AlphaSTAR Corporation’s Genoa 3D printing simulation software has been selected as a winner of the 2015 R&D 100 Award.
The competition, sponsored by R&D Magazine, recognizes advances in the impactful technologies worldwide and acknowledges the scientists and engineers who have led these efforts.
AlphaSTAR has previously received the award for the core Genoa Multi-Scale Technologies as developed with NASA Glenn Research Center and Clarkson University in the year 2000.
Genoa 3D printing simulation can accurately predict the deflection, residual stress, damage initiation and crack growth formation observed by various 3D printing machines. Its multi-scale progressive failure analysis (MS-PFA) methods are used to determine the entire 3D printing process at the material characterization level without the use of FEM as well as the structural MS-PFA that simulates the entire 3D printing process using FEM. With the ability to print directly from the printers G-Code file, engineers can simulate the entire printing process, taking into account material uncertainties and production defects.
Structural damage
The software can also visualize damage in the printed structure, such as damages in the fiber and matrix with specific delamination types such as transverse shear, fiber crushing, fiber micro-buckling, relative rotation and out of plane shear stress. Damages can be traced directly to 3D printing variables, such as deposition speed, bead width, overall path, and bottom plate temperature & convection conditions.
AlphaSTAR collaborated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop the software’s simulation capabilities.
This story is reprinted from material from AlphaSTAR, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
