Popular PanX Additive Simulation Applications
Additive simulation can reduce design iterations, improve outcomes, and save unnecessary expensive trial builds. PanOptimization products enable fast feedback at any scale.
LPBF Design Tool
Fin Cracking in the HX Core
This HX suffers from cracking on the outer edges of the fins. While porosity may have contributed to the failure, the fins are also subjected to high levels of stress due to the build geometry.
This model contains 25,875,795 elements & 54,809,125 nodes.
While legacy solvers cannot even mesh this part, PanX is able to analyze this part in 14 hours on a 40-core workstation
Unpacking the root cause
Looking at the transient stress results, it appears that the abrupt closeout (and amount of material in the web) are driving the high stresses
Consider some potential fixes:
Option 1: “C-Cover” supports will resist the tensile forces in the vanes without modifying existing part or supports; however, it will require 2 extra EDM cuts
Option 2: Tilting will make the closeout more gradual, but will increase the footprint & require support change.
Option 3: Removing some web material should remove some of the load to the vanes but changes the design
Which Fix is best?
Evaluating these changes can be done in ~14hours if run on multiple machines, or ~40hours on a single machine.
In this case, each fix was beneficial; however, the web thinning was the most effective.
Which fix (or fixes!) is best is up to the design owner, but now they can make the decision with confidence instead of guessing and wasting time or risking build failures.
Study based on Penn State ARL paper - Full paper available here
LPBF Distortion Prediction
PanX is Accurate
This validation case demonstrates PanX accuracy on a printed component as compared to surface scan data.
This model runs in 36 minutes on an 8 core laptop, and uses only 56GB of RAM.
Build Line Prediction
Small Feature Stress Prediction
Capture Stress concentrations
PanX multi-grid allows the simulation to capture extremely fine features and which ones are highly stressed during the build
Ultra Large Simulation
PanX can Simulate Any Geomety
PanX multi-grid allows allows geometry such as our "Instant Regret" heat exchanger to simulate in a few days on consumer grade hardware - a feat that would not be possible running legacy simulations on a super-computer
Down to the Last Detail
PanX multi-grid enables the solver to capture not only bulk deformation, but small detail such as shrink lines, stress concentrations and waviness within the heat exchanger fins.
6-Axis DED Crack Mitigation
6-Axis DED
PanX generates the mesh for 2.5 and 6-axis DED simulation directly from the laser toolpath
User controls whether individual scans, or larger blocks of material are added during each timestep
Ti-6AL-4V Impeller
For this case, PanX was used to evaluate stress level response due to several design and fixturing changes to reduce cracking.
Each run solves in 1 minute 34 seconds on a 48 core PC and only used 6GB of ram
Excerpt from TechConnect 2023 - Full presentation available here
Large Format DED Distortion and Stress
Easy DED Meshing
PanX generates the FEA mesh directly from the DED toolpath
Distortion Prediction
This is a 2.65m x 1.7m DED panel, that PanX meshed with 4.1 million nodes was simulated in 11 minutes on an 8 core laptop and only required 14GB of RAM.
Crack Assessment
PanX predicts the high levels of stress due to the DED build process, correlating extremely well with all of the locations that cracked during the build.
Excerpt from full presentation available here
Eliminating Hardware Bottlenecks
Laptop Warriors
PanX is so efficient that almost any model that could be solved in legacy codes using optimal hardware, can now run on a decent laptop
This heat exchanger is included with our solver install. This run has 2.6 million elements, solves in 2 hours on an 8 core laptop and only required 31GB of Ram!
