Welding Simulation Now Offered Through the Altair Partner Alliance

Enabled HyperWorks® users can access Virfac® with their HyperWorks Units

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May 13, 2015, 10:00 ET

TROY, Mich., May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair today announced that GeonX S.A. has joined the Altair Partner Alliance (APA), bringing access to Virfac®, a welding simulation software, to HyperWorks® users. Virfac provides quality predictions for manufactured parts with the ability to improve product lifespan and design before any prototype is required.

Virfac is capable of predicting residual distortions encountered by a part during the manufacturing process as well as residual stresses to help calculate the in-service fatigue life of the part. It is particularly suited for high fidelity results on complex industrial applications and ensures manufactured part quality by predicting material transformations during the process as well as the final manufactured component.

"Virfac is a new type of technology in the HyperWorks offering, and I believe this will help us identify many different ways to collaborate," said Laurent D'Alvise, CEO of GeonX. "GeonX is really looking forward to exploring the possibilities of the partnership with Altair."

Several solvers are employed by Virfac as computing engines, all dependent on the accuracy level and physics necessary for a particular model, which help the software address a wide range of problems. The main computing engine applied by Virfac is Morfeo, a massively parallel finite element (FE) solver capable of non-linear thermo-mechanical-metallurgical detailed modelling of manufacturing processes. Morfeo performs simulations of various manufacturing processes on high performance computing systems. This connection helps Virfac perform advanced simulation of welding processes including fusion welding, friction stir and inertia friction welding, as well as creating the capability to mimic results of various heat treatment, surface treatment, additive manufacturing and damage tolerance based on the XFEM technology.

"Through its advanced multi-physics, Virfac is able to capture extremely important phenomena in manufacturing processes," said Subir Roy, Senior Director of Industry Solutions at Altair. "Simulating residual stresses and distortions in welding and heat treatment bridges the gap between physical and virtual reality. Altair is eager to bring this technology to its users involved in solving complex manufacturing problems via simulation."

Virfac is applicable across many industries, including automotive, aerospace, heavy industry, shipbuilding and energy, helping predict and solve challenges encountered in the welding and manufacturing processes.

To learn more about Virfac, register for the introductory webinar taking place June 12, 2015 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern Time, or visit the GeonX solution page.

About the Altair Partner Alliance

Altair's HyperWorks platform applies a revolutionary subscription-based licensing model in which customers use floating licenses to access a broad suite of Altair-developed, as well as third-party, software applications on demand. The Altair Partner Alliance effectively extends the HyperWorks Platform from more than 20 internally developed solutions to upwards of 60 applications with the addition of new partner applications. Customers can invoke these third-party applications at no incremental cost using their existing HyperWorks licenses. Customers benefit from unmatched flexibility and access, resulting in maximum software utilization, productivity and ROI. For more information about the Altair Partner Alliance, visit www.altairalliance.com.

About GeonX S.A.

GeonX is a start-up company which began in 2012 following 10 years of research and development of virtual manufacturing activities in the research centre Cenaero. GeonX develops the Virfac® software which enables R&D and production engineers to accurately model their manufacturing processes (machining, welding, and heat treatment) in an intuitive, easy to use, production machine connected software environment.

About Altair

Altair is focused on the development and broad application of simulation technology to synthesize and optimize designs, processes and decisions for improved business performance. Privately held with more than 2,300 employees, Altair is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, USA and operates more than 40 offices throughout 22 countries. Today, Altair serves more than 5,000 corporate clients across broad industry segments. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

Media Contacts

Altair Corporate/North America
Jennifer Korail
+1-248-304-1429
[email protected]

Altair Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Evelyn Gebhardt
+49 6421 9684351
[email protected]

GeonX S.A.
Laurent D'Alvise
+32 497 570408
[email protected]

SOURCE Altair