In daily manufacturing activities, are low yields and repeated trials (trial and error) a constant challenge? Developed in Japan, “ADSTEFAN” is a highly cost-effective casting simulation software designed to strongly support engineer experience and expertise.

1. Benefits of Performing Casting Simulations In-House

At overseas bases of global casting enterprises, casting simulation requests are often outsourced to the relevant department at the headquarters. The reasons vary—including company policy, a lack of CAE skills, or the inability to take responsibility for gating system design locally. However, there are significant advantages to operating casting simulation software and performing verifications directly at the actual manufacturing plant. We believe that when local plant engineers undertake simulation tasks themselves, they gain the following benefits:

• Rapid Problem Solving and Time Savings: Instant response is possible whenever casting simulation is required. This significantly saves time otherwise spent on communicating with headquarters, coordinating analysis schedules, and follow-ups, thereby enabling swift decision-making.
• Gaining Customer Trust and Enhancing Persuasiveness: Demonstrating to OEM and Tier 1 customers that the gating system is directly verified through in-house simulations builds strong technical credibility. Furthermore, presenting objective analysis results from the software directly to customers significantly increases the persuasiveness of technical proposals.
• Data Integration of Experience and Unlimited Trials: Practical experience and know-how gained through actual casting trials can be systematically stored within the company as digital data. Without concern over headquarters criticizing the “waste of CAE resources,” engineers can run gating system trials on the software as many times as needed, which is highly effective in reducing the number of actual prototypes.
• Utilization as an In-House Educational Tool: Highly visual analysis results serve as an extremely effective educational tool for training younger engineers on physical casting phenomena.
• Career Advancement for Engineers: This provides an excellent opportunity to acquire new skills. Engineers can aim to reach a level of proficiency where they can confidently add “Casting Simulation (ADSTEFAN)” to their skill set on professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn.

2. Simple Operation and Data Preparation That Dispel the “CAE Seems Difficult” Perception

Unlike 3D CAD software, casting simulation software does not require memorizing numerous commands. While CAE may appear complex, the actual software operation is straightforward. In fact, our basic training consists of tutorial videos and a single day of on-site follow-up training, if necessary. The primary data required before starting a simulation is outlined below; it only needs to be imported or entered appropriately.

For those working in a foundry, these parameters can easily be verified by checking the settings on the actual casting machines. Although actual simulations involve finer settings, the aforementioned conditions are fundamentally sufficient to execute a basic, straightforward analysis.
While we offer various training programs, we find that multi-language subtitled training videos are the most effective tool for learning. They eliminate the need for note-taking and can be rewatched as many times as necessary. We will continue to add more multi-language training videos in the future.

3. Outstanding Cost Benefits with High Accessibility for Foundries of Any Scale

Many foundries assume that simulation software is out of reach due to high initial costs. However, the primary reason ADSTEFAN is widely selected lies in its highly accessible and flexible licensing structure.

4. Why We Recommend ADSTEFAN as the Optimal Software Solution

We recommend ADSTEFAN as the premier casting simulation software for the following reasons:

• User-friendly operability leading to a short learning curve
• Supports 4 languages (English, Japanese, Thai, and Simplified Chinese), enabling smooth sharing of configuration data and experience among multiple users on a single PC
• Automatic mesh generation utilizing the Finite Difference Method (FDM) to minimize preparation time before simulation
• High-speed solver powered by advanced calculation algorithms, providing sufficient time to review results, modify parameters, and re-run calculations within the same day
• Comprehensive support for a wide range of casting methods, including high-pressure die casting, gravity casting, low-pressure casting, tilt casting, investment casting, centrifugal casting, and continuous casting
• Highly competitive and reasonable initial license pricing compared to other major simulation software

We are committed to supporting our clients to maximize the utilization of casting simulation software, deepen their understanding of casting phenomena, and successfully reduce the number of physical casting trials.