations in various industries change the way they design, manufacture and service their products by implementing a two phased digital thread strategy. We first optimize information flow and then transform business processes to enable companies to gain a competitive advantage with faster time to market, less waste, increased innovation, lower costs, and higher profits.” Thane Hathaway

EAC’s Partnership with INTAMSYS

Prior to the partnership, INTAMSYS aimed to form a strong alliance with a technology solutions provider in the Midwest region, renowned for exceptional customer service. After considering various options, INTAMSYS determined that partnering with EAC would result in an unmatched collaboration that would surpass any other potential partnership.

With the ability to leverage EAC’s broad portfolio of technology, services, and solutions; INSTAMSYS plans to enhance offerings revolving around anything from prototypes to functional real-world end-use parts that encompass real material properties for production, manufacturing, and industrial applications.

Expanding territory coverage and market presence, the partnership greatly aids both organizations, as well as their clientele, providing each to benefit from the proficiencies of one another.

Creo Parametric

One of the key features of PTC Creo is its parametric design capabilities. This means that users can create models that are based on a set of parameters, such as dimensions or material properties. If any of these parameters change, the model will automatically update to reflect the new values. This can save a lot of time and effort in the design process, as designers don’t have to manually update every aspect of the model.

Creo Simulation

PTC Creo also includes a range of simulation tools using Creo Simulate or Simulate Live, which allow designers to test their models under various conditions. For example, they can simulate how a product will perform under different loads or temperatures. This can help to identify any potential issues before the product is manufactured, saving time and money in the long run on prototype waste.

You save time and money on production runs of components made from materials such as steel or plastic resin molds. There is no worrying about unexpected costs due to mistakes made during manufacturing process because of pre-printing simulation with Creo. Without simulation, there could be overproduction waste due poor quality control measures and lack of environmental testing.

Another useful feature of PTC Creo is its collaboration tools. With this software, multiple users can work on the same model simultaneously. This can be especially helpful for large design projects, where different teams may be responsible for different aspects of the design.

So, who uses PTC Creo?

As we mentioned earlier, it’s used in a wide range of industries. For example, automotive designers may use it to create models for car parts or assemblies. Aerospace engineers may use it to design aircraft components. And manufacturers may use it to create models of production equipment.

The PTC Creo User Interface

The user interface is where you’ll spend most of your time in PTC Creo. It’s made up of four main sections: Design Tools, 3D Model Creation, Drag-and-Drop Feature and the Model Browser.
The Design Tools section is where you can access all the tools needed for creating your models and assemblies. These include sketching tools for drawing 2D sketches on planes or surfaces; editing tools such as move, copy/paste and rotate; drawing aids like grids; dimensioning tools that let you add dimensions to your designs; assembly creation options that allow users to create assemblies from parts imported into Creo Elements/Pro by means of an external CAD system (such as AutoCAD) or built within Creo Elements/Pro itself; plus many more features!

Connect with one of our experts to see where Creo could positively impact your business processes. If you’re looking to learn more, check out how Creo helped Merrick and the race to space.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

The Factory of the Future is a connected world of everything.

We will explore the benefits of IoT in manufacturing, including asset monitoring and utilization, quality control, predictive analytics, automation, safety and compliance, OEE visibility and productivity, and more.

With IoT solutions, companies can achieve their Industry 4.0 goals and increase their bottom line.

What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects, people and other assets that are connected to the internet. IoT allows you to collect data from devices and analyze it in real time.

The goal is to make processes more efficient by optimizing performance and reducing costs.

IoT can be used to monitor machines in factories, track inventory at warehouses or even monitor traffic conditions on roads. It’s also used for home automation tasks like turning off lights when you leave a room or adjusting your thermostat based on your location inside (or outside) the house.

IoT Ecosystems

An IoT ecosystem refers to the network of devices, sensors, software, and services that are interconnected and work together to collect, analyze, and act on data.

They are often utilized to gather data on connected assets, and tools in order to gain real-time insights into their condition for predictive maintenance purposes.

The goal of predictive maintenance is to detect and address problems before they cause equipment failure, downtime, or safety issues.

By predicting maintenance needs in advance, organizations can schedule maintenance during planned downtime, minimize the impact of maintenance on operations, and extend the lifespan of equipment.

Connected Products

A smart, connected product (also known as a smart object or SCoT) is a product, asset, or other object embedded with processors, sensors, software, and connectivity that allows data to be exchanged between the product and its environment, manufacturer, operator/user, and other products and systems[1].

Smart, connected products enable the comprehensive monitoring of a product’s condition, operation, and external environment through sensors and external data sources[2].

This technology stack provides a gateway for data exchange between the product and the user and integrates with other systems to enable a new level of customer experience[3].

