{"id":165798,"date":"2022-10-01T10:11:21","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T02:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=165798"},"modified":"2022-11-08T15:02:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T07:02:45","slug":"hyperganic-voxel-based-software-for-complex-3d-printing","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/hyperganic-voxel-based-software-for-complex-3d-printing","title":{"rendered":"Hyperganic: Voxel-based Software for Complex 3D Printing"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hyperganic, a German company, builds generative design software to 3D print objects as complex as nature. Though it was founded in 2015, it’s just now ready to reveal what its powerful algorithms can do.<\/p>\n
Tucked away on a wide, tree-lined street off the glamourous Leopoldstra\u00dfe in Munich, Germany, is the home of a deep-tech software company capable of transforming additive manufacturing.<\/p>\nHyperganic founder Lin Kayser. (Source: Hyperganic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Hyperganic, the latest venture by German entrepreneur Lin Kayser, is on a mission to use 3D printing to produce objects that approach nature\u2019s complexity using generative design.<\/p>\n
Using powerful algorithms, Kayser has created a voxel-based software that strips away the design constraints of STL files.<\/p>\n
\u201cManufacturing is undergoing a transformation as fundamental as the move to mass production 100 years ago,\u201d explains Kayser.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe design of these objects requires a radically new approach, where they are not engineered visually, but with their functional intent at the core,\u201d he says. \u201cWe foresee a world where parts, assemblies and entire machines are specified by the engineer on an abstract level and then created using algorithms, using a process of digital evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n
His vision is grand, but it isn\u2019t Kayser\u2019s first time building a successful business. Hyperganic\u2019s office was formerly home to his company IRIDAS, which Adobe acquired in 2011.<\/p>\n
The office is decorated with a nod to the opulence and glitz of Old Hollywood. There are chandeliers hanging in most rooms, a feature Kayser says was both a design choice and a practical one, since they were cheaper than other lighting options.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s here that this new technology has come to life.<\/p>\n
The Freedom to Design Without Limitations<\/h3>\n
Though Hyperganic has been around since 2015, it\u2019s just now coming out of \u201cstealth mode\u201d, says business development director Markus Finke.<\/p>\nDirector of business development at Hyperganic, Markus Finke. (Source: Hyperganic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The company\u2019s website is fairly \u201ccryptic\u201d, admits Finke, but he is nonetheless eager to extoll the potential impact the technology could have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking at is designing objects that can have any complexity you like,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd on the other side, we have the potential to completely automate workflows. And that\u2019s really the new big thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
All objects designed today come from a traditional manufacturing approach. You begin with a block and carve out parts or add bits to get the machine you want. This has worked well, but it limits the complexity you can achieve.<\/p>\n
3D printing, though it theoretically offers an escape from this, is similarly hampered because all files are mesh-based and only concerned with the surface of a build.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you go additive and you want to design really complex shapes like plants or objects that have the complexity of nature, then it becomes very difficult,\u201d says Finke.<\/p>\n
You have the potential to have information about volume with 3D printing, which is produced layer by layer, and not just the exterior shape. But CAD programs are notoriously bad at this because they\u2019re not designed for that.<\/p>\n
Hyperganic\u2019s software solves this by creating voxel-based 3D models you can use on any CAD viewer, while also providing the volume information they cannot offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe give people the freedom to design without limitations: Whatever you can dream, whatever you can imagine, you can essentially build it,\u201d says Finke. \u201cIt\u2019s possible to do that, complexity-free.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bringing Customization to the Masses<\/h3>\n
Another advantage of Hyperganic\u2019s software is customization.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you not wearing the perfect shoe that fits right from the beginning?\u201d asks Finke. \u201cBy the way, these hurt a lot,\u201d he gestures to his own brown leather pair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning, I sprayed softener in there and now it\u2019s a little better. But why?\u201d he asks again.<\/p>\n
The ideal scenario would be where the technology makes customization as easy as hitting CTRL P, says Finke. Customers can walk into a store, have their feet scanned for custom-made shoes and insoles, for example, and after paying for their order, the optimal shoe and insole can go straight into production, without any human guidance.<\/p>\nAn example of Hyperganic\u2019s modulated infill. (Source: Hyperganic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Though the process at present can be somewhat automated, there still needs to be a person to run it, and the end result isn\u2019t a fluid shape that is truly a one-to-one copy of your foot, says Finke.<\/p>\n
But, this will eventually be possible using Hyperganic\u2019s technology, he says.<\/p>\n
A helmet is another such example. While it may sound simple to make a scan of your head and then create a helmet that fits perfectly, it\u2019s actually not easy with standard technology.<\/p>\n
However, \u201cif you work in a voxel space with a high-performance voxel engine, this is a relatively simple mathematical equation. You just say \u2018I have the basic shape, I want to subtract the shape of the head,\u2019 and in the end, you have the optimal helmet that can go straight into production \u2014 so you can automate that as well.\u201d<\/p>\nAn insole is one of the many products which can be more easily customized through Hyperganic\u2019s software. (Source: Hyperganic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Hyperganic Already Finding Innovative Solutions to Design Problems<\/h3>\n
While flying under the radar, Hyperganic spent the last two years building up its first commercial applications, says Kayser. During that time, it had the luxury of approaching clients in a range of fields that they\u2019d like to work with themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went about it very selectively, saying, \u2018I think that would be a really good use case to apply this kind of technology,’\u201d says Finke.<\/p>\n
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