High quality 3D prints are the result of an optimized alignment of hardware, software and materials. In recent years, the hardware and software have become more reliable, accessible and established within enterprise settings, and with that, the industry has seen a growing global demand for sophisticated, industrial-grade materials. This demand has grabbed the attention of many large plastics companies that see an opportunity to enter the market and collaborate with 3D printing manufacturers to create materials that can be used throughout the entire product development cycle. In 2019, we will continue to see major innovations in the materials space, which will ultimately make a positive impact on the overall adoption of 3D printing in manufacturing. Some of the best-known companies in the world for polymer materials are starting to take the same materials that have been used in injection molding for years and adopt them for 3D printing.” 

It is quite evident that over the past 3-5 years the market momentum has shifted to advancing technologies associated with the Additive Manufacturing (AM) process & application. This third wave has been built on the initial forays into AM in the 1980s and 1990s and the more recent mass awareness of AM during the last decade. The current focus on high technology has been driven by the need to qualify parts. AM has moved from simply prototyping in to the realm of finished parts used for non-critical and critical applications. Now, surface finish, net-shape, fatigue life and durability are the new criteria for acceptance. Accordingly, old players have stepped up their game to meet the technical challenge and new players have come forward with cutting edge solutions such as process simulation, optimization, in-situ monitoring and feed forward control.

This necessary shakeout has given the industry the needed vigor to once again pursue exponential growth. As such it can be unequivocally stated, we are amidst a global evolution, i.e. the re-birth of 3D printing, where the AM fabrication of complex and load bearing parts is becoming a reality. The rapid development of software, hardware, sensor technologies in conjunction with new build practices is allowing product manufacturers to meet specification, secure optimum performance and deliver qualified parts. Based on current studies & assessments, the global AM markets which are led by North America, Europe and followed by APAC will experience an average CAGR of 33% between 2018 and 2025. The remainder of global regions will also experience major growth, though at a smaller CAGR index.

Read the rest of MCADCafe Industry Predictions for 2019 – AlphaStar

For decades, simulation has been the exclusive domain of experts, with simulation tools, processes and the experts often isolated within silos in the organization. This has limited the impact of simulation on the product lifecycle process.

Recently however, a wide range of corporate strategic priorities including Digital Thread traceability within the PLM backbone, Digital Twin analysis for predictive maintenance and design improvements, the democratization of simulation, design space exploration, generative design, and the quality assessment of additive manufactured products have necessitated a broader, more automated approach to simulation. At their core, each of these advanced technologies requires mainstreaming simulation automation and data management to work robustly across significant (and unpredictable) design changes and entire product families that share common functional/architectural characteristics. The current, manual, inefficient and silo’ed simulation process must be replaced by “lights-out” automation that ensures predictable, accurate and verifiable simulation results, at all levels of model fidelity from systems models to 3-D models.

Read the rest of MCADCafe Industry Predictions for 2019 – ARAS

Do you believe in fortune tellers? I don’t, but whether you do or not, predictions are still fun to make. One of the great things about the component software business is the expansive view one has of the industry goings-on. Here are my predictions for 2019 for the overall technical software solutions industry.

The pace of acquisitions and industry consolidation will continue.

Ok, so this might be an easy one, but with the threat of an economic slowdown, it isn’t as safe a pick as one might think. The pace of acquisitions in 2018 dwarfs that of recent years and shows no signs of slowing. The private equity market has tremendous amounts of cash looking to be put to work; companies like Aras have received substantial capital infusions, and corporate buyers have record cash reserves as well as historically low capital costs. It feels a bit like a land grab out there; acquisitions (as measured by volume and value) should equal or exceed 2018.

License revenue growth from sales to the AEC/BIM/Process industries will exceed that of the discrete manufacturing industry.

As measured by overall revenue the discrete manufacturing market has, going back decades, been the most attractive market for solution developers. Over the last several years, though, we have seen advances in the AEC/BIM/Process industries that are driving massive changes in their workflows. There has been much press given to the benefits of BIM as what amounts to the “digital twin” of a building or plant for the owner/operator, and substantial amounts of new regulations demanding BIM compliance, mostly in Western Europe. The move from design-bid-build to design-build is having a huge impact. The percentage growth in the overall AEC/BIM/Process market will be higher than discrete manufacturing in 2019.

