U.S. DOTs are using digital twins for remote bridge inspections, ensuring the safety of their workers and improved visibility.

Author: Dan Vogen, Vice President, Road & Rail Asset Management, Bentley Systems

Just over a year ago, I was reading through a magazine and saw a picture of a bridge inspection. It was grainy, black and white, and showed several men on ropes hung over the side of the structure, several hundred feet above the riverbed. I thought at first that it was from the 1960s. I thought, look at how they used to do inspections back then! But then, I noticed the date.

It had been taken in 2013. That was just eight years ago. And the article said that they had continued repeating the exact same process every two years since then.

One of the biggest challenges for our transportation agencies is how to conduct accurate, timely and safe bridge inspections. Bridges have long lifecycles—up to 75 or 100 years. It’s important to track structural changes over time. Maintaining bridges is key to ensuring public safety, and bridge owners and engineers need to perform inspections to determine structural integrity to plan for maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement of those bridges.

However, traditional visual inspections that take place on-site are labor intensive, can require expensive equipment, often require lane closures that create inconvenience for travelers, may present safety risks, and can be inaccurate and error prone.

National bridge inspection standards in the U.S. require additional data inputs and layers of complexity. And in today’s COVID environment, maintaining social distancing and ensuring safety for employees and the public can present additional challenges. Recently, though, roadway agencies have been using technology to perform bridge inspections remotely while maintaining the safety of their employees. One of these technologies is digital twins, which is the digital representation of a bridge, as well as the engineering information that allows teams to understand and model its performance.

At Bentley, we are dedicated to helping our users implement digital twins, helping them create computer models that replicate what’s physically out there in the field.

Digital twins allow inspectors to immerse themselves in the model of a bridge structure without being physically onsite. Inspectors conduct inspections using a digital twin of the asset, along with immersive inspection capabilities in Microsoft HoloLens2, which helps users get an understanding of what is actually happening in the field without having to be there. This capability not only reduces the time required in the field, but it also makes the inspections more efficient, safer, and less costly. Some engineers that we work with think that they will be able to perform in the office 90% of what traditionally had to be done in the field.

Bentley’s infrastructure is built on Microsoft’s Azure platform. Our digital twin technology combines engineering data, reality models, and inputs from Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices, such as drones or sensors. All these components connect physical assets in the real world with their digital counterparts, providing a holistic view of assets aboveground and below ground.

So, instead of trying to find and determine cracking or corrosion through photographs, digital twins allow owners to track these types of historical changes with exact measurements.

By using drones to assist in inspections, some U.S. agencies that we work with have saved as much as 40% of their costs. With a digital twin, they can see the change over time and have a comprehensive view of the bridge, including seeing past inspections laid on top of the current data, which can improve efficiency and help predict the future.

One example is the Minnesota Department of Transportation (DOT). The state currently has 20,000 bridges, all of which need to be inspected regularly so that the state can properly maintain them over their lifetime and find out what they need to do to replace them. Jennifer Wells, state bridge inspection engineer at the Minnesota DOT, explained that, “Most of those engineers don’t go out in the field much so it’s hard to relay through close-up pictures and trying to explain to them what I’m seeing.” There was a great opportunity for the Minnesota DOT to use drones and Bentley software to complement and augment standard and in-field inspections. They could review the data from these inspections quickly and easily from anywhere. When engineers look at time-lapse comparisons of detailed changes, they can annotate specific areas of concern and designate anything that needs to be specifically reviewed in the field. Field crews can see all the inspector notes right on the structure, which is more visual, accurate, and efficient. All these capabilities are geared toward saving costs, avoiding risks, and reducing the time required for inspections.

One of the biggest advancements is a reality mesh, the visualization for a digital twin that gives yet another dimension to our understanding of the infrastructure and surrounding topography. The photos, videos, and data captured by drones can be used to produce a high-resolution reality mesh of a bridge. “These images can get right down to the cracks themselves we can measure the width of them, not just the length,” Wells said. “They’re that detailed.” Using reality meshes for inspections can significantly decrease the amount of time inspectors have to be on and around structures in the field.

