The Top Generative Design Companies You Need to KnowThe Top Generative Design Companies You Need to Know

Software companies are bringing together simulation, topology, and 3DP tools to drive generative design.

Rob Spiegel

December 6, 2021

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Generative design software tools have grown significantly in recent years. The market for generative design tools is expected to expand 24% by 2030, reaching $44.5 billion, according to ABI Research. These sales include licenses and subscription revenues for computer-aided design (CAD) products with generative design tools or standalone generative design software products.

Generative design software tends to be a blend of simulation, topology optimization, and CAD tools, so the vendors in those categories were the early movers. Those vendors made up much of the market before 3D printing started growing. With the expansion of 3DP, new players started emerging.

Topology Optimization Versus Generative Design

These two terms are very similar. Topology optimization is a more specific process of removing material in areas that have less stress. Generative design reconsiders the design altogether. This video explains the differences in a very clear way:

Generative has become popular because its algorithms outperform human engineering teams. The tools can produce non-intuitive solutions that may never have been found using traditional engineering processes. The most common use for generative design is with structural optimization: creating parts that provide sufficient strength, stiffness, and fatigue resistance with the minimum of material.

Related:Learning the Fundamentals of Generative Design

McKinsey Identifies Several Generative Design Applications

  • Internal structural parts for handheld tools (to improve ergonomics)

  • Sports equipment (to enhance performance)

  • Vehicles and aircraft (to reduce fuel consumption or increase payload)

  • Any product where shipping weight is a significant cost driver.

In addition to the vendors listed in this article, there are also individual end-users who have added considerable research and development to generative design. Companies such as GM, HP, and Boeing have internal programs to develop the process.

About the Author

Rob Spiegel

Rob Spiegel serves as a senior editor for Design News. He started with Design News in 2002 as a freelancer covering sustainability issues, including the transistion in electronic components to RoHS compliance. Rob was hired by Design News as senior editor in 2011 to cover automation, manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, AI, and more.

Prior to his work with Design News, Rob worked as a senior editor for Electronic News and Ecommerce Business. He served as contributing editolr to Automation World for eight years, and he has contributed to Supply Chain Management Review, Logistics Management, Ecommerce Times, and many other trade publications. He is the author of six books on small business and internet commerce, inclluding Net Strategy: Charting the Digital Course for Your Company's Growth.

He has been published in magazines that range from Rolling Stone to True Confessions.

Rob has won a number of awards for his technolloghy coverage, including a Maggy Award for a Design News article on the Jeep Cherokee hacking, and a Launch Team award for Ecommerce Business. Rob has also won awards for his leadership postions in the American Marketing Association and SouthWest Writers.

Before covering technology, Rob spent 10 years as publisher and owner of Chile Pepper Magazine, a national consumer food publication. He has published hundreds of poems and scores of short stories in national publications.

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