“Digital transformation” becomes the dominant marketing message.

Let’s face it, in a red-ocean market like ours, marketing professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to gain mindshare with potential customers. When additive manufacturing exploded a few years ago, we were bombarded with – “this is how our solution can leverage your additive manufacturing strategy”. Anything to connect yourself to a hot trend. More recently, it has been how mixed reality is going to change your world. Going into 2019, expect to see the majority of solution providers cast their value in terms of how it enables digital transformation, as evidenced by the messaging on their websites.

Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) will be the next “new thing”.

Every so often our industry hits an inflection point, where the technology now available makes it possible to re-think the way we do things. Solid modeling is a case in point; additive manufacturing has done the same thing in this decade and more recently IoT and generative design are taking on that mantle. Right behind is SPDM, which is turning the way we think of the role of CAE and simulation on its head. The goal is to democratize the use of analysis and simulation data, which will enable process improvements across multiple disciplines. Expect to see a host of new offerings coming in the SPDM space in 2019.

1. Metal 3D printing goes mainstream. Prices for machines that print metal parts are below the levels many companies paid for FDM just a few years ago. Metal printing is more of an “industrial” process, but it’s still less messy than directly fabricating and machining metal – and the skillset needed is much less demanding.

2. Model-Based Definition (MBD) makes inroads. More companies are looking into and piloting the concept of a drawing-less, model-based enterprise (MBE). The technology to put product manufacturing information (PMI) directly on a 3D model is there, but corporate culture has to catch up. MBD is more of a people and process problem than a technology one.

3. Extended Reality (XR) becomes real. If you have a teenager in your house, you already know virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are the hottest entertainment technologies for youth. The expectation to experience products and processes in VR and AR will grow as our youth graduate school and tackle real-world challenges.

• • AI / Machine Learning in Construction: Autodesk anticipates the increased exploration and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms in construction, which already demonstrates significant benefits to the industry. In the year ahead, we will more regularly see AI and machine learning on the jobsite and as a result, more firms will realize its benefits to the construction workflow, saving companies time, money and, most importantly, increasing workers’ safety.

• • Background: Autodesk is the earliest developer of and investor in machine learning on construction sites with Autodesk BIM 360 Project IQ and Smartvid.io, respectively.  Using Autodesk BIM 360 Project IQ, more than 40 contractors report improved quality and reduced risk to personnel, specifically reducing risk of the ‘fatal four’.

Read the rest of Autodesk CEO’s 2019 Predictions – AI, M&A, Industrialized Construction, Oh My!

In 2017 and 2018 the biggest innovation I had seen was by far the amount of fiber lasers entering the industry.  In years past there was skepticism in our industry that fiber lasers wouldn’t take the place of C02.  However, this was proven wrong in these past few years.   Because of the speed of these new lasers; loading and unloading is now where sunk operational cost reside.

In 2019 and beyond, organizations will begin to utilize more automated load/unload solutions for parts and movement of parts throughout their facility.  It will be our job as software engineers to develop intelligent cost factors and solutions to guide such a transition.  When laser speed isn’t an issue, the speed of which parts move throughout the organization will be where shops start increasing profitability.  I believe the CAD/CAM and intelligent estimating solutions will need to develop intelligent cost calculations and route cost calculations to give clarity to the movement these parts.

Read the rest of MCADCafe Industry Predictions for 2019 – SecturaSOFT

Throughout the coming year simulation will continue to take on an even greater role as companies search for ways to become more innovative, leverage resources, and keep pace with accelerated product development cycles.  Consequently, the expanded use of advanced simulation tools beyond expert CAE analysts (i.e. the democratization of simulation) will become an even greater industry-wide priority.

Democratizing Simulation allows product engineering, manufacturing, and support organizations to more fully leverage their CAE investments and resources by allowing expert analysis to focus their time and expertise on high-priority simulations while allowing non-experts to perform basic (and even some advanced) CAE analysis.  The result of simulation-driven design will compress product development cycles and accelerate innovation with a measurable increase in product quality.

Read the rest of The Democratization of Simulation Movement Catches Fire – Revolutioninsimulation.org