NX AM Fixed-Plane

NX AM Fixed-Plane Solutions

NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions make it simple to populate and optimize your build tray for additive manufacturing. With an intuitive interface and advanced automation options, users can easily manage part placement, orientation, and nesting for efficient and accurate builds.

Effortless Part Placement

Drag-and-drop functionality: Quickly add and arrange parts within the build tray using a seamless graphical interface.

Pattern creation: Duplicate parts efficiently by creating part patterns directly in the tray layout.

Flexible orientation control: Define part orientation manually or align parts according to the AM Build Coordinate System, which can be defined during design or simulation stages.

Advanced Nesting Capabilities

(Available with Advanced licenses)

2D and 3D nesting: Automatically arrange multiple parts to optimize tray utilization and minimize print time.

Customizable spacing: Set the allowable distance between parts for precise control of part placement and support generation.

Optimization methods: Choose from various optimization strategies to achieve the most efficient build configuration.

These capabilities help manufacturers maximize build efficiency, reduce material waste, and ensure consistent, high-quality prints.

Print Marking and Serial Number Management in NX AM

In many manufacturing industries, part traceability is essential — and assigning unique serial numbers is a key part of that process. Additive manufacturing (AM), by nature, produces individualized parts, making it an ideal method for incorporating serial identification. However, this requires robust software capabilities to efficiently assign and generate print marks during production, rather than leaving the task entirely to the shop-floor operator.

With NX AM, the tight integration between CAD and manufacturing streamlines this workflow. Designers can specify the exact location for print marks directly within the NX design environment. These defined locations are automatically carried forward into the manufacturing setup, ensuring consistency and precision.

NX enables multiple methods for generating print marks — manually, from a spreadsheet or text file, or through automated programming — giving operators full flexibility for managing serial numbers and maintaining complete part traceability throughout the production process.

Support Structure Generation in NX AM Fixed-Plane

NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions provide a comprehensive set of tools for creating and managing support structures essential for additive manufacturing. After selecting your desired printer, you can generate supports directly from the built-in library, which automatically associates specific support types with compatible printers.

In addition to the preconfigured options, users can create and add custom support types to the library, tailoring them to specific machines or materials. This flexibility allows manufacturers to optimize print quality and stability for different additive manufacturing processes.

For advanced users, NX offers powerful design capabilities that enable the creation of entirely custom support geometries using NX’s robust modeling tools.

The basic NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions include essential support types such as block, wall, and point, while advanced configurations unlock access to more complex support geometries for greater control and precision in the build process.

STL and 3MF File Import and Export

NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions provide the flexibility to import and export both STL and 3MF file formats, which are widely used for storing and transferring additive manufacturing part data. This dual-format capability ensures compatibility across different systems and software platforms, allowing seamless collaboration and workflow integration.

With NX, you can take advantage of Siemens’ integrated design-to-print ecosystem while maintaining the freedom to work with third-party tools and point solutions in the additive manufacturing space. This interoperability empowers users to optimize their design and production processes without being restricted to a single software environment.

With NX AM Fixed-Plane software, users gain access to all major design, drafting, and assembly functions within the NX CAD environment, enabling the creation of exceptional 3D-printed parts. The seamless integration between design and build setup ensures that any design modifications automatically flow into the build tray, maintaining consistency throughout the additive manufacturing process. This integration eliminates redundant work and streamlines the entire workflow from concept to production.

Designing parts for additive manufacturing (DfAM) involves more than simply creating part geometry—it requires validation to confirm that the design is optimized for printing. The NX AM Fixed-Plane solutions include comprehensive validation tools that check for critical factors such as overhangs, porosity, wall thickness, print volume, enclosed spaces, and internal channels. These validation routines ensure that every part designed is printable and meets the necessary quality standards before manufacturing begins.

NX utilizes Convergent Modeling, a patented Siemens technology that allows facet (mesh) and NURBS geometries to coexist and interact within the same model. This capability reduces the time-consuming process of editing mesh bodies and enables designers to work fluidly with scanned data and traditional CAD features. With Convergent Modeling, operations such as extrudes, blends, and Boolean combinations can be performed directly on mesh bodies, just like on solid models. Additionally, NURBS and mesh geometries can be united or subtracted from each other, resulting in significant time savings during the design and preparation stages for 3D printing.

Beyond basic design and validation, NX AM Fixed-Plane provides access to advanced DfAM features like lattice structure generation and topology optimization. These tools help engineers create lightweight, high-performance components by optimizing material distribution without compromising strength or functionality. By integrating all these capabilities into a single environment, NX AM Fixed-Plane delivers a complete, efficient, and reliable workflow for designing and preparing parts for additive manufacturing.