Siemens Expands Additive Manufacturing Portfolio Through Acquisition of Atlas 3D
PLANO, Texas, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Siemens announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Atlas 3D, Inc., a Plymouth, Indiana-based developer of software that works with direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) printers to automatically provide design engineers with the optimal print orientation and requisite support structures for additive parts in near real-time. Atlas 3D will join Siemens Digital Industries Software, where its solutions will expand additive manufacturing capabilities in the Xcelerator portfolio of software.
Sunata™ software uses thermal distortion analysis to provide a simple, automated way to optimize part build orientation and generate support structures. This approach allows the designer—rather than the analyst—to perform these simulations, thereby reducing the downstream analysis that needs to be conducted via Simcenter™ software to achieve a part that meets design requirements. Siemens plans to make the Atlas 3D solution available through its online Additive Manufacturing Network.
“We welcome Atlas 3D to the Siemens community as the newest member of our additive manufacturing team. Our solutions industrialize additive manufacturing for large enterprises, 3D printing service bureaus, design firms and CAD designers,” said Zvi Feuer, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Engineering Software of Siemens Digital Industries Software. “The cloud-based Sunata software makes it easy for designers to determine the optimal way to 3D print parts for high quality and repeatability. The combination of Sunata with the robust CAE additive manufacturing tools in Simcenter enables a ‘right first time’ approach for industrial 3D printing.”
“Siemens is a leader in additive manufacturing, with the most integrated and functionally robust solutions in the industry, so we are excited to join the team,” said Chad Barden, Chief Executive Officer of Atlas 3D. “The power of Sunata is that it equips designers to more easily design parts that are printable, which helps companies more quickly realize the benefits of additive manufacturing. As part of Siemens, we look forward to introducing Sunata to customers who already have Siemens’ AM solutions and can achieve new efficiencies in their front-end design-for-additive process, as well as companies who have yet to start their additive manufacturing journey.”
The high rate of 3D print failures is a key challenge companies face in leveraging additive manufacturing for high-volume production. Parts often need to go through several design and analysis iterations before the optimal build orientation and support structures are determined. Typically, designers don’t have the capabilities to consider such factors as part orientation, distortion, and heat extraction uniformity in their design. This puts the onus on engineering specialists to resolve such issues.
Atlas 3D’s Sunata software solves this problem by giving front-end designers a quick, easy and automated way to get much closer to a “right first time” build. Sunata is a GPU-accelerated high-performance computing additive manufacturing software solution that can deliver results up to one hundred times faster than other build simulation solutions on the market. GPU-accelerated computing is the employment of a graphics processing unit (GPU) along with a computer processing unit (CPU) to facilitate processing-intensive operations such as deep learning, analytics and engineering applications.
The acquisition is due to close in November 2019. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Siemens Digital Industries Software is driving transformation to enable a digital enterprise where engineering, manufacturing and electronics design meet tomorrow. The Xcelerator portfolio helps companies of all sizes create and leverage digital twins that provide organizations with new insights, opportunities and levels of automation to drive innovation. For more information on Siemens Digital Industries Software products and services, visit www.sw.siemens.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Where today meets tomorrow.
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.
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.
Note: A list of relevant Siemens trademarks can be found here. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
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Additive Manufacturing Needs Skilled Workers
When ITAMCO purchased its first 3D printer, Joel Neidig, Director of Research and Development at ITAMCO, saw the importance of the technology, but couldn’t answer how it was going to be used.
ITAMCO started experimenting by make one-off prototypes, then transitioned to printing temporary bracket replacements and other parts for hundreds of other machines in ITAMCO’s facilities. Further growth and development has lead to a need for advanced training and skilled workers.
Joel Neidig explains how additive manufacturing helped ITAMCO.
One immediately benefit was being able to produce parts with raw material kept in-house rather than having to order it and wait for it to arrive. It also enabled engineers and machinists to collaborate further on product design and advanced manufacturing. To further develop its additive manufacturing capabilities, ITAMCO joined the America Makes network in 2014.