A digital twin provides flexibility. DOTs can conduct more in-depth inspections without having to schedule expensive equipment and labor. They can apply digital twins over many large, complex, or signature bridges, which can lead to significant savings, while increasing safety and providing richer visualization.

Utilizing digital twins to collect, process, store, and analyze large amounts of data can reduce time and costs while increasing quality of inspections. If it could reduce the overall inspection expense by 10%, that would be a huge win—and we’re talking about potentially saving several times that amount in overall savings. With the Microsoft HoloLens2 and the Azure Remote Rendering capabilities, we’re able to see accurately, truly geometrically, the impact of changes over time. The technology can improve safety for inspectors and the public at large and help preserve bridge infrastructure into the future. The more that we work with this, the more potential that we are identifying. This technology can make bridge inspection roles that much more accessible, enabling diversity in execution while also providing the general public with more assurances that the entire extent of every structure is being inspected.

This isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s real, it’s here, and it’s making an impact on our bridges right now. Let’s put the ropes away for good.

Want to see this new technology in action for yourself. Check out this video.

Guest post by Bentley Systems

Invitation

LAKE MARY, FL, USA, May 6, 2021 – FARO (Nasdaq: FARO), a global leader of 3D measurement, imaging, and realization solutions for the 3D Metrology, AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction), and Public Safety Analytics markets, announced that management will participate in the following upcoming virtual investor conferences.

1. Needham & Co. 16th Annual Needham Virtual Technology & Media Conference on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, presenting at 11:00 a.m. ET
2. Craig-Hallum 18th Annual Institutional Investor Conference on Wednesday, June 2, 2021
3. Robert W. Baird Global Consumer, Technology, and Services Conference on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, presenting at 12:50 p.m. ET
4. Stifel Virtual Cross-Sector Insight Conference on Thursday, June 10, 2021, presenting at 2:00 p.m. ET
5. Berenberg Design Software Conference on Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Live webcasts of the presentations will be available on the FARO investor relations website at https://www.faro.com/en/About-Us/Investor-Relations. For conferences that offer replays, presentations will be made available for a limited time.

About FARO

For 40 years, FARO has provided industry-leading technology solutions that enable customers to quickly and easily measure their world, and then use that data to make smarter decisions faster. FARO continues to be a pioneer in bridging the digital and physical worlds through data-driven reliable accuracy, precision and immediacy. For more information, visit http://www.faro.com.

ANN ARBOR, MI, USA, May 6, 2021 – CIMdata, Inc., the leading global PLM strategic consulting and research firm, released a new eBook reviewing the results of an industrial PLM user study focused on quantifying the impact of PLM upgrades. The study was based on a data-gathering survey executed in Q1 2021to get input from a wide variety of industrial companies using a variety of PLM solutions.

The results presented in this eBook leverage knowledge and key conclusions from earlier CIMdata research on product innovation platforms, PLM solution obsolescence, and the PLM Value Gap. The eBook compares how often the participating industrial companies upgrade their PLM solution, the cost of the upgrades, how long they take, and how customizations impact upgrades. A qualitative measure of upgrade difficultly ranging from very difficult to very easy was also captured and reported.

According to Mr. Tom Gill, PLM Enterprise Value & Integration Knowledge Council Manager, “Keeping a PLM platform up to date is critical in today’s fast-paced world as solution providers are continually releasing new and innovative capabilities. We were thrilled to get the opportunity to quantify the state of PLM upgrades in industrial companies. While we had a sense of the impacts of upgrades from our consulting work with industrial clients, it was interesting to see the data quantified.”

To learn more about the PLM Upgrade Study and how mindshare leaders scored, please download and read the complete eBook at https://www.cimdata.com/en/resources/complimentary-reports-research/white-papers.

HANOVER, NH, USA, May 6, 2021 – Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, is excited to announce recipients of its 2021 Spark Something Great educational grant. The grant program, now in its seventh year, is designed to place the latest plasma technology into schools so the next generation of metalworkers can train on the equipment found in workplaces.

