In industries like construction and automotive, where sustainability is key, people often search for new materials. However, Strong by Form, which is part of the 3DEXPERIENCELAB, Dassault Systèmes’ impact startup accelerator program, didn’t follow this path. Instead, they reinvented wood, a millenary-old material, through composite science. Inspired by the natural arrangement of wood fibers, they combined the durability of composites with the sustainability of wood. Thanks to their unique manufacturing approach Strong By Form is able to achieve enhanced wood formability. This was made possible through the MODSIM approach, which unites modeling and simulation. CATIA for sustainable materials plays a pivotal role in enabling the design, simulation, and manufacturing of high-performance materials.
“CATIA helped us to make simultaneous engineering real.” How? “Starting after the ideation phase, we generated the conceptual design […] to validate the model and the composite layout structurally. 3DEXPERIENCE helped us build up the model accordingly and ensure that bikeframe resists the static load cases as well as achieves an outstanding lightweight performance, which is what we aim for in the end. Amongst others, in this bike project, we can take advantage of the close interface between CAD modeling and FEA simulation within the 3DEXPERIENCE-platform.” – Denis Schmitz
The Strong by Form Team: Shaping the Future of Sustainable Construction
Strong by Form is transforming construction with its innovative approach. They integrate advanced composite logic into engineered wood. Through Woodflow technology, they created a material that blends the strength and versatility of composites with wood’s natural beauty and sustainability. This breakthrough promises to redefine construction materials, making them more sustainable and efficient.
A Vision for the Future of Wood: A Sustainable Alternative
“The future of wood—a future where we can build twice the timber structures we build today, using half the number of trees. This allows us to make construction more sustainable and productive, while also opening new possibilities for wood in industries that have never used it before.” – Andres Mitnik
“The disruptive idea behind Strong by Form is that we can solve global challenges by replacing concrete in buildings with sustainable wood products. Even replacing just 1% of concrete could have a massive environmental impact.” – Andres Mitnik
Bridging Traditional Craftsmanship with Cutting-Edge Technology
At Strong by Form, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern technology is a key differentiator. With CATIA for sustainable materials, they design and refine their Woodflow technology. CATIA and SIMULIA solutions, unified in a common environment, enable the simulation of material behavior under various conditions, optimizing designs for both strength and sustainability.
“For us, it was important to find the sweet spot—a good trade-off between manufacturing effort and the lightweight performance we could achieve […] And this is where the integration of our virtual model with the real production process became essential. By using CATIA, we were able to generate all the necessary manufacturing data, from detailed 3D models to precise tooling instructions.” – Andres Mitnik
This integration of technology with traditional craftsmanship is central to their mission of revolutionizing the construction industry.
The Role of CATIA in Sustainable Materials Innovation
CATIA’s power lies not only in its ability to design and simulate complex materials but also in its capability to streamline the entire design-to-manufacturing process. From the earliest concept stages to final production, CATIA supports every phase of the product lifecycle, enabling teams to innovate faster and more efficiently.
Optimizing Material Strength and Manufacturing Processes
One of the biggest advantages of CATIA is its MODSIM capabilities. Through CATIA and SIMULIA’s advanced simulation solutions, Strong by Form is able to model and simulate how the composite materials will perform under real-world conditions. This is crucial in ensuring that their innovative Woodflow material can withstand the construction stresses while maintaining its sustainable properties. These simulation solutions help avoid costly prototyping by validating designs virtually, which accelerates the time to market.
Engineers often struggle to explore manufacturing options, even though production environments greatly impact costs and sustainability goals. In composites, small variations in fiber orientation can affect strength. Engineers must strategically allocate material to balance strength and cost while managing complex geometries and laminates.
With MODSIM, engineers can identify potential weak spots that require additional stiffening material. Hence, the design must be optimized upfront and precisely translated to manufacturing.
By capturing manufacturability rules and guidelines in the software, CATIA can detect where manufacturability issues will arise. Identifying these issues during the design process will be far less costly than fixing them on the shop floor. The software can also automate ply placement and orientation. The virtual twin enables engineers to validate the production process well in advance so that production can start on schedule. It can also be used to explore more sustainable options.
A Full Environmental Assessment with CATIA and ENOVIA
CATIA’s capabilities, in collaboration with ENOVIA’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) solutions, allow Strong by Form to evaluate the full environmental impact of their materials. By analyzing factors such as energy consumption, material usage, and waste reduction, ENOVIA’s LCA provides a consolidated view, helping ensure that the materials developed not only meet high-performance standards but also have a minimal environmental footprint.
Unlocking New Opportunities with CATIA
As the demand for sustainable composites grows, CATIA enables companies like Strong by Form to stay ahead of the curve by supporting rapid innovation. With CATIA, designers can create multi-material structures that optimize the use of each material’s unique properties—whether that’s strength, weight, or environmental impact.
The ability to simulate the interaction between different materials in CATIA ensures that designs are not only strong and lightweight but also optimized for sustainability. This is crucial for industries like construction, automotive and mobility application in general, where both performance and environmental impact are critical factors.
Furthermore, CATIA’s integration with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform fosters collaboration across teams. This platform allows engineers, designers, and manufacturers to work together seamlessly, ensuring that everyone is aligned from the initial concept to final production, all while meeting sustainability objectives.
Real-World Impact and Examples
One of the most compelling examples of CATIA’s power is how Strong by Form has used it to bring their Woodflow technology to life. With CATIA’s capabilities, the team was able to iterate quickly on their designs, testing different scenarios and refining their product in a virtual environment before ever creating a physical prototype. This allowed them to reduce time to market, minimize material waste, and enhance the sustainability of their final product.
A Long-Term Commitment to Innovation
At Dassault Systèmes, we are dedicated to support companies like Strong by Form in their quest to create sustainable innovations. CATIA is not just a software solutions—it’s an end-to-end solution that empowers businesses to drive innovation, optimize manufacturing processes, and create high-performance, sustainable products.
Conclusion
By leveraging CATIA and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, companies like Strong by Form are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainable materials. Together, we are shaping the future of construction, one innovative product at a time.
CATIA enables industries to design, simulate, and manufacture products that meet the highest standards of sustainability and performance. We are excited to continue partnering with innovators to build a more sustainable, efficient future.
Discover how CATIA can transform your innovation journey. Learn more about CATIA and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform here.