Better simulation for lightweight construction
11.07.2019
Ralf Stueber
Founder story
The founding team of SIMUTENCE (from left): Dr. Martin Hohberg, Dr. Benedikt Fengler and Dominik Dörr help companies use fiber-reinforced plastics with simulation solutions. (Image: SIMUTENCE)
Reducing uncertainties and costs in the development and use of fiber-reinforced plastics – that’s what the three founders of SIMUTENCE want to achieve. The fact is that fiber-reinforced plastics offer excellent mechanical properties, such as high material stiffness and very low weight at the same time. “Particularly in the course of electromobility and the reduction of CO2 emissions, lightweight construction is playing an increasingly important role,” says Dominik Dörr from the founding team. “Fiber-reinforced composites, which many also refer to as ‘carbon,’ namely exhibit enormous lightweight construction potential, e.g. in vehicle structures. However, suitable simulation and optimization methods are needed to make the most of the lightweight potential.” However, the load-bearing capacity of corresponding components, as well as their manufacturability in production processes, cannot be simulated and designed with sufficient accuracy using currently available software. The consequence for companies is uncertainty in manufacturing and use, as well as often high costs. At the same time, suitable simulation methods for reducing these uncertainties are commercially available only to a very limited extent.
And this is exactly where Dominik Dörr, Dr. Benedikt Fengler, and Dr. Martin Hohberg from the Institute of Vehicle Systems Technology (FAST) at KIT come in. With their spin-off SIMUTENCE, which they founded in February 2019, they offer new methods for virtual product development of fiber-reinforced plastics. Based on process and structure simulations, they manage to reliably design fiber-reinforced plastic components within a virtual process chain and to optimize the associated manufacturing processes. For this purpose, SIMUTENCE offers add-ons for software already established in the industry. On the one hand for direct use by the customer, but also in the form of engineering services. “Our focus here is on the simulation of manufacturing processes, which are crucial for the component properties that arise in fiber composites, as well as on the optimization of component designs for the optimal exploitation of lightweight construction potential,” explains Dörr.
The three mechanical engineers came up with the idea for the company during their time together as doctoral students at FAST’s Lightweight Construction Technology sub-institute. Here, the three founders had already worked closely together on various industry-related research projects. During this time, they noticed that industry was very interested in their highly developed simulation methods and the associated know-how for the virtual product and process development of fiber composites as well as for the material and processes themselves. They have received support for their foundation from the KIT-Gründerschmiede, among others from Dr. Rolf Blattner. Dr. Tobias Grab, himself a successful founder and KIT alumnus, supports them as mentor and coach. KIT realized a participation in SIMUTENCE in spring 2019.
CONTACT
SIMUTENCE GmbH
Rintheimer Querallee 2
76131 Karlsruhe
info@simutence.de
www.simutence.de
