From model to manufacturing

Once you have a model you are happy with, Analyze for manufacturability shows how the part could actually be made:

• candidate process chains (for example SLS, machining, casting)
• material options
• indicative cost and CO2 per part
• how those change with quantity

These figures are estimates for orientation, not binding quotes.

What the full 3D Spark platform adds

From there, you can hand the part over to the full 3D Spark manufacturing platform, where the same model and part brief support a much wider workflow:

• Digital spare parts — digitize obsolete or hard-to-source parts from your 2D-to-3D conversion, run DfM checks and technology selection, then export to your digital warehouse, so your next obsolete spare part is a 30-second order instead of a 40-week lead-time crisis.
• Should-costing for procurement — see the true manufacturing cost, derived from geometry, machine rates, material usage, labour and overhead, to benchmark supplier quotes. Even a 5% reduction across a portfolio can add up to significant savings.
• Automated manufacturability, costing and CO2 analysis — standardised cost, lead-time and CO2 assessments across 18 manufacturing technologies.
• Make-or-buy decision support — compare in-house manufacturing costs against live supplier prices to find the cheapest, quickest and most sustainable option.
• Strategic part screening — analyse a full part portfolio to surface components with real cost, lead-time, CO2 or lightweighting potential through alternative technologies, materials, suppliers or design changes.
• For manufacturing service providers — generate more RFQs through the marketplace or your own request portal, and respond faster with auto-quoting, feasibility checks and precise cost calculation.

Manufacturers including DB, Alstom, ZF Friedrichshafen and ÖBB use the platform to evaluate thousands of production and procurement options per part.

How the hand-off works today

Today, moving from Voluminate to the platform is a manual step: download your model from Voluminate, then open the 3D Spark platform in a new tab and upload it there yourself, along with your part brief if you would like the context to carry over. We are looking at making this hand-off more seamless in future — if that is something you would use, let us know.

For a broader overview of the platform, see 3dspark.de or book a demo.