Joel was a recent panelist during a discussion at America Makes’ Membership Meeting & Exchange conference Oct. 22 in Youngstown, OH for a discussion on small business challenges, skilled laborers, and ITAMCO’s commitment in additive manufacturing.
At ITAMCO, additive manufacturing has improved workforce skills and increased overall business.
“It kind of opened up a new market. We were a machine shop, so we just did mostly machining – subtractive manufacturing. But now with 3D printing and additive, we’re able to additively print the components; we hired new people because it was a new product line we could offer.”
– Joel Neidig
ITAMCO Named IMA Medium-Tier Manufacturer of the Year
The Indiana Manufacturers Association (IMA) held its 2019 Manufacturers Hall of Fame Luncheon on October 16, 2019, at the Biltwell Event Center, in Indianapolis. The IMA not only inducted Indiana companies into the Manufacturers Hall of Fame, but expanded the event with the addition of the Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
The awards honored companies or individuals in specific areas of achievement. Categories include: Large-, Medium-, and Small-Tier Manufacturer of the Year, Manufacturing Talent Champion, Emerging Leader, Community Impact, Innovation Excellence, and Lifetime Achievement.
During the event, ITAMCO was named the Indiana Manufacturing Associations Medium-Tier Manufacturer of the Year for 2019. Gary Neidig, President of ITAMCO, made the following statement on LinkedIn:
Plymouth is Indiana's Community of the Year
Plymouth’s slogan is, “Where community and possibilities connect.” Incorporating this approach has led to recognition by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and being awarded Indiana’s Community of the Year.
“In order to have successful business climate, you’ve got to have good quality of life to allow the families of the employees to really grow and thrive here in the community, and so there’s just lots of good things going on,” said Indiana chamber’s Brock Hesler.
ITAMCO is proud to be a long-standing member of the Plymouth community.
ITAMCO Wins Contract with US Air Force to Develop 3D-Printed Runway Mat
Plymouth, Indiana. May 20, 2019. ITAMCO (Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies) is part of a team developing a new runway mat for the United States Air Force. Runway mats are a critical component of Expeditionary Airfields (EAFs).
EAFs are portable airfields that can be constructed, used, broken down after the completion of a mission, and moved to another site for re-use. These portable airfield mats must be easy to install and store, yet capable of withstanding the stresses of repeated take-offs and landings of aircraft and the impact from arresting hooks. The portable runway surface most used today is made with an aluminum plank matting called AM-2. AM-2 matting has served the United States military well since the Vietnam War, but the materials and technology in the ITAMCO-led research project will offer many benefits over AM-2 matting.
Project Objective
The objective of the research is to develop a robust sheet or roll technology that serves as an alternative to the Vietnam War-era AM-2 mat for temporary or expeditionary flight operations. Scott Hartford, Project Manager at ITAMCO is working on the project with Professor Pablo Zavattieri in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. The proposed technology solution is comprised of an upper surface that mates with a lower surface and contains Phase Transforming Cellular Matrix (PXCM) geometry to mitigate anticipated loading and shear stresses.
What is PXCM? In the simplest terms, products made with PXCM geometry have the ability to change from one stable configuration to another stable configuration and back again. According to an article by Nadia Aljabi in the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, the novelty and benefits of PXCM are that they can absorb important amounts of energy and yet be reusable since the phase transformation is entirely reversible without inducing permanent deformation into the base material. This means the new runway mat can “heal” itself, resulting in a much longer lifespan than a runway made with AM-2 matting.
Additional benefits of the new runway material include:
- The PXCM solution is targeted to weigh 3.5 lb. per sq. ft. or less. It can be laid by hand over a level surface of the appropriate density.
- Debris on the runway will not hamper the runway’s performance.
It will support flight operations of 5,000 landing and takeoff cycles over 60 days.
