The simulation model for the software needed to be calibrated and validated. As an IT company, GeonX did not have an AM machine or all the measuring instruments they needed at hand, nor did they have the required experience in additive manufacturing (including configuration of the laser), or the skills to interpret the results.
Despite the company having been taken over by GE and therefore being able to ask for support from their R&D department, they decided to contact Sirris to validate some of their materials. They intend to work with other R&D centres in this field, as well as with the GE R&D department. GeonX chose Sirris for its expertise and infrastructure, but also for its specific equipment to monitor the temperature during 3D printing.
GeonX printed three different tasks to calibrate a single material: characterisation of mechanical samples, cantilever beam fordistortion, and measurements of residual stress in several designed parts. Sirris was responsible for the 3D scanning and cutting of the parts using Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM). The distortion and remaining stress values were used to calibrate and validate the GeonX simulation model, the results from which were interpreted by Sirris.