AM production planning with nPower Scheduler (via Autodesk Fusion!)

RECODE.AM #6

In my previous articles, I have repeatedly addressed one of the most important yet often overlooked aspects of additive manufacturing: post-processing.

Since the inception of the market, everyone has focused primarily on 3D printers, while the 3D printing process itself is only a part of the entire production chain.

This was largely due to the fact that, for many years, 3D printers were mainly used as rapid prototyping machines, where each individual print had value on its own. However, as additive manufacturing has evolved toward serial production, 3D printing alone is decidedly no longer sufficient.

It is extremely important to plan and schedule not only the 3D printing itself but also the subsequent operations—such as post-processing, inspection, and internal logistics.

This is precisely where the need arises for solutions that enable full, automated management of additive manufacturing on an industrial scale. The answer to these needs is the nPower Scheduler™ program, described several times before—a system for planning and scheduling additive production.

nPower Technologies —the developer of this solution—has just announced the integration of its production scheduler with Autodesk Fusion®, the leading CAD/CAM environment on the market.

nPower Scheduler is now available as an add-in for Autodesk Fusion, enabling users to fully synchronize the additive setups created in Fusion with production orders in their ERP system.

This makes it possible to create a coherent production schedule that includes both the process of building parts on a 3D printer and all subsequent processing stages, up to the point of delivering the finished product.

In practice, this means that engineers and operators no longer have to manually compile separate schedules for each part and each machine—nPower Scheduler combines this information into a single, comprehensive production plan that is continuously updated based on data from Fusion and the ERP system.

The integration of nPower Scheduler with Autodesk Fusion is crucial for several reasons. First, Fusion is a popular tool used by designers and technologists to prepare 3D models and configure print tasks (e.g., base settings, materials, and part orientation on the printer bed).

However, Fusion alone does not offer tools for comprehensive production planning or for managing the task queue across multiple printers or within the context of ERP orders.

Through integration, nPower Scheduler fills this gap—it allows synchronization of what has been designed and configured in Fusion with the actual production requirements of the company, where it is essential to consider machine availability, downtimes, material constraints, and order priorities.

For users, the most important benefits of this integration include the automation of the entire scheduling process, which significantly reduces the number of errors resulting from manually transferring data between systems. Without such integration and automation, each mistake in such a scenario can lead to errors in material selection, incorrect assignment of jobs to printers, or, ultimately, costly delays in fulfilling orders.

Thanks to the fact that nPower Scheduler can automatically assign jobs to the appropriate printers (based on their qualifications and available materials) and synchronize the schedule with the ERP system, users gain not only greater planning accuracy but also full transparency of the task queue for each machine.

The operation of the program is based on several key mechanisms:

• Upon first launch, the user must complete a one-time setup, during which they define the location of the SQLite database that the add-in automatically installs and will be used to synchronize data between Fusion and nPower Scheduler.

• In the next step, material and machine mapping takes place: the user links the names of materials used in the Fusion libraries to the material IDs in the ERP system and also connects the 3D printers configured in Fusion with their corresponding work centers in the ERP.

• This configuration also includes specifying machine setup times as well as minimum and maximum material thresholds, which allows for more precise modeling of available resources.

• After registering components with unique part numbers (matching the ERP) and assigning them to specific additive setups in Fusion, the operator can make these setups available to nPower Scheduler.

The Scheduler itself runs as a service that—depending on the settings—launches at a specified time, at regular intervals, or on user demand. During its operation, the program analyzes available orders from the ERP and the setups prepared in Fusion, then creates a complete production schedule that accounts for all elements—from planning the order sequence to resource allocation.

One of the greatest strengths of nPower Scheduler is its capability for production scenario modeling.

The “scenario planning” feature allows the user to copy or duplicate setups in Fusion to test various scheduling options. This makes it possible to evaluate in advance the impact of changes such as adding new parts, changing the orientation of models on the print bed, or modifying orders on the overall production schedule.

This functionality is especially important for companies that frequently produce custom orders or prototypes and need to quickly adapt to changing customer requirements.

nPower Scheduler also enables production planning without the need for a full-fledged ERP system—a list of work centers and basic production routings is sufficient.

This makes the solution accessible even to small businesses or workshops engaged in 3D printing that do not have a complete ERP system but still require better schedule management and control over printer utilization.

The estimation of print time in nPower Scheduler is based on precise parameters such as the size of the build platform, the height of the tallest model on the build plate, the specific properties of the machine, and material-specific processing times.

This approach ensures much higher accuracy of predicted production times compared to traditional methods, which often rely on rough estimates without taking these key variables into account.

In practice, this means that the production schedule prepared by nPower Scheduler is not only more reliable but also tailored to the actual technological and logistical constraints of the company.

The add-in supports both orders directly linked to the ERP and independent orders, providing complete flexibility for planning serial, one-off, and prototype production.

In additive manufacturing, solutions like this are essential. Additive production does not end with simply printing the part—the subsequent steps are just as important: support removal, heat treatment, finishing processes, quality control, or assembly.

Lack of proper planning for these stages leads to chaos in the schedule, improper use of printers and post-processing operations, and ultimately to longer lead times and higher production costs.

Until now, the industry has lacked a tool that effectively covers the full spectrum of operations involved in additive manufacturing. nPower Scheduler is the first solution that enables not only planning the printing process itself but also automatically incorporating post-processing steps into the production schedule.

The Fusion add-in is available free of charge via the Autodesk App Store, making it easily accessible to a wide range of Autodesk Fusion users.

It’s also worth noting that nPower Scheduler is not just a standalone product—it also serves as an entry point to the full suite of consulting services and solutions offered by nPower Technologies, which can help companies further optimize their production processes.