Innovation award winner: Simufact Additive PBF Process and Defect Analysis

Every year since 1953, the German Design Council celebrates the best of design, branding and innovation. This year, among the 520 entries, from 23 countries, Hexagon’s Simufact Additive PBF (Powder Bed Fusion) Process and Defect Analysis module was among the winners. Annetta Job Kolady, Product Manager of Simufact Additive, received the official award for the innovation to predict thermal history and defect formation for metal AM.

There is an important difference between innovation and scientific advancement.

With every step forward in scientific knowledge, the field of progress becomes more specialised. The more capabilities we develop in a specific area, the more detailed knowledge we need to make the most of those capabilities.

Innovation on the other hand doesn’t take that narrow focus. It’s about thinking big, creating links, connecting people and bringing different ideas together.

Scientific development is like a pyramid going from general knowledge to a narrow specific point. Innovation turns the pyramid upside down. It’s about applying that focused scientific knowledge in a broad practical way. Innovation creates value from complex ideas by building them into tools that solve common problems.

3D printing with metals is a costly process. The raw materials, the energy consumption and post-processing are all expensive and time consuming. If something goes wrong, all those resources are wasted. Simufact Additive is Hexagon’s solution to this problem. It’s a simulation software for process design, virtual testing and optimisation of metal-based additive manufacturing.

The new PBF Process and Defect Analysis module spots possible defects quickly in metal 3D printing. It uses a mix of methods to find problems at all stages of printing, including risks like holes being formed, poor fusion, surface bumps, and roughness.

This advanced metal additive manufacturing simulation represents a paradigm shift using a new multiscale approach.

It meticulously simulates micro-level details, including laser beam impact on material behaviour, providing a granular analysis of the entire build job.

What sets Hexagon’s Simufact PBF Process and Defect Analysis apart is its capacity to swiftly predict defects occurring during production, and to help an additive manufacturing user optimize local parameters while considering various physical effects without being a simulation expert.

Using Simufact Additive’s easy-to-learn interface, anyone can now predict the risk of defects and identify an ideal parameter set.

Metal additive manufacturing is an exciting field of research and development. It has a remarkable potential to bring about a positive change in the world of design, engineering and production.

Among a host of other benefits, additive manufacturing creates less waste, enables faster prototyping and it allows us to create complex designs that simply wouldn’t be possible with traditional production techniques.

The technology is still relatively new. It has limitations that we need to overcome for it to achieve its full potential. Those limitations represent areas for innovation and our team at Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division is determined to face these challenges head on.

Visit our website for more information on Simufact Additive: PBF process and defect analysis or watch the release webinar on-demand.