3DEXPERIENCE World 2020: Unpacking Dassault Systèmes’ Vision for Collaborative Design and Advanced Manufacturing

The year 2020 marked a significant turning point in the world of design, engineering, and manufacturing with the inaugural 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020. Organized by Dassault Systèmes, this landmark event, previously known as SOLIDWORKS World, underwent a pivotal rebranding. This change reflected a broader strategic vision: to encapsulate the expansive ecosystem formed by Dassault Systèmes’ entire family of solutions, moving beyond a single product focus to a holistic platform approach. Held amidst the vibrant backdrop of Nashville, Tennessee, the four-day conference successfully convened an impressive gathering of 6,000 innovators, including designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from every corner of the globe. From February 9th to 12th, attendees immersed themselves in a packed schedule of insightful conferences, hands-on training sessions, and engaging discussions, all aimed at exploring the cutting-edge tools and capabilities available on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and its transformative impact on product development and industrial innovation.

The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform: A Unified Vision for Business Transformation

At its core, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform represents a paradigm shift in how companies approach product lifecycle management and digital transformation. It’s designed to provide a comprehensive, interconnected view of an entire business, fostering unparalleled collaboration across various departments and functions. When leveraging the powerful 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS solution within this platform, organizations can seamlessly link traditionally siloed segments—from concept and design to simulation, manufacturing, sales, and service. This integration eliminates information gaps, reduces inefficiencies, and accelerates decision-making. During the impactful opening presentation on Monday, February 11th, Bernard Charlès, CEO of Dassault Systèmes, articulated this vision with remarkable clarity, stating, “We are changing the way we collaborate on projects and the way we manufacture.” This powerful declaration underscored the event’s central theme: a future where innovation is driven by seamless digital continuity and a unified approach to complex challenges.

Empowering SOLIDWORKS Users with Enhanced Connectivity

One of the most anticipated and significant announcements for the vast community of SOLIDWORKS users was a groundbreaking new feature designed to profoundly streamline their creative and developmental processes. Gian Paolo Bassi, CEO of SOLIDWORKS, elaborated on this transformative offering: “On the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, everything and everyone involved in the concept, design, simulate, manufacture, sell, and service processes are connected and integrated in one continuous loop. Of course, our SOLIDWORKS customers can continue to work on the standalone SOLIDWORKS desktop version if they prefer, but our new option will free up time to think, create, and get things done.” This statement highlighted a crucial value proposition: while desktop SOLIDWORKS remains a robust tool, integrating it with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform unlocks unprecedented levels of efficiency and collaboration. This continuous loop ensures that every stakeholder, from initial ideation to final product delivery and beyond, operates within a single, unified digital environment. Designers can leverage cloud-based collaboration tools, access advanced simulation capabilities, and connect directly to manufacturing resources, all without ever leaving their familiar design interface. This integration isn’t merely an upgrade; it’s a strategic move to empower engineers and designers, allowing them to dedicate more time to innovation and less to managing disparate tools and workflows. The ability to switch between desktop and cloud-connected workflows offers flexibility while maximizing productivity and fostering a truly integrated product development cycle.

Additive Manufacturing: Shaping the Future of Product Creation

The increasing integration of additive manufacturing (3D printing) into mainstream industrial processes was a prominent theme at 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020. Companies across various sectors are recognizing the unparalleled potential of 3D printing for rapid prototyping, customized production, and complex geometry creation. The event highlighted several inspiring initiatives that underscored the transformative power of this technology, particularly during the General Session. One such spotlight fell on Magic Wheelchair, an incredible nonprofit organization dedicated to building elaborate, custom-designed costumes for children in wheelchairs, transforming them into superheroes, princesses, and more. 3D printing plays a critical role in creating lightweight, intricate, and perfectly fitted components for these fantastical creations. Another remarkable presentation featured BioDapt, founded by Paralympic Gold and Silver medalist Mike Schultz. BioDapt specializes in designing and manufacturing high-performance lower limb prosthetic components specifically tailored for action sports and other demanding activities. Here, additive manufacturing enables the creation of highly customized, durable, and performance-optimized prosthetics that can withstand extreme conditions, offering unparalleled freedom and capability to athletes. These examples powerfully demonstrated how 3D printing, combined with advanced design platforms, is not just an industrial tool but also a catalyst for humanitarian endeavors and pushing the boundaries of human potential.