This year’s winning schools were selected from a pool of 231 applicants representing high schools, vocational schools, and colleges from throughout the United States and Canada. Each of the 12 schools will receive a Hypertherm Powermax45® XP plasma system and in-person training from a Hypertherm industrial cutting expert. This year’s recipients are:

1. Bluestone High School – Skipwith, VA
2. Clark County Area Technology Center – Winchester, KY
3. Felicity-Franklin High School – Felicity, OH
4. George Stevens Academy – Blue Hill, ME
5. Iron Eagle Welding Academy – Stockton, MO
6. Morrilton High School – Morrilton, AR
7. North American Trade School – Baltimore, MD
8. South Carolina School of Welding, LLC – Beech Island, SC
9. Spotswood High School – Penn Laird, VA
10. Terre Haute North Vigo High School – Terre Haute, IN
11. University of Tennessee at Martin – Martin, TN
12. Vincent Massey Secondary – Windsor, ON

“Increasing enrollment coupled with tight budgets means schools are tasked with teaching greater numbers of students with fewer resources,” said Betsy Van Duyne, who manages Hypertherm’s educational program. “Many schools have no plasma systems at all, and others are using machines that are 15 to 20 years old and in very bad shape. Although we cannot award a plasma system to every deserving school, we are thankful that a meaningful number of students now have an opportunity to cut, gouge, and mark metal with a Powermax45 XP.”

In addition to its annual grant program, Hypertherm provides educational discounts to schools and students, and offers educators its “Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice” curriculum as a free download. To date, thousands of teachers have acquired the lesson plans helping standardize the teaching of plasma cutting to students in North America and beyond. Hypertherm also offers ProNest for Education, a free program that places ProNest CAD/CAM nesting software in schools using CNC applications.

About Hypertherm

Hypertherm engineers and manufactures industrial cutting products used by companies around the world to build ships, airplanes, and railcars, construct steel buildings, manufacture heavy equipment, and more. Its products include cutting systems, CNCs, and software trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. Founded in 1968 and based in New Hampshire, Hypertherm is a 100 percent Associate owned company, employing more than 1,800 Associates, with operations and partner representation worldwide. Learn more at www.hypertherm.com.

SURREY, UK, May 5, 2021 – A 3D printed replica of Michelangelo’s famous David sculpture, re-produced with the use of scanning technology by Hexagon, was unveiled this week during a ceremony at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The art piece takes its place in the Theatre of Memory at Italian Pavilion at Expo Dubai

The event was attended by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State for Tolerance, Ahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the Minister of State for International Cooperation and Managing Director for Expo 2020 Dubai Reem Al Hashimy, and the Minister for Culture and Youth, Noura Al Kaabi. The so-called David Twin will be the centrepiece of the Pavilion’s Theatre of Memory.

The project to create the replica posed numerous challenges, not least due to the scale of the original, which stands at over seven metres tall and weighs more than five tons. Scanning this iconic sculpture took two people 10 days to complete. Two Hexagon technologies, an AICON StereoScan neo structured light scanner and a Leica Absolute Tracker with handheld scanner, were used to ensure optimum accuracy while managing the scale of the challenge. The mix of these two technologies was critical to achieve the best result; the laser tracker, which is typically used to measure precision aerospace components, is able to give high accuracy across large areas and the structured light scanner is able to achieve even higher resolution when focused on small areas. This instrument was used for the particularly detailed elements of the sculpture such as the face and hands. By combining these technologies, the team was able to achieve the optimum compromise of scale and resolution.

Nevertheless, there were a number of additional challenges to overcome. For example, an 80cm distance was required between the scanner and the statue to achieve optimum detail. This was particularly tricky when trying to capture intricate parts. Additionally, given the height of the David the scanners had to be mounted on a stair and raised, after which the team would analyse the picture to check for resolutions and accuracy, and repeat if necessary.

