From Engineers to Operators: Bringing Tooling Design to the Factory Floor with AM Software 

Additive manufacturing is increasingly being used by manufacturers to improve agility on the factory floor, but many still face bottlenecks caused by fragmented software workflows and the need for skilled engineering labor. 

To address this challenge, Stratasys has integrated fixturemate by trinckle into the latest version of GrabCAD Print Pro 2025, completing an end-to-end tooling production workflow that helps overcome the shortage of qualified labor manufacturers are facing. The software officially launched in July 2025. Let’s examine its features and how it accelerates tooling production workflows directly in the factory.

GrabCAD Print Pro 2025 simplifies tooling production on the factory floor.

The fixturemate Integration in the New GrabCAD Print Pro 2025

The manufacturing sector has long relied on upstream engineering resources for routine tasks such as tooling design. This creates delays, requires specialized CAD skills and limits production agility. The shortage of skilled engineering talent compounds this challenge. 

“Before GrabCAD Print Pro 2025, even a simple fixture might take a day or more and require CAD skills and a manufacturing engineer,” said Jeff McGarry, Managing Partner at Automation Intelligence. “With GrabCAD Print Pro 2025 and fixturemate, we’ve dramatically accelerated our design workflow, turning concepts into printable CAD models faster than ever before.” 

The purpose of the new GrabCAD Print Pro 2025 is to shift fixture design work from engineers to AM operators, enabling GrabCAD Print Pro 2025 users to independently create fixtures within the software. Optimizing this process allows engineers to focus on higher-value tasks while giving AM operators more autonomy, thereby accelerating workflows. 

At the heart of this release is fixturemate, an automated fixture design plug-in developed by trinckle. With GrabCAD Print Pro 2025, AM operators can design professional-grade fixtures in under 20 minutes without CAD expertise, with early users reporting an 80% reduction in fixture design times. 

The software is designed to put more design power in the hands of AM operators.

What Can You Do with the GrabCAD Print Pro 2025?

This new release offers comprehensive features designed to optimize additive workflows at the factory level. Among the most notable are: 

• Easy application of 3D textures directly within the software, improving grip, fit and aesthetics while avoiding file size issues common in traditional CAD workflows. 

• New insert and void body tools that help reduce support material, simplify post-processing and improve part usability. 

• Multi-session support, allowing operators to prepare and manage multiple print jobs simultaneously, ideal for boosting productivity overnight or over the weekend. 

• A unified platform that supports all five Stratasys technologies (FDM®, PolyJet™, SAF™, P3™ and stereolithography) and even extends to third-party powder bed fusion and SLA systems. 

GrabCAD Print Pro 2025 is a cornerstone of Stratasys’ strategy to deliver a platform approach to additive manufacturing. It replaces complex workflows involving multiple software licenses with a single integrated environment. As Victor Gerdes, Vice President of Software at Stratasys, explains, the goal is to give operators more power, speed and flexibility to create production tools right where they’re needed: on the factory floor. 

“GrabCAD Print Pro 2025 reflects our platform approach to additive manufacturing—focused on eliminating workflow barriers while expanding material and printer support,” Gerdes added. 

The software supports FDM®, PolyJet™, SAF™, P3™ and stereolithography technologies.

By addressing manufacturing and industrial constraints such as labor shortages and software complexity, AM software innovations like GrabCAD Print Pro 2025 put more capability in the hands of those running the printers. This gives manufacturers the opportunity to leverage flexibility and scalability with additive manufacturing in a way that is simple and accessible. Want to learn more about GrabCAD Print Pro 2025? Click HERE. 

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*All Photo Credits: Stratasys