IRVINE, CALIFORNIA (6/23/20222) – AlphaSTAR is pleased to announce that its Additive Manufacturing (AM) ICME simulation tool, GENOA 3DP, has been selected for application on the newly announced BioniCast project (https://lnkd.in/eB_27r4u). Led by Fraunhofer IAPT & Fraunhofer IFAM, the objective of the program is to investigate the benefits of combining conventional manufacturing techniques with AM. This hybrid approach will be applied to Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Die Casting for ‘bionic design’ of an electric engine housing with cooling channels (https://twitter.com/FraunhoferIFAM/status/1529461124105752577/photo/1).
“Modeling and simulation will provide an added value solution, allowing team members digital assessment of the process and part” explains AlphaSTAR’s Head of Business Development, Andrea Cantarutti. “Utilizing GENOA 3DP’s unique multi-scale capabilities to simulate the LPBF phenomenon, users are guided to identify proper print parameters to support part printability. Secondarily, we will be able to understand the impact of errors related to the print path and their effect on performance of the printed part. Our goal is to assist the project in creating the framework of a ‘Digital Twin’ concept to help reduce weight and accelerate production time, which is a key Industrial requirement to support adoption of AM.”
Alongside AlphaSTAR will be its EMEA partner EnginSoft, a global leader in the field of Simulation Based Engineering Science (SBES). EnginSoft has been at the forefront of technological innovation since its inception in the mid-Eighties and will provide subject matter expertise to support the novel program. “The BioniCAST project represents a new challenge in applied research, reaping the fruits of over 20 years of commitment by EnginSoft in the manufacturing sector,” says Nicola Gramegna – R&D Operation Manager of EnginSoft. “The synergy between high pressure die casting and Additive Manufacturing technologies can certainly bring benefits to the industry, in particular to the automotive sector, if the virtual and experimental fields are appropriately combined to accelerate and support research up to the final demonstration. The multiscale ICME simulation is essential to predict Al-alloy properties and to avoid defects optimizing the AM process parameters”.
The AlphaSTAR and EnginSoft teams look forward to working with all project partners to advance the adoption of AM as a viable industrial option for critical parts.