Following David’s appearance at the Expo, the digital twin created by the scanning process will be analysed to derive additional learnings. The extraordinary detail of the data reveals, for example, the effects of acid rain, dust, and even traces of the different tools used to create it. This information can be used by experts and restorers to preserve the David, and other iconic art pieces, by anticipating and preventing degradation.

It’s also recognised that there may be opportunities for future, more accurate scans of the David and other iconic art pieces. This latest project follows a similar one completed by Stanford University in 1999, which took one month and 22 people to achieve a lower resolution scan. As technology advances it’s hoped that an even higher level of detail can be achieved.

“Scanning the David presented a number of challenges,” says Cesare Cassani, Automation Technologies & Portable Systems Manager, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. “Not only was the scale enormous, but the time constraints were also tight, and we had to overcome a number of obstacles as we went along. Specific parts such as the inside of the hands, and underneath the bent arm, for example, proved particularly challenging, as well as capturing all the dents and imperfections that the David has incurred over the years.”

“The opportunity of being part of the team who has worked at this project is not only a high recognition of Hexagon’s technology and expertise in digital transformation, it is also for us a matter of pride in contributing to the scientific research and to the disclosure of culture and art throughout the world” says Levio Valetti, Marketing and Communications Manager, Hexagon Commercial Operations Italy.

The re-production of Michelangelo’s David is a project jointly promoted by the Italian General Commissioner’s Office for Expo 2020 Dubai, the Galleria dell’Accademia Museum of Florence and the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Florence.

For more information please visit: https://italyexpo2020.it/en/memory-and-future-michelangelos-david-at-expo-2020-dubai/

About Hexagon

Hexagon is a global leader in sensor, software and autonomous solutions. We are putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, and quality across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, safety, and mobility applications.

NUREMBERG, Germany and SUNNYVALE, CA, USA, May 5, 2021 – Google Cloud and Siemens, an innovation and technology leader in industrial automation and software, announced a new cooperation to optimize factory processes and improve productivity on the shop floor. Siemens intends to integrate Google Cloud’s leading data cloud and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) technologies with its factory automation solutions to help manufacturers innovate for the future.

Siemens and Google Cloud to cooperate to transform manufacturing by enabling scaled deployment of artificial intelligence.

Data drives today’s industrial processes, but many manufacturers continue to use legacy software and multiple systems to analyze plant information, which is resource-intensive and requires frequent manual updates to ensure accuracy. In addition, while AI projects have been deployed by many companies in “islands” across the plant floor, manufacturers have struggled to implement AI at scale across their global operations.

For more than 170 years, Siemens has built its business on pioneering technologies that have led the manufacturing industry forward. By combining Google Cloud’s data cloud and AI/ML capabilities with Siemens’ Digital Industries Factory Automation portfolio, manufacturers will be able to harmonize their factory data, run cloud-based AI/ML models on top of that data, and deploy algorithms at the network edge. This enables applications such as visual inspection of products or predicting the wear-and-tear of machines on the assembly line.

Deploying AI to the shop floor and integrating it into automation and the network is a complex task, requiring highly specialized expertise and innovative products such as Siemens Industrial Edge. The goal of the cooperation between Google Cloud and Siemens is to make the deployment of AI in connection with the Industrial Edge – and its management at scale – easier, empowering employees as they work on the plant floor, automating mundane tasks, and improving overall quality.

“The potential for artificial intelligence to radically transform the plant floor is far from being exhausted. Many manufacturers are still stuck in AI ‘pilot projects’ today – we want to change that,” said Axel Lorenz, VP of Control at Factory Automation of Siemens Digital Industries. “Combining AI/ML technology from Google Cloud with Siemens’ solutions for Industrial Edge and industrial operation will be a game changer for the manufacturing industry.”

“Siemens is a leader in advancing industrial automation and software, and Google Cloud is a leader in data analytics and AI/ML. This cooperation will combine the best of both worlds and bring AI/ML to the manufacturing industry at scale. By simplifying the deployment of AI in industrial use cases, we’re helping employees augment their critical work on the shop floor,” said Dominik Wee, Managing Director Manufacturing and Industrial at Google Cloud.

