BMF’s micro/nano-scale 3D printer, the nanoArch, can produce components with a resolution of up to 2µm in the XY plane and 10µm in the Z direction. The research-grade printer enables high-volume production of extremely small, complex parts such as cardiac stents, endoscopes, tiny springs and more.
The partnership will see BMF use the Onshape platform to collaborate with its customers and help them optimize their CAD models for the printing process. According to BMF, switching to Onshape’s cloud-based database approach to CAD data makes for a much more efficient collaboration.
“Before using Onshape, we had to email CAD files back and forth with our customers,” said BMF CEO Xiaoning He. “But now we can have our team in China and our customers overseas work together on the same model at the same time. It has really improved our efficiency and speed, and Onshape is the only CAD system that can deliver this capability.”
Onshape doesn’t use files, as every update to a document is recorded in a database architecture. Not only does this preserve a single master copy of the CAD data, it also allows designers to revert back to any stage of the data.
“The edit history log is a huge advantage for us,” said He. “It speeds up the learning curve for our customers. We’re in the 3D printing business, not the design business. Onshape will help us teach our clients how to deliver better designs the next time.”
Onshape is similarly pleased with the new partnership.
“We’re excited to partner with BMF, which is radically changing the way manufacturers make ultra-high-precision parts,” said Onshape’s David Katzman. “It’s gratifying to not only help BMF achieve their goals, but also help their customers produce better products. This partnership demonstrates how Onshape is much more than a modern cloud CAD system—it’s a full data management platform with CAD built in. We look forward to seeing how the BMF team continues to leverage this advantage for their customers.”