The 3D Printing of the Runway Materials
The construction of the proposed runway mat is as innovative as its use of PXCM geometry—the prototypes of the mat will be made on ITAMCO’s EOS M290 additive manufacturing printer. The 3D printing method will be a collaboration between an innovative metal powder called StainlessSteel 316L VPro and the unique additive manufacturing capabilities of the EOS M290 printer. This union between product and printer will reduce production time by 70 percent and cost by up to 50 percent.
“EOS StainlessSteel 316L VPro is a highly productive material that was born from our collaborate development effort with GKN. Applications using 316L VPro, combined with highly proven EOS metal 3D printing technologies, result in accelerated production with lower production costs,” said Patrick Boyd, Marketing Director, EOS North America. “We’re excited that ITAMCO has partnered with EOS in ITAMCO’s endeavors to create forward-thinking solutions. They are not afraid to engineer then employ extraordinary solutions where no solution previously existed.” Pushing boundaries with innovative materials and state-of-the-art printers does not guarantee build success; however, so the ITAMCO team is using Sunata™ from Atlas 3D to optimally orient and support the PXCM geometry. “The additive markets continue to evolve with new materials and unique geometries like PXCM on a near daily basis,” said Chad Barden, CEO of Atlas 3D. “If not managed properly, these new variables can lead to scrap, rework, and loss of time to market. Sunata will ensure build success and is an integral part of this project.”
The Project Partners –
ITAMCO
Since 1955, ITAMCO has provided open gearing and precision machining services to heavy-duty industries including Mining, Off-Highway Vehicles, Marine, and Aviation. In addition to the company’s offerings in traditional manufacturing, the technology team at ITAMCO has released over 65 applications for mobile devices; designed and markets iBlue, the first industrial Bluetooth transmitter; developed an award-winning Google Glass application; and launched their successful “Strategic Technology Initiative for Additive Manufacturing” in 2015. The company continues to explore alternatives to traditional processes: ITAMCO has received grants to develop PXCM-based capabilities for both the United States Army and Air Force as well as blockchain technology solutions for the United States Army and Navy. Learn more about ITAMCO at www.itamco.com or call (574) 936-2112.
Pablo Zavattieri with the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University
Pablo Zavattieri is an associate professor at Purdue University. His contributions to industry and academia focus on the boundary between solid mechanics and materials engineering. The Lyles School of Civil Engineering, ranked among the top in the nation, generates solutions to critical global problems.
EOS
EOS is a leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers. Formed in 1989, the independent company is pioneer and innovator for comprehensive solutions in additive manufacturing. Its product portfolio of EOS systems, materials, and process parameters gives customers crucial competitive advantages in product quality and the long-term economic sustainability of manufacturing processes. Furthermore, customers receive deep technical expertise in global service, applications engineering and consultancy.
Atlas 3D
Developed in 2015, Sunata™ by Atlas 3D is a cloud-based, ITAR-compliant software developed to support Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) Printers. Known as the metal additive “Easy Button,” it chooses the optimal orientation and automatically generates the necessary support structures to ensure a successful build. Currently, Sunata is used at Fortune 500 companies, the United States Department of Defense, cutting-edge manufacturers, medical devices companies, and many other.
Easing Additive Manufacturing Design
The orientation of a part on the metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) build plate is one of the most important aspects of AM builds.
Having the proper orientation optimizes support-structures, minimizes thermal distortion, can reduce finishing time, and produces an optimal part. 3D Metal Printing Magazine released a blog post highlighted part orientation in AM. Optimizing the orientation on the build plate can be difficult, and often there is no “right” orientation, only an optimized solution with tradeoffs made along the way.
ITAMCO’s subsidiary Atlas 3D has developed a solution. Their could-based software, Sunata, automatically chooses the best orientation for a part and generates the necessary support structures for a successful AM build. Read the complete article to learn more about how Sunata is revolutionizing the metal AM design process.
SIMBA Chain Releases an Enterprise Guide to Blockchain
SIMBA Chain, a subsidiary of ITAMCO, has released a guide helping enterprises and those interested in blockchain understand the technology and benefits the technology can afford.