For further information and additional resources about Siemens please see:

1. Siemens’ website about artificial intelligence: https://sie.ag/3seQWIz
2. Learn more about Siemens: https://sie.ag/3uNl1AP
3. Blog article from Rainer Brehm, CEO Factory Automation, Siemens, about the vision of autonomous production: https://sie.ag/3wVuTKv

For further information and additional resources about Google Cloud please visit, Google Cloud Manufacturing Solutions page.

About Siemens Digital Industries (DI)

Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 76,000 employees internationally.

About Siemens AG

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. The company is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed company Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. In fiscal 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, Siemens generated revenue of €86.8 billion and net income of €5.6 billion. At the end of September 2019, the company had around 385,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

About Google Cloud 

Google Cloud accelerates organizations’ ability to digitally transform their business with the best infrastructure, platform, industry solutions and expertise. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems.

LONDON, UK, May 5, 2021 – AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Tecnimont, a subsidiary of the Maire Tecnimont Group, a leader in the global natural resource processing industry, to create new digital predictive and prescriptive maintenance services that drive enhanced business outcomes.

This partnership will extend usage of AVEVA’s Asset Performance Management (APM) solutions across the Maire Tecnimont Group, globally, enhancing plant operability and lowering maintenance costs. This will in turn deliver increased information availability empowering better, more informed decision-making, and ultimately improving overall business performance. As part of the agreement, the two companies will work together over a twelve-month period on a defined number of customer projects to promote the application of predictive maintenance technology for critical plant assets.

“Digital transformation is one of the technology drivers most needed to give our industry a much-needed boost. This MoU with AVEVA aligns seamlessly with Maire Tecnimont’s strategy for digital transformation: it complements our value proposition which focuses on NextPlant, our new digital services and solutions portfolio that has been designed to fully meet customer’s needs, while simultaneously improving our operational model through the creation of digital enablers,” commented Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO Maire Tecnimont Group.

“AVEVA’s Asset Performance Management suite is well positioned to advance industrial operations of the future. By enabling companies to predict failures before they occur, we are helping to reduce unplanned downtime as well as drive efficiency and safety throughout plant operations. We are excited about the partnership with Maire Tecnimont and look forward to supporting our joint customers in overcoming today’s industrial challenges by leveraging human experience with artificial intelligence.” commented Kim Custeau, Vice President, Asset Performance Management, AVEVA.

As an EPC contractor and global leader in the transformation of natural resources, Maire Tecnimont will leverage its unique process, automation, and maintenance competencies to supply plant owners with perfectly customized digital products and solutions that are tailor-made for their maintenance needs. The combination of Maire Tecnimont’s proven market experience and AVEVA’s leadership as an industrial technology provider will deliver improved analytics which in turn will help to reduce inefficiencies, optimize operations, and improve our customer’s profitability. With this MoU, Maire Tecnimont Group has reached a new milestone in its digital transformation journey, with the activation of a new technology-enabled value stream which is a crucial part of its roadmap. To achieve its drive to become the ‘contractor of the future’, Maire Tecnimont is enhancing overall value for plant owners through a suite of advanced digital products and services geared towards EPC customers.

About Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A., listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, heads an industrial group which leads the global natural resource conversion market (downstream oil & gas plant engineering, with technological and execution expertise). Its subsidiary NextChem operates in the field of green chemicals and technologies in support of the energy transition. The Maire Tecnimont Group operates in approx. 45 countries, though approx. 50 operative companies and about 9,000 people. For more information please see: www.mairetecnimont.com.

