Markforged announced the release of new Simulation software for 3D printing at Formnext 2022. Following its acquisition of Teton Simulation, it technically features within its Eiger software platform and is built on the Teton simulation software.
Markforged believes that by introducing Simulation capabilities in Eiger, it is replacing the slow and costly design/print/break testing cycles with virtual testing. This, according to the company, will help users accelerate their adoption of Markforged 3D printing technology by allowing them to achieve the learnings that come with design iterations in less time and with less waste.
Simulation Software for 3D Printing
A Simulation workflow in the Eiger software is now available as a free trial to Markforged users until April 2023, after which the new tools will require a paid subscription. It marks the completion of Teton Simulation’s integration into Markforged, which was acquired by the Boston-based additive manufacturing company just over six months ago.
Simulation is designed for additive manufacturing and works within the familiar Eiger software slice and print workflow, as opposed to traditional software tools that require specialised expertise and analysis. Virtual testing allows any user to validate part strength and stiffness by identifying anchor and load surfaces and then entering values for loads, factor of safety, and maximum deflection. They can then optimise parts by automatically determining print settings for floors, walls, infill, and fibre reinforcement in order to meet print cost and speed targets while retaining adequate strength.
“Simulation enables our customers to adopt The Digital Forge deeper into their manufacturing operations by replacing more mission critical tooling and end-use metal parts with validated and optimized 3D printed advanced composite parts with Continuous Fiber Reinforcement. Cloud-based software innovation like Simulation is core to our mission to bring industrial part production to the point of need.”
– Shai Terem, president and CEO of Markforged
Simulation is available as a free trial for anyone with a Markforged Eiger account worldwide.
Who is using Simulation?
Larsen Motorsports, a high-performance vehicle research and development centre, is using Simulation from Markforged to improve the designs of steering wheels in its jet engine drag racing vehicles.
We can now test it with Simulation, iterate and keep iterating until we get a design we’re happy with. We don’t have to print ten different parts. We can do it all in Simulation.”
– Brian Tocci, Director of Operations, Larsen Motorsports
Larsen used simulation to improve the design and print configuration of an Onyx™ steering wheel with Continuous Fiber Reinforcement (CFR). Physical testing confirmed that the 3D printed steering wheel had the strength and stiffness required to replace the aluminium stock parts. Finally, this enabled them to deliver the high-performance parts they require faster — in this case, steering wheels they rely on to keep their drivers safe and perform.