Connected Factory

Similar to connected products, a smart, connected factory is a digitized manufacturing facility that uses connected devices, machinery, and production systems to continuously collect and share data.

This data is then used to inform and improve processes and proactively address any issues that may arise.

It is an interconnected network of machines, communication mechanisms, and computing power, which uses advanced technologies to analyze data, drive automated processes and learn as it goes. It uses the sensors and software of the connected products to bring together the factory floor.

A connected factory is implemented to track the overall equipment efficiency or effectiveness (OEE) of the factory.

A smart connected factory is the telltale sign of a manufacturing floor that is functioning at its most optimal ability.

Having access to data insights regarding production health helps companies optimize earnings and minimize production downtime.

Augmented Reality

Integrating augmented reality (AR) with IoT involves using sensors and other IoT devices to collect data from the physical world, which is then used to augment the user’s experience in the digital world.

For example, AR can be used to display real-time data from IoT sensors, such as temperature or humidity, on a user’s mobile device. When a cell phone or tablet uses Augmented Reality (AR) to display data, it overlays virtual information on top of the real-world view seen through the device’s camera.

This can be particularly useful in industrial settings, where workers can use AR to monitor the performance of machines, detect any issues immediately, and take corrective action. This kind of data can be turned into a Digital Twin.

Digital Twin

With a Digital Twin, you create an exact replica of a working product, process, or service as a simulated model in a virtual space that performs under real-world conditions.

A Digital Twin in manufacturing helps companies find performance issues, schedule predictive maintenance, reduce downtime, and minimize warranty expenses.

This allows anyone to take a digital version of your factory with you anywhere in the world and know the exact, real-time data of how it is functioning. This is extremely helpful for decision-makers who often travel and need to know how their factories are doing.

Additionally, a digital twin of your factory helps maintenance teams find precisely where an issue may have occurred by giving them visual prompts of where the problem is originating from.

The Benefits of IoT in Manufacturing

Implementing IoT

The first step in implementing IoT in manufacturing is to identify your goals. Are you looking to improve efficiency, reduce waste or increase profitability?

Do you want to improve customer satisfaction by delivering products on time, or do you want to create new revenue streams with data collected from connected devices?

Once you’ve determined what kind of impact IoT can have on your business, it’s time to evaluate the current technology that’s not only available but that easily integrates with your current systems and shop floor.

Finally, develop an action plan for implementing these strategies broken down into digestible phases. It’s critical to understand what solutions fit best and most align with your unique business and prioritized initiatives.

Common Challenges

We hear from companies all the time regarding what challenges they feel stops them from implementing IoT in manufacturing.

The first is cost. However, with any good investment, the benefits of using IoT solutions offset the cost. While IoT ROI doesn’t happen overnight, the full impact IoT has on manufacturing organizations is tenfold.

NORMA Group met with EAC experts to understand what sort of impact an IoT initiative would have on their business growth and determined the challenges were well worth the wait – something we find other companies can relate to. Another early adopter, JR Automation was able to save $1.4 million by investing in IoT.

Security

The second common challenge that comes with implementing IoT is security. This includes both physical and data security issues that need to be evaluated and addressed before implementing any type of data management change.

Finding a solution with integrated automated tools and detailed monitoring is key to preventing attacks. Check out this article that talks further about data security and how PTC’s Kepware supports cybersecurity.

Data Management

Another challenge we see is considering how well your organization will be able to manage the new information coming from all over your facilities. It’s key you create a plan to integrate the new data flow into your existing systems.

With user-friendly IoT-connected solutions like PTC Thingworx, data is captured, consolidated into a dashboard, and presented in a consumable visual format for real-time insights.

Hardware

Another consideration is requirements: What sort of hardware do you have to support that software change? Replacing or updating existing systems and hardware to increase efficiency may be necessary to keep up with the fast pace environment of shop floors.

There is no doubt that these are important things to consider when making enterprise-wide changes. While implementing IoT can feel difficult and intimidating, it does not have to be.

EAC has a number of business assessments that can help you evaluate your current state and create a highly strategic roadmap to successfully scale your digital transformation initiatives.

Ultimately, Digital Transformation is a game changer for manufacturing companies who are unsatisfied with the “status quo” – and IoT will open up major opportunities for long-term success and sustainable growth that would not have been possible without making changes.

Connected Future

Empower your organization with enhanced connectivity to your products, systems, and customers.

IoT can provide significant advantages for manufacturers across the enterprise, but it is important to properly evaluate, plan and implement the right technology and the right solution at the right time in order to maximize the potential benefits.

Our IoT consulting and connect services provide comprehensive support from extracting valuable insights, and developing strategic plans to executing and implementing efficient IoT solutions that accelerate your digital transformation.

Chat with one of our experts on how we can help you identify the best IoT solution for your needs and how we can help your company implement it the right way.