About AVEVA

AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, drives digital transformation for industrial organizations managing complex operational processes. Through Performance Intelligence, AVEVA connects the power of information and artificial intelligence (AI) with human insight, to enable faster and more accurate decision making, helping industries to boost operational delivery and sustainability. Our cloud-enabled data platform, combined with software that spans design, engineering and operations, asset performance, monitoring, and control solutions, delivers proven business value and outcomes to over 20,000 customers worldwide, supported by the largest industrial software ecosystem, including 5,500 partners and 5,700 certified developers. AVEVA is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with over 6,000 employees at 90 locations in more than 40 countries. For more details visit: www.aveva.com

VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France, May 5, 2021 – Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) has partnered with Canada-based Skidmore Group on the first implementation of its “HomeByMe for Kitchen Retailers” 3D kitchen planning solution in North America. When Skidmore Group launched its new kitchen retail brand, Oasis Kitchens, with the aim to simplify the consumer design process and make dream kitchens a reality, “HomeByMe for Kitchen Retailers” provided Skidmore Group with a multi-channel cloud-based 3D solution that is fast, intuitive and easy-to-use for customers.

The first store to implement the solution was the Oasis Kitchens pilot store in Coquitlam, Canada. Oasis Kitchens has opted for a phased rollout of the solution in its Western Canadian store network and currently offers the solution on its website.

For Skidmore Group and its brand Oasis Kitchens, the solution reinforces customer qualification as customers navigate through the solution and design their kitchen based on their personal preferences. For customers, personalized design recommendations, error management, and accurate pricing based on their selections provide a unique, branded experience for a kitchen that is fully compliant with local rules and guidelines.  Once customers view high quality, 3D renderings of their kitchen they designed in 10 minutes or less on a tablet or computer, they have the option of buying online in the moment or bringing their emailed renderings and sales-ready itemized price list into a store to begin the installation process.

“When it comes to the kitchen design process, customers can become confused or lost, with no clear picture of the final product,” said Rody van Vianen, Director of Digital, Oasis Kitchens. “We wanted to offer our customers the ability to take full control of their kitchen design and empower them to make personalized decisions based on their exact kitchen measurements in their homes. Through 3D technology, customers are able to design their kitchen in their own space and visualize their future kitchen with lifelike HD images, giving them a kitchen to be proud of.”

“Skidmore Group and its brand Oasis Kitchens are pioneering innovation in the North American kitchen retail market and know the value inspiration has with today’s consumer,” said Vincent Picou, CEO, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “Through this collaboration with a company that embraces the power of digital transformation, we can drive the use of 3D space planning technology in a dynamic market.”

About Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, is a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating ‘virtual experience twins’ of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers push the boundaries of innovation, learning and production.

Dassault Systèmes’ 20,000 employees are bringing value to more than 270,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit https://www.3ds.com.

ROCK HILL, SC, USA, May 5, 2021 – 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced it will increase its presence in Denver, Colorado to support its fast-growing healthcare solutions business, and expand industrial application development capabilities for its Application Innovation Group (AIG). This activity is a continuation of the investment phase of the company’s plan to focus on its strategic purpose as the leaders in enabling additive manufacturing solutions for applications in growing markets that demand high-reliability products.

Patient-specific Solutions Transform How Healthcare is Delivered

For more than a decade, 3D Systems has delivered a portfolio of industry-leading healthcare solutions, including patient-specific surgical instruments and implants manufactured at its FDA-registered and ISO 13485-certified location in Denver. The company has supported customers of all sizes, ranging from industry leaders to innovative startups, in developing a diverse portfolio of groundbreaking precision healthcare applications and new medical technology. 3D Systems has manufactured more than two million medical device implants, collaborated with surgeons to plan and guide more than 140,000 patient-specific procedures, and supported 100+ CE-marked and FDA-cleared products. Through this next phase of investment, the company will be able to accelerate time-to-market, expand its offerings, and better support the needs of its rapidly growing customer base. This positions 3D Systems to continue its strong growth trajectory for patient-specific craniomaxillofacial applications through expanded production capacity and ongoing product innovations. It will also enable the company to aggressively increase its participation in the larger patient-specific orthopedics market through the development and deployment of new joint replacement solutions.

