AlphaSTAR Technology Solutions, a leading provider of simulation technology for advanced materials and manufacturing processes, announced that it has partnered with Stratasys Ltd., the industry leader in providing complete polymer 3D printing solutions. Through this partnership, AlphaSTAR’s Toolpath Simulator will enable Stratasys customers to shorten design cycles and generate more precise, qualified builds, while reducing trial & error. With a presence in North America, Europe, Asia and over 200 channel partners worldwide, Stratasys has major manufacturing customers across the globe in aerospace, automotive, industrial, consumer, and energy sectors who can benefit from this functionality now housed inside GrabCAD Print Pro.
AlphaSTAR’s Toolpath Simulator is available as a plug-in to the GrabCAD Print Pro software platform, which manages the print preparation process for Stratasys 3D printers and offers enhancements designed for manufacturers who need to efficiently produce end-use parts and move to production-scale volumes. By inserting toolpath-driven analysis into an FDM workflow, customers are able to predict potential air gaps and run thermal process simulation to compare transient temperature distributions to acceptable interface temperature ranges. The end result is to provide the ability to identify ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’ parts prior to submitting the build job. With a user-friendly interface and seamless connection to GrabCAD Print Pro, AlphaSTAR’s tool allows Stratasys customers to easily run simulations based on build tray settings and get results in as little as a matter of minutes.
“We are proud to have been selected as a simulation tool provider by Stratasys, who has been leading the polymer 3D printing space for over three decades,” said Kay Matin, President and CEO of AlphaSTAR. “By leveraging its global channel, our solutions will bring value to a broad base of customers, and we will begin to fulfill our role as a key enabler to the mass adoption of additive manufacturing.”
“Our recent launch of our GrabCAD Print Pro print prep software reflects additive manufacturing’s expanding role on the factory floor,” said Rich Garrity, Chief Industrial Business Officer for Stratasys. “Predictive analytics can resolve a major obstacle to 3D printing at-scale and offering AlphaSTAR’s toolpath simulation through GrabCAD Print moves our customers significantly in that direction.”
The Toolpath Simulator specifically addresses the thermal dynamic elements of the 3D printing process and is a subset of a broader suite of AlphaSTAR’s physics-based material modeling, virtual manufacturing, and virtual testing simulation products. For thermo-mechanical qualification of additively manufactured parts, demonstrations of GENOA 3DP and MCQ are available upon request.
