The tool helps manufacturers save costs by choosing the right additive manufacturing process depending on geometry, material and financial analysis of the part being designed.
The new software has been developed by Castor, an Israeli start-up in which Evonik’s Venture Capital invested in late 2019.
Castor offers a software technology that assesses a part’s printability, recommends the best printing material and estimates its cost and lead time. The technology helps manufacturers decide if and how to apply 3D printing to their production processes.
“With the software, broader adoption of 3D printing at a commercial scale is now possible,” said Thomas Große-Puppendahl, head of the innovation growth field additive manufacturing at Evonik. “That will offer us better insights into customer needs and preferences in order to develop new “ready-to-use” materials.”
Combining intelligence with 3D printing
Evonik has contributed its expertise in 3D printing materials and helped Castor to establish the software as a platform accessible for all industries. The specialty chemicals company has more than 20 years expertise in developing and manufacturing 3D printing materials. With Evonik’s software based on Castor technology, customers now have the opportunity to identify parts that could be printed with materials such as high-performance polymer powders and filaments. Evonik also produces a full range of additives that can modify material properties, for example, improving the flow ability or making the finished part more robust.
“The release of Evonik’s new software which is powered by Castor’s technology is a key step in expanding our product portfolio. We are thrilled about the opportunity to solidify the relationship with Evonik and look forward to materializing our vision to increase the amount of end-use parts manufactures using additive manufacturing.” said Omer Blaier, chief executive officer of Castor.
Realizing the full potential of additive manufacturing
The start-up’s software is complementary to computer-aided design (CAD) solutions and customers can analyse their existing CAD files of large assemblies or of many single parts, simultaneously. More specifically, the software performs a comprehensive technical and economic analysis which results in a simple report showing the break-even point for additive manufacturing versus traditional manufacturing methods. This allows manufacturers to decide whether to prefer 3D printing over traditional manufacturing methods and empowers engineers to identify parts which can be defined as the “lower hanging fruits,” leading to cost reduction and time savings.
