Ampower
Simufact Engineering Ampower
Comparison between simulated and real part deviation of an additively manufacturedautomotive component.
Simufact Engineering and Ampower, an industrial additive manufacturing (AM) consultancy firm, are working together to increase the capabilities of simulation for metal-based AM processes.
Through Simufact Additive, the software developer’s AM simulation package which has been designed to help users achieve ‘right first time’ optimisation of laser powder bed fusion processes, a host of industrial players are enhancing their workflows – Just last week it was announced HiETA Technologies is to begin using the platform. Ampower leverages the software’s capabilities to provide targeted support to its customers in the early stages of product development.
By optimising production processes with Simufact Additive, Ampower helps its clients to draw comprehensive conclusions, and with these insights, can begin to reduce production costs without compromising the quality of parts. It is the simulation capabilities that enables this, allowing users to iron out any potential errors prior to the print, so as not to waste time and money, to get the print right at the first attempt. It’s an important function for industrial players looking to adopt AM as an end-use part manufacturing tool, and it is why Simufact and Ampower are working together to continue improving Simufact Additive’s simulation features.
“Part distortion induced due to residual stresses is one of the biggest challenges in metal-based additive manufacturing processes,” commented Michael Wohlmuth, Managing Director of Simufact Engineering. “Simufact Additive helps the user to predict the consequences of residual stresses. Often distortions are compensated accordingly with an adjustment of the manufacturing data, so that the manufacturing tolerances are met and rejects avoided. With Ampower as a partner, we have gained a team of experts in additive manufacturing, helping us to further develop our software solution to meet new market needs.”
“Additive manufacturing for metal components is a technology that is already indispensable in many industries today,” added Dr.-ing Maximillian Munsch, partner and co-founder of Ampower. “Nevertheless, users are constantly confronted with the high complexity of the process and are looking for solutions to sustainably reduce them. Simufact Additive enables us to detect distortions and part defects even before the actual construction process and to counteract these by targeted optimisation. This helps us to help our customers avoid high costs and time-consuming trials.”
