Simufact Engineering, an MSC Software company, has released Simufact Additive 2, a new version of its simulation solution for metal-based additive manufacturing.  The software provides a series of capabilities covering powder bed fusion processes that deliver more certainty in achieving a reliable additive manufacturing process for high quality parts.  

New capabilities include:

Calibrating with cantilevers (physical testing) - a fast optimization algorithm calibrates the inherent strain values allowing for the accurate prediction of the distorted part. These strain values represent the machine, the material as well as the used process parameters and provide for reliable simulation for complex additive components.  

Individual positioning of parts in virtual build space - this release provides special handling to determine the most efficient positioning of parts on the base plate and allows for iterations to be made that optimize the build-up orientation.  Positioning the part is very intuitive, due to the easy-to-use-interface.

Support of orthotropic material properties - enables a more realistic representation of support structures stiffness. Coarser meshing provides reliable results with a simultaneous reduction of the required calculation times.

Optimization of the additive process chain - an effective, fast optimization of the whole process chain, including printing, heat treatment, cutting/removing of supports, and HIP. With this new release, users are now able to stop and re-start the simulation process at any stage of the process chain. Each process step can be optimized separately based in the previous results.

Simulate HIP processes - densification of components can be simulated.  This process reduces porosity and provides longer life to products. 

Comparison with physical testing - the new release now enables users with a comparison of simulated parts with the target design or 3D measurement data as a reference. Users can also evaluate deformations relative to the reference geometry.