Blockchain and smart contracts have the potential to increase the speed and efficiency of business and manufacturing. Business decisions will benefit from instantaneous tracking of supply chain, when services are rendered, or inventory levels. When handled correctly, the security built into blockchain could add a new level of trust and transparency all while addressing data protection and privacy concerns.
Why Blockchain Important for Enterprises
This ebook explores unique ways enterprise can benefit, but also challenges and considerations to overcome.
- Faster transaction times
- Reduce costs
- Improve security
- Reduce or find fraud
- Transparency
- Incentivize specific consumer behavior
- Building customer loyalty
SIMBA Chain Scores Elevate Grant
Elevate Ventures has awarded nearly $100,000 in High Potential Startup Grants to five companies, including SIMBA Chain. The pre-seed program aims to help entrepreneurs overcome early-stage hurdles.
Each company can receive up to $25,000 as part of the program. The grants are being awarded through a partnership with Startup South Bend-Elkhart.
Elevate Ventures says the companies plan to achieve various goals with the funding. SIMBA Chain will further market engagements and develop new platform features.
Ramping Up Additive Manufacturing With New EOS Printer
ITAMCO (Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies) is delivering components, made with its new EOS M 290 additive manufacturing printer, to the medical device industry. The EOS printer was delivered in June 2017, and ITAMCO was shipping components to a medical device supplier in August.
The fast ramp up is partially due to the experience the ITAMCO team gained while contributing to the development of additive manufacturing software. They were part of a consortium of manufacturers and universities that collaborated to develop the program through a multi-million dollar manufacturing initiative called “America Makes.” The software, named Atlas 3D, is now marketed through a division of ITAMCO.
ITAMCO, EOS Partnership
Another reason for ITAMCO’s efficient entry into additive manufacturing was EOS. “The EOS printer is the right tool for our complex components made with DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) and the EOS team trained our staff and got us up and running quickly,” said Joel Neidig, director of Research and Development for ITAMCO. “The printer works seamlessly with Atlas 3D too.”
In addition, the technology team at ITAMCO built a good working relationship with the EOS sales and support team. Jon Walker, area sales manager with EOS North America, said, “ITAMCO is an ideal partner for EOS because three generations of ITAMCO leaders have supplied traditional subtractive manufactured parts to some of the best known organizations in the world. ITAMCO’s investment in additive manufacturing validates the 3D printing market, especially in highly regulated industries where testing and validation of components or devices is critical. We’re thrilled that they have invested in an EOS M 290 3D printing platform, smartly positioning themselves to become an additive manufacturing leader in robust medical and industrial markets for the next three generations and beyond.”
Servicing Medical Device Industry
The medical device industry is a relatively new market for the company that has serviced heavy-duty industries for decades. “Additive manufacturing is allowing us to do things we’ve not done before, like producing the smaller, more intricate components for the medical device industry,” said Neidig.
Given ITAMCO’s capabilities and their close proximity to numerous medical implant manufacturers in Indiana, the entry into this industry is a logical move. “We’ve hired two people from medical device companies to work for us,” said Neidig. “We will continue to expand our presence in our current markets by offering additive manufacturing and the high-quality subtractive manufacturing that made us so successful.”
ITAMCO has been on track to include additive manufacturing in its offerings since the launch of the “Strategic Technology Initiative for Additive Manufacturing” in 2015. ITAMCO is using additive manufacturing to expand its market position in a global economy and to deliver real benefits to customers. Benefits include a faster turnaround, lighter yet stronger components, lower prices, design freedom, product customization, and reasonably priced small-batch production.
Blockchain Messaging App for the US Military
Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies (ITAMCO), an American technology company, announced that it received a Phase 1 grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
ITAMCO will use the funds to create a more efficient, robust, and secure platform using Hyperledger blockchain protocol for Department of Defense communications. According to ITAMCO’s announcement, the project will combine blockchain technology with the company’s existing Crypto-Chat application – a messaging app that uses 256-bit AES encryption protocols.
ITAMCO Visits the White House
Joel Neidig traveled to the White House to talk about the success his company and other manufacturers have made and the future of manufacturing in the United States.
