Over the last year, we have seen two fairly big trends emerging in engineering simulation.
The first trend has been a deluge of packages offering generative design/topology optimization capability, and the second has been an increase in the availability of 3D printing simulation packages.
So, it’s no surprise that simulation giant ANSYS has jumped into the metal 3D printing simulation ring with a pair of new offerings of its own.
With the newly released ANSYS Additive Print and ANSYS Additive Suite, ANSYS is aiming to deliver the most powerful and comprehensive solutions for metal additive manufacturing, which will enable users to print lightweight complex metal parts successfully the first time, as well as analyze microstructure properties and behavior.
Currently, metal 3D printing is something of a dark art as much as it is a science. Metal prints can fail, require reworks, and ultimately cost time and money. So, with the power of simulation, ANSYS is hoping to change all of that with a full metal 3D printing workflow based on its products.
The first product, ANSYS Additive Print, focuses largely on the printing phase itself, and simulates exactly what will occur during the printing process, enabling engineers and designers to gain insight into the process before committing to build.
The second product, ANSYS Additive Suite, as you can probably guess from the name, is a complete suite of tools covering every aspect of the workflow, ranging from design to optimization to print. It will enable designers to optimize weight reduction and lattice density; create, repair and clean up CAD geometry; simulate the additive process; and conduct structural and thermal analysis for data validation.
“ANSYS is committed to transforming how products are made through additive manufacturing by delivering the most powerful, complete solution in the space,” said Brent Stucker, director of additive manufacturing, ANSYS. “The possibilities are endless. Our technology spurs the efficient creation of parts for some of the world’s most demanding applications, including military machines on foreign soil, spacecraft on other planets, and even custom-printed human body parts at hospitals.”
So, there you have it. If you want to simulate and optimize the metal print process itself, then ANSYS Additive Print is for you.
And if you want to supercharge your entire metal printing workflow from start to finish, then you’ll want a copy of ANSYS Additive Suite. And yes, the Additive Suite has topology optimization, too—because it’s 2018 and everything should!
You can read more about the new additive manufacturing products from ANSYS at this link.