Accelerating Innovation for Industrial Applications

The services provided by 3D Systems’ Application Innovation Group are critical to accelerating the journey from proof-of-concept for new customer applications to full-scale workflow definition and initial production. This team employs their experience and expertise to understand the customer’s need and jointly innovate potential application solutions that are subsequently developed into full manufacturing workflows. From there, the AIG experts validate – and where necessary – support obtaining certification and regulatory approvals which are critical to accelerating time to product launch in highly regulated markets. With this complete, the parts are then ready for production either at a 3D Systems manufacturing facility or the customer’s site. Additionally, through this infrastructure investment, the company will add expertise and the most advanced polymer and metal additive manufacturing technologies to address new, more complex industrial applications such as those for aerospace.

“The combination of maturing industrial-scale metal and polymer printing technology and advanced material solutions, with a customer base that increasingly seeks the performance, flexibility and cost benefits of large-scale additive manufacturing, is driving significantly increased demand for our products and services,” said Dr. Jeffrey Graves, president and CEO, 3D Systems. “Our Application Innovation Group has demonstrated tremendous benefits for enabling the adoption of complex applications for customers across our healthcare and industrial businesses. We pursue a consultative approach with our customers that starts with understanding their unique application performance and cost needs and develop a custom solution to address that need. It’s about bringing to life a customer’s understanding of what is possible with additive manufacturing, then producing the parts, scaling the initial production volumes, demonstrating the economics, and ultimately enabling them to continue high-volume production in the future. From joint application development to qualifying and validating parts and processes, manufacturing, and then installing a complete solution at the customer site – we partner with customers to solve their most difficult design and production challenges and empower them to maintain that momentum. This is the heart of our growth engine for the future.”

This expansion will increase 3D Systems’ Denver, Colorado footprint by over 50% and the company anticipates it will be completed in the second quarter of 2022. In addition to providing critical working and collaboration space for the growing teams, the expansion will enable the addition of multiple 3D printers – including forthcoming products – and large scale post-processing equipment that will automate key aspects of the production workflow for parts as large as those of the DMP Factory 500 (i.e., 500mm³). This will enable the company to both develop and demonstrate the technical and economic viability of a greater range of additive solutions for both healthcare and industrial market segments. For additional information on 3D Systems’ solutions, please visit the company’s website.

About 3D Systems

More than 30 years ago, 3D Systems brought the innovation of 3D printing to the manufacturing industry. Today, as the leading additive manufacturing solutions partner, we bring innovation, performance, and reliability to every interaction – empowering our customers to create products and business models never before possible. Thanks to our unique offering of hardware, software, materials, and services, each application-specific solution is powered by the expertise of our application engineers who collaborate with customers to transform how they deliver their products and services. 3D Systems’ solutions address a variety of advanced applications in healthcare and industrial markets such as medical and dental, aerospace & defense, automotive, and durable goods. More information on the company is available at www.3dsystems.com.

Introduction

AniForm, an advanced simulation tool that predicts the formability of composite laminates, is collaborating with Moldex3D to offer their users a higher-level RTM analysis. AniForm Engineering is a Dutch-based simulation technology company founded in 2011, which originally spun off the University of Twente. Today, AniForm is recognized and used by many entities worldwide, particularly in the aerospace industry.

Nowadays, the composite industry has access to a wide variety of process simulation software, each having its own specialization. Engineers can benefit even more from these predictive tools when their results are coupled. Moldex3D and AniForm collaborated the last few months to deliver their first interface, such that their users are able to perform more accurate infusion analyses as of today.

“We are delighted to cooperate with AniForm, which is undoubtedly a remarkable player in our industry,” said Dannick Teng, Managing Director at Moldex3D, “This is the first step of Moldex3D and AniForm’s exciting collaboration, and we are both looking forward to further integration very soon”.

This long-awaited collaboration will allow users to run superior simulations of RTM – which is particularly relevant for the wind power and aeronautic sector – by coupling AniForm’s fabric orientation simulation capabilities with Moldex3D’s RTM simulation. Users can now smoothly import the fiber reorientation data (recorded as an ASCII file) from AniForm Suite and run the RTM simulation with Moldex3D’s powerful simulation tools.

