Testing a new material in manufacturing can cost millions; e-Xstream can blur the boundaries between materials and structural engineering.

MSC Software today acquired e-Xstream Engineering, a maker of advanced materials simulation. E-Xtream algorithms use nonlinear micro-mechanics to model a broad range of materials and physics, taking into account their manufacturing processes.

The main contribution to MSC will be e-Xstream’s Digimat, which interfaces with most FEA structural analysis codes including MSC Nastran, Marc, Abaqus and Ansys. By employing material simulation, the testing required to validate advanced materials can be reduced to levels that allow the practical application of these materials in current designs.

Both companies are privately held; no financial information was released.

E-Xstream technology is used to carry material simulation through engineering to enable advanced failure prediction and the application of computed margins on structural component parts. Instead of characterizing material margins to apply generically to the parts of a structural system, companies can design components with margins computed directly on the part accounting for design critical loads. MSC Software says the e-Xstream approach means “the promise of advanced material systems can now be realized in practical engineering.”

Our take

Entering a new material into a product can cost manufacturers tens of millions in physical testing, which limits product possibilities. MSC wants to help its customers blur the boundary between material engineering and structural engineering, by allowing for more pervasive use of advanced materials to reduce the cost of physical testing needed to validate a new material system.