Simufact Additive
Simufact Additive is a powerful and scalable process simulation environment for the first-time-right optimization of Metal Additive Manufacturing processes.
Metal Binder Jetting
Simufact Additive offers the first dedicated multi-physics Metal Binder Jetting sintering simulation solution focusing on distortion due to the post build sintering process and its automated distortion compensation.
LightHinge+
Additive manufacturing makes it possible: Ultimate weight reduction, integration of a pedestrian protection function, distortion optimized tool-less production with little rework for small series.
An innovation project of EDAG, voestalpine and Simufact.
Simulating Additive Manufacturing with Simufact Additive
Simufact Additive is a powerful and scalable software solution for the simulation of metal-based additive manufacturing processes. Discover how to use Simufact Additives to optimize your metal 3D printing / rapid prototyping.
Introducing Simufact Additive
Insights into Simufact Additive capabilities
Simufact Additive 2022 is available
Simufact Additive 2022 comes with a new Nesting functionality that increases productivity and sustainability.
E-Book: Additive Manufacturing 2020
This e-book contains some insightful articles on the state of additive manufacturing and some of the prevailing trends. It also includes some compelling case studies that demonstrate the scope and breadth of applications for additive manufacturing simulation.
Webinar on demand: Introduction Simufact Additive
Gain first insights into the additive manufacturing simulation and listen to our 30-minutes overall webinar introducing Simufact Additive 4.
Why Simulation?
Achieve your business goals with Simufact Additive
Replace time-consuming tests with simulation!
Apply process simulation with Simufact Additive to save time and money:
- Shorten your learning process clearly
- Try out more variants before starting production
- Shorten time to market
- Increase machine and manpower availability and productivity
- Reduce material and energy costs
WHY EMPLOY SIMUFACT ADDITIVE?
Simufact Additive helps you to significantly reduce the number of test prints. Our goal is to provide you with a software solution which helps you produce AM components with repeatable dimensional accuracy first time right.
Problem Solver
Simufact Additive features help you solve the main issues of metal 3D printing:
- Reduce distortion
- Minimize residual stress to avoid failure
- Optimise build-orientation
- Optimise support structures
Simufact Additive brochure
Download brochure Strong Concept
Simufact Additive´s multi-scale approach combines the best approaches in a unique software solution - from an extremely fast mechanical method to a full thermal-mechanical coupled transient analysis with the highest accuracy of simulation results. You can choose the right simulation method for your situation.
Specialised Software
Simufact Additive is a specialised software solution dedicated exclusively to the simulation of additive manufacturing processes. For the user, this is reflected in a lean operating concept.
Industry Leading Software Interface
Simufact Additive has an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) that is exceptionally user-friendly. The flexible GUI concept enables machine- and application-specific dialogs that are oriented to the real work process.
Advanced Technology
Simufact Additive is based on the proven MARC solver technology from MSC Software. Marc is a leading solution for nonlinear numerical simulations; it covers a wide range of physical effects. We have developed and adapted Marc specifically for use in additive manufacturing.
Integration in Process Chains
Simufact Additive is a standalone product that already covers important parts of the digital process chain in additive manufacturing. In combination with software solutions from MSC Software and other software and hardware solutions from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence and third-party suppliers, our customers can create complete end-to-end solutions and individual process chains.
Simulating Reality magazine
MSC's Simulating Reality magazine introduces new simulation solutions for additive manufacturing technologies for plastics and metals. It provides examples and insights into the future of AM simulation - from MSC's e-Xstream and Simufact.
Article Hexagon end-to-end solution
The article from the MSC magazine "Engineering Reality" describes the integrated use of Simufact, MSC and Hexagon technologies for two demo projects in additive manufacturing.
FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW
The most important functions at a glance
- Compensate distortion by preforming the component - automatically
- Calculate and minimize residual stresses
- Identification of cold and hot spots by thermal / thermo-mechanical simulation
- Identify manufacturing problems, such as recoater contact, part defects, and coating offsets
- Calculate the influence of several components in the build space
- Determine the best building orientation - supported by an orientation assistant
- Generating and optimizing support structures - based on CADS Additive technology
- HIP Process: Investigating conditions of highly increased temperatures and pressures
- Be able to control the condition after heat treatment and removal of the base plate and support structure
- Simulation in Windows and Linux environments
Future Features
- Prediction of the microstructure
- Display failure of parts based on criteria
WHICH PROCESS TYPES DOES SIMUFACT ADDITIVE COVER?
Simulation of Powder Bed Fusion Processes
Simufact Additive covers the simulation of Powder Bed Fusion processes, e.g. known as:
- Selective Laser Melting (SLM)
- Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) – an EOS technology
- LaserCUSING® - a Concept Laser technology
Simulation of Direct Energy Deposition (DED)
Please note that the simulation of Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) processes is covered by Simufact Welding.
- Direct Metal Deposition (DMD)
- Directed Energy Deposition (DED)
- Laser Cladding
Simulation of Metal Binder Jetting
Simufact Additive offers the first dedicated mulit-physics metal binder jetting sintering simulation solution focusing on distortion due to the post build sintering process and its automated distortion compensation.
The required sintering process is a large hurdle that can not be modelled with simple shrinkage models. Our approach considers the thermal strain, shrinkage, friction, gravity, – just to name the most important phenomena during the sintering process.
