Belgian build-preparation software maker AMIS has released version 3.5.1 of AMIS Pro + Runtime, adding what the company describes as a production-ready direct connection to HP's Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) printers. The headline change is straightforward but consequential for anyone running MJF in a production environment: print jobs can now transfer from AMIS straight to the printer without the intermediate export steps that have long been part of the MJF build-prep routine.
For a segment of the industry that runs powder-bed fusion machines around the clock, cutting a manual handoff out of the pipeline is not a cosmetic convenience — it is one less place for a file to get corrupted, one less version-control headache, and one less opportunity for a technician to queue the wrong build.
AMIS Pro + Runtime is built to prepare files across a range of industrial additive processes, including SLS, MJF, Binder Jetting, and Material Jetting, running on Windows and Mac with an API-driven architecture that lets it plug into a shop's existing production pipeline rather than operate as a standalone tool.
What Changed Under the Hood
The centerpiece of 3.5.1 is a completely rebuilt healing algorithm. Rather than waiting for HP's own slicing and validation stack to reject a part late in the process, AMIS now checks incoming geometry against HP's requirements automatically and earlier in the workflow. The rebuilt pipeline specifically targets three classic sources of failed MJF jobs: open edges, non-manifold structures, and problematic thin-wall areas — the kind of mesh defects that often originate upstream in CAD exports and STL conversions and that, left uncaught, can silently degrade or outright fail a print after hours of machine time have already been committed.
AMIS paired the healing rebuild with a set of adjacent improvements to nesting, slicing, and parts management, rounding out the release as a broad build-prep update rather than a single-feature patch.
Q&A: What Does "Production-Ready" Actually Mean Here?
Q: Wasn't there already some way to send files from AMIS to HP printers?
A: The distinction AMIS is drawing with 3.5.1 is between a connection that exists and one that is production-ready — reliable enough to anchor a manufacturing workflow rather than serve as a proof of concept. The release notes frame this specifically as eliminating "additional intermediate steps," which points at a workflow that previously required exporting or converting files before they could reach the MJF system.
Q: What's new about the healing algorithm specifically?
A: It's described as completely rebuilt, not incrementally patched, and it now checks geometry against HP's own requirements automatically. The three defect categories called out — open edges, non-manifold structures, and thin walls — are the standard trio that trips up powder-bed fusion jobs, and catching them earlier in the pipeline means problems surface before a job is committed to a build, not after.
Q: Does the software tell you what it actually did to fix a file?
A: According to a report from 3D Printing Journal, yes — and this is arguably the more interesting change for day-to-day users. The interface now shows directly whether a part is valid, usable with limitations, or not repairable, and the software generates a documented report of the individual repair steps it performed. That kind of step-by-step repair transparency was not previously available in AMIS Pro's build-prep pipeline, according to the report.
Why the Reporting Feature Matters as Much as the Connection
Automated mesh healing has existed across the 3D printing software landscape for years, and it has always carried the same trust problem: when a tool silently "fixes" a file, operators have no way of knowing what was actually altered. A healing algorithm that closes an open edge in a way the designer didn't intend, or that patches a non-manifold region by collapsing geometry that mattered functionally, can introduce new problems while appearing to solve old ones. By exposing a documented, per-step repair report alongside a clear valid/limited/not-repairable status, AMIS is addressing that trust gap directly. For a production floor running qualified parts — medical devices, aerospace brackets, tooling with dimensional tolerances — being able to audit exactly what the software changed before a part goes into the machine is not a nice-to-have. It's the difference between a black box and a process you can actually validate and repeat.
What It Means for Makers
AMIS Pro + Runtime sits squarely in the professional and industrial tier of build-prep tools, so this release will land most directly with print farms, service bureaus, and manufacturers running HP MJF hardware rather than with hobbyists on desktop FDM or resin machines. Still, the direction is worth watching for the broader maker and small-shop audience that's increasingly adjacent to industrial powder-bed workflows through outsourced MJF runs or shared production equipment.
The practical takeaways:
- Fewer manual handoffs mean fewer failure points. Every export-then-import step in a production pipeline is a place where the wrong file version gets queued or a setting silently resets. Removing that step reduces operational risk, not just saves time.
- Earlier failure detection saves machine time. Catching open edges and non-manifold geometry before a job reaches the printer — rather than discovering a failure mid-build or after a wasted powder-bed cycle — has a direct cost benefit on MJF hardware, where build volumes and material costs are substantial.
- Repair transparency is a quality-control feature, not a convenience feature. Anyone printing parts that need to be traceable or auditable — which is most of the professional MJF user base — gains a documented record of what automated healing actually did to a file, which supports quality documentation requirements that pure black-box repair tools can't satisfy.
Kris Binon, AMIS's managing director, called 3.5.1 "an important milestone" for the company, framing the release around solving what he described as one of the key challenges in additive production: making workflows not just efficient, but also predictable and trustworthy — language that tracks closely with what the update actually delivers: fewer manual steps, earlier error catching, and more visibility into what the software is doing to a user's files. For a build-prep tool whose entire job is to sit invisibly between design intent and a finished part, that combination of predictability and transparency is arguably a more meaningful upgrade than the direct-connection headline alone.
