INTECH DMLS Achieves 27% Weight Reduction in 3D Printed Satellite Component using Altair Inspire™ and OptiStruct™

INTECH DMLS is a visionary in the field of metal-based DMLS 3D printing in India. The company has a creative design team, a meticulous analysis team, a dedicated machine shop, an accurate post-processing facility, and a competent quality control services team. With over 30 years of metallurgical expertise and 25 years of machining expertise, INTECH DMLS has established itself as the leader of the Metal Additive Manufacturing industry in India. The company provides complete solutions from concept design to fully functional metal-based production parts and manufactures precision components for the aerospace, automotive, tool & die, rapid prototyping, general engineering, and medical industry.

INTECH DMLS, a leader in the field of metal-based DMLS 3D printing in India, was faced with the challenge of reducing the weight of a camera holder to be placed on a satellite. The company needed to get the weight right the first time, eliminating the need for prototype iterations. This was a unique challenge as the company did not have the luxury of making errors and iterating. The team had to focus on product design optimization, analysis, mechanical integrity, heat transfer, and other criteria while developing Bionic, Dynamic, and Cellular structures and carrying out lightweight analysis for their products. The camera holder had to be lightweight but still withstand a predefined load and assist in the smooth functioning of the satellite. The customer also wanted the holder to be of a specific weight - not too light nor too heavy - and stiff enough to withstand dynamic load.

To meet this challenge, INTECH DMLS decided to leverage simulation as a standard process to rule out errors and invested in Altair HyperWorks to realize their simulation needs. Simulation using Altair HyperWorks played a crucial role in optimizing the product design. The team used simulation to develop the Bionic, Dynamic, and Cellular structure and carry out the weight optimization for the project. They performed various analyses required early in the development cycle to make sure they got it right the first time. The team verified mechanical integrity and its working and checked the support that was required for 3D printing. The team also checked and ensured various parameters with respect to heat transfer. The key solutions to address their challenges were Topology Optimization and Structural Analysis using Altair HyperWorks. Altair OptiStruct was the main solver used for analysis of the project and Altair Inspire was used for concept generation and analysis at the early stage to achieve the validated design of the product vis-a-vis the bionic shape of the product.

• The use of Altair HyperWorks for simulation and optimization led to the successful design and development of a lightweight camera holder that met the customer's specifications. The team achieved an impressive weight reduction of 27% as compared to the initial design. This was achieved seamlessly and no extra mass was left. The customer was satisfied with the quality product delivered and is looking forward to contracting additional projects. The INTECH team believes that most of their customers would require 3D printing and are happy to rely on Altair solutions for analysis and design for additive manufacturing parts in the future. The team derives cost & functionality benefits with various technologies made available under Altair HyperWorks licensing and uses these following solutions - HyperMesh™, OptiStruct, Inspire and Inspire Studio - from the Altair Software portfolio for their regular work.

• Achieved an impressive weight reduction of 27% as compared to the initial design.
• Eliminated prototype iterations and got the product right the very first time.