Joel’s grandfather, Noble Neidig, founded ITAMCO in Plymouth in 1955. Since then, the family-owned business has made gears for many heavy duty industries like mining, off-road highway vehicles, and aviation. Customers include Caterpillar, GE, NASA, and the Department of Defense.
“We continue to grow. We recently expanded some of our manufacturing capabilities into some new five access equipment in gear manufacturing.”
– Joel Neidig.
ITAMCO awarded one of the Top Supply Chain Innovators of 2016
At ITAMCO, each forklift is linked to the company's ERP system through its GPS and an application on a smart tablet mounted in the forklift.
“We developed the application because both of our facilities are rather large and forklift operators where always looking for forklifts to move their material but could never find one,” explains Joel Neidig, Director of Research and Development.
“Also, material would sit for hours at a machine, delaying the next operation. This application solved the problem by notifying a material handler as soon as the materials were ready to go to the next work area,”
Now, as soon as a machine operator scans the barcode on a pallet, signifying the completion of the product cycle at his machine, a forklift operator and forklift are on their way to the machine. Each forklift is linked to ITAMCO’s ERP system through its GPS and an application on a smart tablet mounted in the forklift.
This innovation approach earned ITAMCO a spot on Material Handing and Logistics’ list of Top Supply Chain Innovators of 2016. See the list here.
ITAMCO Named 2014 Autodesk Inventor of the Year
ITAMCO was featured in Fortune for ongoing development of wearable technology and finding innovative ways to incorporate it into manufacturing .
Members of the Autodesk Manufacturing community worldwide selected ITAMCO as the Autodesk Inventor of the Year for 2014.
Autodesk works to identify the most innovative customers from among hundreds of thousands of designers and engineers that create using Autodesk manufacturing tools.
Based in Plymouth, Indiana, ITAMCO delivers precision-machined components to original equipment manufacturers that serve a wide array of industries. Click here to learn more. ITAMCO leverages Autodesk Inventor 3D design software to better serve its customers.
“We are thrilled and honored to be recognized by the Autodesk Manufacturing community for this award. It was certainly a team effort!” said Joel Neidig, Technology Manager at ITAMCO.
For ITAMCO, the more precisely a gear is manufactured, the better it will perform, and using Inventor software for design and manufacturing processes makes it possible for the company to manufacture gears to incredibly precise sub-micron tolerances at .00004 inches.
ITAMCO featured in Fortune Magazine
ITAMCO was featured in Fortune for ongoing development of wearable technology and finding innovative ways to incorporate it into manufacturing .
ITAMCO developed technology that uses image-recognition software to help machinists and mechanics identify parts and tools as they examine them.
ITAMCO Named Autodesk Inventor of the Month
ITAMCO has been named the January Inventor of the Month for using Autodesk Digital Prototyping tools — including Autodesk Inventor 3D design software as part of Autodesk Product Design Suite, along with Autodesk Factory Design Suite — to better serve its customers
“The more precisely manufactured a gear is, the better it will perform,” said Joel Neidig, technology manager at ITAMCO. “Using Inventor software for our design and manufacturing processes makes it possible for us to manufacture gears to sub-micron tolerances, which is .00004 inches. That’s very precise.”
This level of precision satisfies even the most demanding customers – like NASA, which used some of ITAMCO’s gears on the mechanical arm that built the international space station. Or the Department of Defense, which uses ITAMCO’s gears on some of its land-based satellite systems.
TAMCO’s operations have also been significantly enhanced by Factory Design Suite, which allows users to digitally optimize a factory layout before it’s completed. This digital exploration came in handy when the company ordered a colossal piece of machinery that can produce gears up to 13 feet in diameter and that weigh as much as 80,000 pounds.
As ITAMCO has continued to expand, the company has used Factory Design Suite to lay out new cells and equipment and make sure it meets the 5S standards of organization and efficiency across the factory floor. It’s just one more way Autodesk digital prototyping software helps ITAMCO – and the diverse range of customers that depend on them – keep things moving, literally and figuratively.