“AniForm strives to deliver a software tool that enables engineers to focus on the analysis of a prediction, rather than spending too much time on modelling and data transfer between various simulation tools. Moldex3D is a renowned partner in the industry, so we were thrilled to cooperate with them. We were very happy with this collaborative effort, which led to a seamless interface between our tools.” Said Sebastiaan Haanappel, Managing Director at AniForm.

Challenges

• Lack of a seamless workflow between the different simulation tools;
• The fiber orientations in a fabric change significantly during forming;
• Fabric shear and fiber reorientation affects locally the magnitude and orientation of the fabric’s permeability property.

Solutions

Coupling between Moldex3D RTM simulation and AniForm forming results.

Benefits

• Make data interfacing easier and improve the workflow for the design engineers
• Improve input accuracy for the RTM model
• Increase the accuracy of the RTM simulation result

Case Study

The main objective of this case study is to compare the different results between two models; one that directly assigns an assumed orthogonal fabric orientation, and one that considers the fabric orientation result from an AniForm forming prediction, in order to see how different input can have a significant impact on the resin infusion simulation results.

In the context of this case study, AniForm’s team generated a simulation of a woven fabric forming that we have used as an input in Moldex3D software for the fabric orientation. The fabric simulation was exported as an ASCII file from AniForm and smoothly imported in Moldex3D to run the RTM simulation.

For this case study, a laminate consisting of five fabric layers with a [(0/90)]₅ layup is formed into a mold cavity that represents the final part shape. Subsequently, the mold itself is heated and injected with resin. The part is eventually released after curing. We refer to the final part as the Formed Woven Fabric.

To take into consideration the forming induced fabric distortions in a subsequent infusion simulation in Moldex3D, a composite forming simulation in AniForm was performed. Fig. 3 shows the predicted laminate deformations at various instances during the forming. These deformations lead to the resulting in-plane shear distribution and related fiber re-orientation at complete mold closure in the final step as shown in Fig 4.

As addressed above, two infusions models were created in Moldex3D. Fig. 5 shows the two configurations of the infusion models. The first model assumes the fabric still to be orthogonal, namely 0- and 90-degree in every part (light blue: 0-degree, dark blue: 90-degree). However, in reality, an orthogonal fiber orientation shall not be present since the forming leads to in-plane fabric deformation and the fabric orientation is not 0- and 90-degree in every part anymore. Therefore, the second model considers the forming results from AniForm, and uses the forming induced fiber-reorientation. The fiber reorientation will affect the permeability, which is a measure to describe the ability of a fluid to flow through the fabric. For this reason, an effect on the flow progression is to be expected, which for the second model would result in a more accurate representation of reality.

When using Moldex3D precise RTM simulation we can indeed observe that a different fiber orientation input affects the flow progression through the fabric. In the indicated areas in Fig 6, we can observe a distortion of the resin flow. Here, the fabric reorientation resulted in the local permeability component in the flow direction to be lower. When considering larger and more complex geometries, this effect can lead to incomplete wetting, which would require the process designer to reconfigure the resin inlet points. Also, the affected flow progression led to a slightly higher filling time. Having an improved estimation of the filling time enables engineers to better anticipate production cycle times.

Conclusion

An interface was developed between AniForm and Moldex3D to consider the forming induced fiber reorientation in the RTM simulation model. This leads to a more accurate representation of the flow domain in reality. We evaluated a model with, and a model without considering the material change resulting from the forming step. The resulting difference in the permeability distribution led to a predicted difference in the flow front development and filling time. Having an improved estimation of the flow progression over time enables engineers to better anticipate changes in the process configuration and production cycle durations. By linking Moldex3D’s and AniForm’s powerful simulation tools, the simulation engineer experiences a seamless trouble-free workflow and a higher degree of confidence when analyzing and interpreting the results. 

For more information, please contact support.eu@moldex3d.com or info@aniform.com“.

Guest Post by Moldex3D