Advantages of Metal Binder Jetting
- No supports needed
- Many parts can be printed at once with minimal spacing
- Suited for larger lot sizes than Powder Bed Fusion
processes
Process Chain Additive Manufacturing
Digital process chain AM
Together with other solutions from MSC Software, Simufact Additive covers a broad spectrum of the digital additive process chain.
Simufact Additive covers the core of the additive manufacturing process, including
- the simulation of additive / generative manufacturing processes in the build space
- the simulation of post-processing processes:
- Heat treatment / stress relief process
- Removal from the base plate, removal of the support structure
- HIP process (hot isostatic pressing): prediction of distortion, residual stress and material compaction
MSC Software also provides other solutions:
- Poylmer and Composite AM (Digimat AM)
- Material & Lifecycle Management (MaterialCenter)
Read more about MSC's complete AM portfolio:
English webinar on the entire portfolio of MSC Software for Additive Manufacturing (2017)
End-2-End solution Hexagon
Further solutions from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence such as portable and stationary measuring systems and software solutions for the machining post-processing of additively manufactured parts further broaden the solution portfolio.
Hexagon's integrated additive manufacturing end-to-end solution will cover the entire AM process chain from topology optimisation, generative design, print preparation and process simulation to post-processing and CNC machining (e.g. scan-to-CAD).
A central database and web-based portal capture the design geometry, cut files and all print variables required for high repeatability.
Hexagon's end-to-end AM solution is designed as an open ecosystem and third-party solutions can be integrated. Files can be imported from a variety of CAD packages and the resulting build geometries can be exported and supported by any 3D printer.
Image: Hexagon´s Additive Manufacturing End-to-End Solution Portfolio
Examples of process chains
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Re-Engineering AM process chain small -
Reverse Engineering AM process chain
HxGN SFx | Additive Manufacturing
All this is supported by Hexagon's SFx Additive Manufacturing solution HxGN SFx | Additive Manufacturing, a multi-purpose platform that allows you to easily connect products and create better workflows.
- Manage all additive data
- Execute the end-to-end process
- Use Analytics to improve process repeatability
Further information:
Videos AM-Simulation - Examples
Simulation of distortion of an additively manufactured manifold (Part: Renishaw)
Simulation of effective stress of an additively manufactured aerospace bracket
Would you like to watch further simulation videos on Additive Manufacturing?
Faster or more accurate?
Faster or more accurate?
You have the choice since the software offers you different, flexible solutions.
A complete thermal-mechanical coupled transient analysis delivers the most accurate results - but is this your daily business?
Often a faster method will be enough - one that allows you to quickly get results that help you make decisions from day to day.
Result Comparison
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Bracket original part (Source: Fraunhofer) -
Total distortion - optically measured -
Total distortion - simulation results
Highly realistic results: The comparison of optically measured distortions with simulation-based distortion shows a high correlation.
SOFTWARE USABILITY
Best-In-Class GUI for Additive Manufacturing process simulation
Simufact Additive comes with an intuitive and user-friendly GUI ensuring an extraordinary user experience. The flexible GUI concept allows machine and application-specific dialogs aligned with the real process work flow. A meshing capability is included for the automatic and rapid discretization of even large and complex structures of any shape. The GUI is laid out to smoothly handle these meshes that can readily reach more than a million elements.
Simufact Additive`s best-in-class GUI
- User-friendly, intuitive use
- Context sensitive, use right mouse click
- Prepared for application- and machine-specific dialogs
- Supports big filigree models
- Oriented to real AM workflow
GUI workflow example
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Step 1: Part imported -
Step 2: Supports created or imported -
Step 3: Define Manufacturing Parameters -
Step 4: Mesh created -
Step 5: Intermediate analysis result -
Step 6: Result after manufacturing -
Step 7: Result after plate removal -
Step 8: Result after supports removal
Highest user-friendliness through automation and assistance functions
Simufact Additive has a workflow-oriented user interface that our customers describe as the best in its class. The software guides the user efficiently through the simulation process. A growing number of automation and assistance functions support the user:
- Automated distortion compensation
- Automated support structure optimisation
- Best-Fit method for the comparison of simulation and reference models
- Orientation assistant for component alignment
machine vendor partnerships
Integration of simulation software and 3D printing machines
Simufact is building partnerships with 3D printing machine suppliers aiming at an integrated approach which combines AM simulation software with vendor-specific 3D printers / resp. their build preparation software. The goal is a fully-coupled simulation-based optimization providing the build file for the best configuration. This approach is an important component of our 'right-first-time' strategy.
Integration of simulation software and 3D printing machines
Renishaw plc, a leading manufacturer of advanced metal AM systems, is the first 3D printing machine vendor to collaborate with Simufact in the common goal of an integrated approach. The aim is a fully simulation based optimization leading to the best quality build file. Initially, Renishaw’s QuantAM build preparation software will be coupled with Simufact process simulation software and enable data exchange, using QuantAM’s open API (application programming interface). The next step is to automatically set-up a simulation based on the build information and in return to display the simulation results in Renishaw’s QuantAM build preparation software.
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Renishaw manifold part -
Renishaw manifold part - effective stress -
Renishaw manifold part - distortion
References
Contact Us
Simufact Global Sales & Support Network
Your request will be forwarded to our Global Sales & Support Network that provides best-in-class industry-related application-specific sales and technical services - backed up by qualified local Simufact and Channel Partner experts.
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