Dassault Systèmes and Airbus APWorks have announced a new collaborative partnership to advance the use of additive manufacturing for large-scale production in aerospace, defence, automotive and medical industries, as well as in robotics and mechanical engineering.
Dassault, a world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, said the collaboration will leverage its 3DEXPERIENCE platform and APWorks’ consulting, engineering and production expertise for new developments in the virtual validation of the additive manufacturing process.
“Dassault Systèmes and APWorks will extend the capabilities of the “Co-Design to Target” industry solution experience to develop an integrated process that provides digital continuity for all engineering parameters across the value chain necessary for the additive manufacturing of a part,” reads the company’s statement.
“This will make the additive manufacturing process, from design optimisation up to production, replicable and scalable.”
APWorks CEO Joachim Zettler said the new end-to-end process will deliver a single source of data to address upstream material design and downstream manufacturing processes and testing.
“The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a first important step to replicable and scalable serial production. Simulation can help to predict and avoid part failures,” Mr Zettler noted.
“The aviation industry is safety-oriented and new product introductions typically take time. With the virtual validation of the additive manufacturing process, we can expect certified serial additively manufactured parts.”
Michel Tellier, Vice President Aerospace & Defence Industry, Dassault Systèmes, said original equipment manufacturers can optimise their conceptual designs by connecting with their supply chains to perform virtual validation during each phase and to detect problems before a part is produced.
“Virtual technologies and additive manufacturing are enabling the industrial world to do more with less waste, weight and costs, as well as freeing designers to explore complex shapes that could not be manufactured using traditional processes,” Mr Tellier said.
“Only by reducing the distance between real and virtual to zero can industry build and experience the future. Dassault Systèmes is joining efforts with leading-edge innovators in this field like APWorks to accelerate technology adoption in the industry.”
