Carbon has acquired ParaMatters and its generative design software as it looks to expand its software offering to allow optimised designs for additive manufacturing.
Initially focused on providing latticed parts, Carbon’s Design Engine software platform will be broadened with the acquisition, allowing it to include topology optimisation as well as incorporating a wide variety of materials and production systems beyond Carbon’s own hardware.
Craig Carlson, Carbon CTO and office of the CEO member, said of the announcement that software is ‘the backbone of our idea-to-production platform’ and that generative design capabilities from ParaMatters are a key expansion for Carbon’s design software.
“We recognise the critical role software design tools play in our customers’ digital transformation. For far too long, designers have settled for software design tools that adhere to the limitations of traditional manufacturing,” said Carbon office of the CEO member Phil DeSimone.
“Many design tools of yesterday are not optimised to take advantage of industry innovations, including advanced 3D printing materials and manufacturing processes. Both Carbon and ParaMatters have shared the same vision to provide modern tools to ensure product development teams can create better products in less time.”
ParaMatters first gained our attention in 2018 as part of ‘investment and mentoring’ company Exponential Works, headed by former 3D Systems CEO Avi Reichental. By 2020 Parameters CogniCAD software had matured into a software making its mark through usability in the crowded field of new generative design tools, but has since failed to see much permeation into the market under Exponential Works’ watch.
The hope is that the software will find more use at Carbon with its polymer 3D printing hardware – a technology that in some respects shares similarities to another technology in the Exponential Works stable, Nexa3D.
“The ParaMatters team is proud of the software design tools we’ve built to advance additive manufacturing. The ability to expand our offering as a part of Carbon’s idea-to-production platform will enable our customers to design and produce better products,” said ParaMatters CEO Robert Yusin.
“As one team, we believe we can move the manufacturing industry beyond its current roadblocks.”
