Makesim
Design feedback for additive manufacturing
Using additive manufacturing to produce complex shapes that are otherwise hard to fabricate has led to the misconception that any 3D model can be identically 3D printed. Analyzing manufacturability in terms of printable geometry allows designers to make informed tradeoffs between design complexity and manufacturing capability.
Our web-based Makesim technology introduces novel geometric reasoning techniques to automatically plan, simulate, and visualize the output of the 3D printing process as a solid model that can be inspected virtually and redesigned. The printability and quality of the as-manufactured model may be evaluated and customized on different machines and processes, enabling unprecedented speed-up from planning to part delivery. The technology is agnostic of part geometry and can accurately compute ‘as-manufactured’ models based on custom printer specifications and can also predict additional material to be added at locations where designs are not manufacturable.
Digital Design and Manufacturing is a priority area for us. We have in-house expertise in CAD/geometric modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, control theory, reliability and systems engineering, knowledge representation, and more. To execute a digital manufacturing project successfully, a subset of more than one of the above-mentioned skills is often required. The ability to offer such multidisciplinary teams is one of the unique aspects of engaging with us.
Applications
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Parts manufacturing
- FDM printing
- CAD/CAM
How the Technology Works
Whether as a standalone software or in the cloud, Makesim:
• Optimizes build orientation for criteria such as contact area or build volume
• Automatically computes support material for a build orientation
• Simulates the layered manufacturing process to outline a printability map displayed as a color-coded partition (red/yellow/green)
• Automatically adds material (if prompted) to meet process resolutions applied at critical regions of the printability map
• Visualizes shape artifacts like stair stepping and rounded corners seen on additively manufactured shapes
• Captures topological effects such as the disappearance of small holes below printer resolution