AMCM integrates EOSPRINT with PanX for metal AM simulation
The move embeds PanOptimization's thermomechanical simulation directly into build preparation for AMCM's large format metal 3D printers
AMCM has integrated its EOSPRINT build-preparation software with PanX, the thermomechanical simulation software from PanOptimization, to bring physics-based simulation directly into build preparation for metal additive manufacturing.
The integration covers EOS metal 3D printers from the M 290 class through AMCM’s large-format M 4K and M 8K systems.
“Especially for the large and complex applications our customers manufacture on the AMCM M 4K and M 8K, thermomechanical simulation is a key tool to counteract overheating and thermally induced distortion,” said Tobias Petzinger, Application Specialist at AMCM.
“By integrating PanX directly into EOSPRINT, we can seamlessly optimize thermal management and build strategies before production begins.”
“AM is moving into a phase where simulation has to become a standard part of the manufacturing process,” said Erik Denlinger, Co-Founder and Chief Engineer at PanOptimization. “If manufacturers want to print and qualify high-value metal AM parts with confidence, they need physics-based models that help them understand and optimize what will happen before the build begins.”
PanX can also run as a standalone tool alongside any metal AM system, but PanOptimization stated that integrations such as the EOSPRINT link matter because they bring simulation directly into the build-preparation workflow.
The integration reads an openjz file from EOSPRINT into PanX, extracting the geometries, build plate layout and processing parameters a simulation needs. Additional information not contained in the openjz file, such as processing time per layer, is pulled into PanX through the EOSPRINT API.
This helps to remove redundant, error-prone setup work, cuts turnaround to hours, and opens simulation to design and manufacturing engineers rather than only simulation specialists, while improving accuracy through printer-specific data.
Once a simulation is complete, corrected dwell times, compensated geometries and adjusted laser powers—written as a TIFF image stack and a Smart Fusion Replay file—are automatically written back into the openjz file for use on the printer.
AMCM demonstrated the integration on a large M 8K build of a 1,200-millimeter-tall aerospike component, illustrating how local heat accumulation can cause distortion, dimensional deviations, residual stress, internal defects, reduced part quality, partially sintered powder and difficulty de-powdering. Thermal simulation identifies hotspots before a build starts, making critical areas visible so overheating can be addressed before it affects part quality.
“No amount of density-cube or tensile-bar testing can solve these problems, as they are highly geometry- and thermal-history-dependent,” Denlinger said. “That is why simulation is needed.”
