3DSIM
Cloud-based metal additive manufacturing simulation software enabling prediction of residual stress, distortion, and build failure; reduces trial-and-error prototyping through physics-based thermal and mechanical modeling.
- CEO / Founder
- Brent Stucker
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Acquired
- Total Funding
- $0M
- Latest Round
- Acquired by ANSYS
- Key Investors
- UL Ventures (2015), ANSYS Inc. (2017)
Technology & Products
Key Products
exaSIM - Core metal AM simulation tool with distortion and residual stress prediction; exaSIM Support Optimization Tool - Automatic support structure generation; FLEX - Cloud-based platform for composable simulation modules; Distortion Compensation Module - Automatic geometry compensation; Blade Crash Prediction - Failure risk analysis for high-precision parts; Support Failure Prediction - Structural integrity of support systems; Microstructure Prediction - Material property forecasting post-build
Technological Advantage
Proprietary thermal and mechanics simulation engines (University of Louisville IP foundation); cloud scalability for high-throughput parameter optimization; integration with AWS GovCloud for aerospace/defense compliance; composable solver architecture enabling rapid addition of new prediction modules (blade crash, support failure, microstructure).
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Enables manufacturers to predict part distortion, residual stress, and build failures before production; automatic support structure generation and distortion-compensated geometries; reduces prototyping iterations and part failures; cloud-scalable for simultaneous multi-simulation optimization.
How They Differentiate
Complete metal AM simulation workflow covering thermal analysis → residual stress/distortion → support generation → microstructure prediction; cloud-native architecture with composable modules; validated by partnership with Additive Industries (leading metal AM machine manufacturer); integrated with broader engineering simulation ecosystem (post-acquisition by ANSYS).
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Aerospace and automotive OEMs, parts manufacturers, metal additive manufacturing machine producers, research institutions
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Automotive; Defense; Manufacturing; Research & Development
Competitors
Dassault Systemes; TASS International
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Secured SBIR Phase II federal funding for cloud infrastructure development and solver maturation; expanded product suite from core exaSIM to multiple specialized modules (support optimization, distortion compensation, blade crash prediction, support failure prediction); adopted by leading metal AM machine manufacturer (Additive Industries) for integrated workflow.
Major Milestones
2013: Company founded; 2015: UL strategic investment and partnership announcement; 2016: exaSIM Beta program launched; Additive Industries partnership announcement; 2017: Acquired by ANSYS (December 2017) for undisclosed amount; Post-2017: Integrated into ANSYS AddOne marketplace as metal AM simulation solution
Notable Customers
Additive Industries (machine manufacturer partnership); Aerospace OEMs (unnamed in sources); Automotive OEMs (unnamed in sources); Leading research laboratories (unnamed in sources)