6 parameters to use when evaluating 3D printing software

The 3D printing technology is using different materials and processes, each of which has distinct strengths and limitations. By evaluating your software you can determine whether the acquisition of a 3D printer is the right move for you. Once you have made that determination, thoroughly evaluate your needs against what is available. You must assess whether there are hidden costs or extras that have not been discussed in any publications or presented by the vendor.

There are numerous different aspects that must be considered ahead of a decision to deploy 3D print workflow software. The following are the parameters you must consider while evaluating 3D printing software:

1.   Pricing and Deployment

While evaluating the pricing and deployment models, you must examine the following parameters:

• Subscription vs. perpetual: You must decide whether you want to pay in recurring installments or have a one-time payment.
• Cloud vs. on-premise: You must consider the kind of software host you require. You can use a software hosted by provider or a software deployed on-site

2.   Workflow Design

While evaluating the workflow designs, you must examine the following parameters:

• Applications: You must check the application's ability to accept multiple current and future file formats.
• Client web portals: Your portal must include features like order entry, pricing, delivery date, proofing, and approval.
• Internal management: It should include dashboard snapshots that are available on-site and on mobile devices about the state of the equipment and print jobs.
• Alerts and reporting: It must contain dynamic job visibility and tracking; standard and customized reporting; email and text messages.
• Service-level agreements (SLAs): This must involve a contract stating an agreed-upon level of service that will be met between provider and customer.
• Scalability: This includes the software's ability to accommodate a change in user size or volume.
• User-friendly GUI: Your workflow design must have an intuitive and efficient user interface.
• Search and data mining: Your workflow design must be capable of searching and extracting patterns from data.
• Ease of deployment and use: It must include a simplified implementation and customer usability.
• Capacity planning: You must Identify the level of resources necessary for production

3.   Security

While evaluating security, you must examine the following parameters:

• Data security and compliance: You must ensure that your IP is protected while in transit and on-site. Also, your security measures must include incident, problem and administration.
• User rights: You must verify that users are granted access to only the areas necessary to complete their tasks.
• Asset management: It involves collection of inventory, financial and contractual data to manage assets throughout its life cycle

4.   Pre-Printing Processes

While evaluating pre-printing processes, you must examine the following parameters:

• Digital storefront: It must include the ability for paying and non-paying users to create an order, complete with pricing, user rights, preference management, catalogue and custom orders, and automated reprints.
• Dynamic estimating: It must cover all the pre-printing, printing, and post-printing processes.
• Personalization and customization: It involves the ability of software to personalize or customize an existing item before printing, when appropriate.
• Preflighting: It increases the ability for the user to see a computer model that simulates the finished item.
• Transform: Your software must have the ability to accept current and future 3D print file formats and modify files if needed by the 3D printer.

5.   Printing Processes

While evaluating printing processes, you must examine the following parameters:

• Direct machine interface: It includes the ability of the workflow software to communicate bilaterally with the 3D printer.
• Piece and job-level tracking: It includes software's ability to record data about the job, including start/end times, print times, pieces produced and quality assurance data.
• Terminate or truncate jobs: It includes software's ability to stop production when appropriate, such as the cancellation of an order.

6.   Post-Printing Processes

While evaluating printing processes, you must examine the following parameters:

• Delivery status: It must involve shipment tracking; USPS and package tracking.
• Billing: It must involve a link to the ERP.

3D printing is also called the maker’s revolution because it is changing the way we do manufacturing. For implementing 3D printing in your organization, don’t just think hardware; the software is equally important!