NextCast Engineering
A Düsseldorf-based metal AM service bureau offering automated pre-check tool (AQA-Engine) for selective laser melting (PBF-LB) parts, reducing quotation cycles by evaluating mesh integrity, build volume, wall thickness, and material cost via CAD B-Rep with 0.063% deviation accuracy.
- CEO / Founder
- Malek Ben Ayed
- Stage
- Early Stage
Technology & Products
Key Products
AQA-Engine
Technological Advantage
Proprietary automated pre-check tool (AQA-Engine) reduces manual quotation engineering overhead; trade-secret algorithms for wall-thickness analysis and material-cost estimation for five common alloys. The software advantage is replicable but the tight integration with NextCast's own service bureau may create a self-reinforcing data flywheel as more parts are analyzed.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Compresses manual pre-qualification from days to seconds with automated printability analysis (50,000 raycasts per part), ML-based risk flagging, and 4-hour human escalation for ambiguous cases; more accurate material-cost estimates (0.063% deviation) for five common alloys (316L, AlSi10Mg, Ti6Al4V, IN718, MS1) reduce quoting friction and improve service bureau margin.
How They Differentiate
Narrower focus on early-stage feasibility filtering with automated escalation to a local German engineer within 4 hours; uses CAD B-Rep for higher accuracy (0.063% deviation) vs typical triangulated mesh approaches.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Engineers and designers submitting metal AM part requests (STL/STEP) for feasibility assessment prior to ordering 3D-printed parts from NextCast.
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Automotive; Industrial
Competitors
Materialise Magics (build preparation modules); Oqton (AI-based manufacturability analysis)
Growth & Milestones
Major Milestones
Company founded in 2026 (per Companyhouse entry); automated pre-check tool (AQA-Engine) announced on 3druck.com using 50,000 raycasts for mesh validation.