AMCM GmbH has announced the integration of PanOptimization's PanX FEA platform with its EOSPRINT software, bringing simulation directly into the additive manufacturing (AM) build preparation workflow.
PanOptimization, which develops simulation and optimisation tools for AM, described the integration as an important step in making physics-based simulation a 'practical, embedded part of industrial metal additive manufacturing workflows'. The news is said to apply to users of all EOS and AMCM 3D printers.
"Especially for the large and complex applications our customers manufacture on the AMCM M 4K and M 8K, thermomechanical simulation is a key tool to counteract overheating and thermally induced distortion. By integrating PanX directly into EOSPRINT, we can seamlessly optimise thermal management and build strategies before production begins," says Tobias Petzinger, Application Specialist at AMCM GmbH.
“AM is moving into a phase where simulation has to become a standard part of the manufacturing process,” says Erik Denlinger, Co-Founder and Chief Engineer at PanOptimization. “If manufacturers want to print and qualify high-value metal AM parts with confidence, they need physics-based models that help them understand and optimise what will happen before the build begins.”
PanX can be used as a stand-alone thermomechanical simulation tool alongside any metal AM system. Per a press release, PanOptimization explains that the integration works by first reading an openjz file from EOSPRINT into PanX and extracting all build setup information, including the geometries, build plate layout, and processing parameters, needed for a simulation. Additional information not included in the openjz, but still needed for accurate simulation (e.g. processing time per layer) are brought into PanX by use of the EOSPRINT API. This removes redundant and error-prone set-up work, supports turnaround times measured in hours, and makes simulation more accessible to design and manufacturing engineers rather than only dedicated simulation experts. It also improves model accuracy by incorporating high-fidelity printer-specific information.
After a simulation is complete, optimised dwell times, compensated geometries, and optimised laser powers are automatically written back into the openjz file where they can be seamlessly implemented on the printer.
AMCM recently demonstrated this on a large M 8K build, highlighting how local heat accumulation can lead to distortion and dimensional deviations, residual stress and internal defects, reduced part quality, partially sintered powder, and difficult de-powdering.
PanOptimization founders Pan Michaleris and Erik Denlinger recently guested on TCT's Additive Insight podcast to talk ahout the capabilities of PanX, the real-world impact the platform has had, and the dynamic between simulation and physical testing.
Sam Davies
