Ansys has announced the acquisition of the particle dynamic simulation software Rocky, to allow its users to quickly and accurately simulate the dynamic flow behaviour of discrete solids and particle-laden free-surface flows.
Rocky discrete element method (DEM) should help reduce waste, improve product quality, increase product uniformity, predict the performance and durability of equipment during operation, meet resource management, and address sustainability concerns.
The former subsidiary of Engineering Simulation and Scientific Software (ESSS), has been a long-term Ansys partner and this acquisition builds on the joint particle modelling workflow announced in 2021.
Rocky’s software, with specific strengths in GPU computing and applying particle methods to multiphysics simulations, is used in a wide variety of cross-industry applications that involve discrete solids of any size and shape.
Ansys said this acquisition was motivated by the fact that industry leaders are now challenged to improve their product quality and find solutions to help accelerate their decision-making related to the design, manufacturing, and operation of their particulate systems.
“Rocky’s unique approach to discrete particle modelling empowers our customers to solve a wide variety of problems across virtually all industries,” said Ansys senior VP of products Shane Emswiler.
“Fully integrating Rocky into Ansys’ portfolio and welcoming its distinguished experts to our team builds upon our demonstrated success and enables Ansys to provide an even more efficient and powerful solution for our customers. We are delighted to welcome Rocky into the Ansys family.”
This acquisition should ensure that Ansys customers have long-term, uninterrupted access to high-fidelity particle modelling that is deeply integrated with other Ansys solutions to solve an expanding set of problems involving discrete particles.
Incorporating Rocky technology into the Ansys portfolio should also facilitate long-term synergies in the Ansys offering that would not otherwise be possible, such as the inclusion of Rocky into the PyAnsys framework.
“Our longstanding relationship with Ansys has not only expanded Rocky’s reach to new sectors and industries but also given engineers access to a technology to rapidly run large, highly-realistic simulations that include accurate particle details,” said Rocky chief technology officer Alexander Potapov.
“The Rocky team is elated to join Ansys and further combine Rocky’s state-of-the-art particle simulation capabilities with Ansys’ flagship simulations, allowing engineers to design more reliable products, slash development time, and win the race to market,” concluded Rocky numerical development principal Marcos Damiani.
