Moving Simulation Out of the Backroom: Christian Rossmann’s Interview with 3Druck.com

In metal Additive Manufacturing (AM), physics-based simulation has traditionally been treated as a luxury—a slow, complex, late-stage validation step reserved strictly for high-stakes, mission-critical components. But as our Founder and CEO Christian Rossmann highlighted in a recent feature interview with 3Druck.com, this traditional paradigm is holding the industry back.

To make metal 3D printing truly scalable and viable for standard production, physical simulation needs to be democratized, lightning-fast, and integrated directly onto every design engineer’s workstation.

Here is a recap of the key discussions from Christian’s interview and how NODiVEC’s Rheona platform is driving this industrial transformation.

Key Highlights from the 3Druck.com Interview

• Bridging the CAD-to-Production Gap: Accessible simulation allows engineers to create pre-compensated geometries that offset distortion before hitting print, eliminating costly trial-and-error iterations.

• Minutes, Not Days: Built on a cache-optimized Finite Element (FE) core, Rheona executes full build simulations in minutes on standard workstation hardware.

• AI-Assisted Guidance with CoEngineer™: Local AI automatically analyzes thermal hotspots, stress peaks, and distortion, offering actionable design recommendations in clear, natural language.

• Unified Multiphysics: Covers LPBF, DED, and sinter-based processes (thermal, residual stress, sintering shrinkage) in a single application.

• Accessible Industrial Pricing: Modern simulation without complex research overhead or exorbitant enterprise fees (transparent pricing starting at $5,000 per license).

The Core Challenge: Simulation Accessibility & Speed

Thermal influences, residual stress, distortion, and sintering shrinkage present massive hurdles in metal additive manufacturing. Yet, established legacy simulation tools often require specialized PhD-level experts, vast computing clusters, and complex licensing structures. As a result, many manufacturers settle for trial-and-error machine runs for standard parts because running a simulation is simply too cumbersome.

Christian explained the founding motivation behind NODiVEC:

3Druck.com: "Which industry challenges led to the founding of NODiVEC, and where do you see the biggest gap between CAD design and production reality today?"Christian Rossmann: "While comprehensive simulation platforms exist, accessibility remains the biggest bottleneck. Because high-end simulations traditionally demand specialized teams and heavy computing resources, they are only used as a late validation step for critical parts. For standard parts, companies accept the cost of trial and error. NODiVEC was founded to put physics-based simulation directly on the designer's desk—delivering fast, pre-compensated geometries that eliminate build failures without needing a dedicated simulation team."

Introducing Rheona CoEngineer™: Local AI for Fast Decision-Making

Evaluating complex multiphysics simulations used to require years of specialized experience. To streamline this process, NODiVEC developed Rheona CoEngineer™, an AI-powered assistant embedded directly within the platform.

• Proactive Guidance: CoEngineer™ scans each simulation to pinpoint thermal hotspots, stress concentrations, and tolerance risks. Instead of handing engineers raw color contour plots, it delivers clear, prioritized recommendations within minutes.

• Data Sovereignty: Recognizing strict IP requirements in industrial manufacturing, CoEngineer™ can run 100% locally on standard workstation hardware or connect to existing corporate AI hosting infrastructure.

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Striking the Balance: Academic Rigor vs. Industrial Practicality

When asked about the evolution of AM software over the last decade, Christian pointed out a clear mismatch in existing tools. Many legacy software suites originated in academic research environments—making them powerful, yet overly complex and impractical for everyday shop-floor production.

NODiVEC stripped away unnecessary research complexity to create a lean, production-focused platform. Rheona unifies LPBF, DED, and sinter-based additive manufacturing (transient thermal, mechanical stress, and viscous sintering physics) under a single, cache-optimized engine.

The 5-Year Outlook: Simulation as a Standard Step for Every Component

Looking ahead, Christian predicts that affordable, physics-based simulation combined with AI guidance will be the primary engine driving mass industrial adoption of metal AM:

3Druck.com: "How will physics-based simulation and AI shape metal AM over the next five years?"Christian Rossmann: "Trial-and-error methods will completely vanish as LPBF, DED, and sinter-based processes mature. AI-driven process understanding allows smaller companies to adopt metal AM without a steep learning curve. When build simulations take just minutes on standard hardware, pre-compensation becomes a routine, standard step for every single component."