Insights from the Front Lines of Innovation

The conference offered a wealth of knowledge through more than 350 technical sessions, hands-on workshops, and expert-led panel discussions, covering the latest innovations in 3D design, data management, simulation, and manufacturing. These sessions provided practical insights and deep dives into the capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. 3Dnatives had the exclusive opportunity to speak with Mark Rushton, Product Portfolio Manager for SOLIDWORKS, who shed light on Dassault Systèmes’ evolving internal structure. He explained, “There used to be brand specific R&D departments, so SOLIDWORKS, DELMIA, SIMULIA, CATIA, ENOVIA and now it’s become one R&D organization. We now have a huge pool of technology, and we can all work together more closely. With additive manufacturing’s new way of designing things, this integration will be very beneficial.” This unification of R&D efforts across various powerful brands like SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, SIMULIA, DELMIA, and ENOVIA signifies a strategic move to leverage collective expertise and technological resources. For areas like additive manufacturing, which demands tight integration between design, simulation, and production, this collaborative R&D environment is invaluable, promising faster innovation cycles and more cohesive solutions that address the full spectrum of modern manufacturing challenges.

Key Product Launches and Strategic Partnerships in 3D Printing

The exhibition floor buzzed with activity, featuring a strong presence from major players in the 3D printing sector, including industry giants like Stratasys, 3D Systems, Xometry, and RIZE. These companies showcased their latest innovations and announced strategic developments poised to impact the industry. Stratasys, a global leader in polymer 3D printing solutions, chose 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020 as the platform to unveil its new, more affordable solution for designers: the J826. This innovative 3D printer, built upon advanced PolyJet technology, brings the full power of the acclaimed J8 series to a wider audience with its smaller build volume and more accessible price point. The J826 offers all the high-fidelity capabilities characteristic of its series, including Pantone-validated colors for unparalleled color accuracy and a versatile range of materials. Notably, it supports VeroUltraClear, a material specifically designed for prototyping applications requiring transparency, such as glass, clear polymers, or transparent packaging, enabling designers to achieve hyper-realistic prototypes directly from their studios. This launch democratizes access to advanced full-color, multi-material 3D printing, empowering more designers to bring their visions to life with unprecedented realism.

Further solidifying the commitment to innovation and sustainability within additive manufacturing, RIZE and Sindoh announced a significant strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to expand opportunities for safe, sustainable, and high-performance 3D printing. During their joint press conference, the companies revealed that the initial phase of their partnership would focus on integrating RIZE’s renowned RIZIUM portfolio of materials into Sindoh’s desktop 2X and industrial 7X printers. RIZIUM materials are celebrated for their zero emissions, exceptional durability, and sustainable properties, making them ideal for office environments and applications where safety and environmental impact are paramount. This integration allows Sindoh printer users to access a broader range of advanced materials, enhancing their ability to produce parts that are not only functional and robust but also environmentally responsible.

Dassault Systèmes and Xometry: Streamlining On-Demand Manufacturing

Another highly impactful announcement that promises to transform the manufacturing workflow came from the collaboration between Dassault Systèmes and Xometry, a leading on-demand manufacturing marketplace. This exciting partnership will provide engineers utilizing Dassault Systèmes’ popular SOLIDWORKS and CATIA applications with immediate and automatic access to Xometry price quotes directly within the 3DEXPERIENCE Make platform. 3DEXPERIENCE Make is Dassault Systèmes’ dedicated on-demand manufacturing platform, designed to connect designers with manufacturing service providers. This integration represents a significant leap forward in streamlining the product development process. Designers and engineers will now be able to request and receive instant quotes for manufacturing parts—whether through 3D printing, CNC machining, injection molding, or other processes—without ever needing to exit their primary design environment. This seamless workflow is a critical feature, accelerating the design-to-manufacturing cycle, drastically cutting costs associated with manual quoting processes, and reducing lead times. By bringing manufacturing expertise directly into the design software, Dassault Systèmes and Xometry are empowering innovators to validate designs for manufacturability and cost-efficiency much earlier in the product development lifecycle, ultimately fostering faster innovation and more agile production strategies.

A Glimpse into the Future of Digital Innovation

Every year, the flagship conference organized by Dassault Systèmes serves as a vital compass, guiding the evolution of the design and manufacturing world. Its core mission is to empower creators with cutting-edge tools and insights, enabling them to push the boundaries of innovation further each time. 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020 unequivocally upheld this tradition, presenting a clear vision for a future defined by digital continuity, collaborative ecosystems, and advanced manufacturing capabilities. From the strategic rebranding that signaled a holistic platform approach to the tangible advancements in SOLIDWORKS integration, the inspiring applications of additive manufacturing, and crucial industry partnerships, the event underscored Dassault Systèmes’ unwavering commitment to driving industrial transformation. The insights shared, the technologies unveiled, and the connections forged in Nashville will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of product development for years to come. So, what were your key takeaways from 3DEXPERIENCE World 2020? We invite you to share your thoughts and reflections in the comments section below or engage with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages! Don’t miss out on the latest advancements in 3D printing and digital manufacturing—sign up for our free weekly Newsletter to have all the breaking news delivered straight to your inbox!