09-24-2015: Autodesk acquired Netfabb and entered into a strategic partnership with FIT AG

In 2015, it still seemed that Autodesk was the future king of AM

On September 24, 2015, Autodesk announced the acquisition of Netfabb – a German developer of software solutions for industrial AM design – and a strategic investment in FIT Technology Group, the parent company of Netfabb and a provider of AM software and services.

In 2015, Autodesk – one of the largest CAD software producers in the world – was very active in the 3D printing market. From working on its own 3D printer operating system, Spark, to developing its own DLP 3D printer, Ember, and participating in the 3MF Consortium, as well as investing in innovative companies. Autodesk was emerging as one of the leaders in the industry. Unfortunately, over time, this engagement gradually weakened – the Spark and Ember projects were abandoned, and its involvement in AM was reduced to further developing its design tools for this sector.

However, in 2015, it still seemed that Autodesk was the future king of AM. The acquisitions mentioned were another step in the company's path to the throne.

Netfabb was developed by FIT AG, a German company specializing in additive manufacturing technologies. FIT AG was founded in 1995 by Carl Fruth. Over the years, it grew into one of the European leaders in additive manufacturing, offering 3D printing services in plastics and metals. This experience in additive manufacturing allowed FIT AG to create software that met the needs of 3D printing users – including Netfabb.

The first versions of Netfabb focused primarily on repairing and optimizing STL models for 3D printing. Over time, the software was expanded with features for mesh repair, support generation, and additive manufacturing process simulation.

After being acquired by Autodesk, Netfabb was developed into a comprehensive solution for simulating and preparing 3D models for additive manufacturing. As part of Autodesk’s ecosystem, Netfabb offers advanced features such as topology optimization and metal printing process simulations.

Netfabb can be easily integrated with other engineering and CAD programs such as Autodesk Fusion 360 and Inventor. With the automation capabilities in Netfabb, users can automatically repair models and generate toolpaths for CNC machines or 3D printers. The most advanced version, Netfabb Ultimate, includes a full suite of tools for simulation, topology optimization, automation, and generating complex internal structures (e.g., lattices).

Source: www.autodesk.com