Ansys acquires additive manufacturing firm 3DSIM

Ansys, the global leader and innovator of engineering simulation software, on Wednesday announced that it has acquired 3DSIM, the developer of premier additive manufacturing simulation technology.

The acquisition of 3DSIM, based out of  in Park City, Utah, gives Ansys the industry's only complete additive manufacturing simulation workflow. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Additive manufacturing is the fastest-growing engineering market segment. While it has the potential to transform the industrial manufacturing landscape, companies have several hurdles to overcome before they can broadly replace existing manufacturing methods.

Commenting on the acquisition, Ansys Vice President and General Manager Shane Emswiler said additive manufacturing is changing the way companies are bringing products to market, and 3DSIM is helping to lead the way through its innovative solutions.

"By bringing exaSIM and FLEX onto our Workbench platform, ANSYS can offer customers the only end-to-end additive manufacturing simulation workflow available. That will spark innovation, speed time to market and reduce manufacturing costs for our customers across industries," he said.

3DSIM CEO Brent Stucker said the company is excited to become   part of the Ansys family with its nearly 50-year history of helping customers realize their product promise .

"Combining 3DSIM's leading additive manufacturing technology with Ansys engineering simulation solutions will be a win-win for our customers and the entire industry," said Stucker.

Printing metal is particularly challenging because it often involves a laser, which optimizes the metal's density for each application. But it can also melt the metal in unexpected ways, causing product failure. Additionally, rapid heating and cooling causes stresses that can deform the product.