Stratasys and e-Xstream Engineering announce 3D-printing simulation partnership. Zoubida El Hachemi, e-Xstream sales director worldwide with Keren Ludomirski Zait, Stratasys senior director of Business Development & Strategic Alliance. (Image courtesy of Business Wire.)
The partnership will focus on getting e-Xstream Engineering’s computer-aided engineering (CAE) software, Digimat, up to speed with Stratasys’s fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology.
The aim of this integration is to improve the general understanding of 3D-printed material, output, part tolerancing and dimensional accuracy.
Stratasys has noted that Digimat is a good choice for this endeavor as its user interface (UI) is accessible to both designers and simulation experts.
“Stratasys recognizes the importance of simulation and modeling as a way for customers to optimize part production by designing with additive in mind, while ensuring that the material and process will deliver ‘print right the first time’ assurance,” said Scott Sevcik, Stratasys VP Manufacturing Solutions.
Of course, there is significant hidden logic behind marrying simulation with 3D printing. As additive manufacturing is a relatively new field, it doesn’t have the same wealth of “instinctual knowledge” and “gut feel know-how” of other manufacturing equipment. Though it is recommended to simulate before manufacturing, this golden rule only gets more pragmatic when 3D printing is considered as the manufacturing method due to this lack in expertise.
Engineers just getting started in 3D printing will have a much harder time entering the field if they don’t simulate first.In other words, by partnering with e-Xstream Engineering, Stratasys is making its 3D-printing technology that much more enticing to the aerospace and automotive industries where simulation, just-in-time manufacturing and get-it-right-the-first-time philosophies are the standard.
Some core functionality the collaboration hopes to implement include:
- 3D-printing process simulation to improve accuracy, repeatability and reduce war page
- Material engineering framework for parameters that affect printing behavior
- Part performance predictions based on material and printing process for digital prototyping
Digimat 2018 also will be made available this November. Additions to the tool engineers should expect based on this collaboration include:
- Material models for ULTEM 9085 resin for aerospace applications
- Process package for Stratasys Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printers
- Ability to bring Stratasys pre-processing data into Digimat’s AM module