A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6 1 3 CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT The use of modelling and simulation tools in materials R&D is growing rapidly as highlighted by the publication from the National Academies on Integrated Computational Materi- als Engineering (ICME) in 2008, and the announcement of the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) in 2011. As a leading developer of software and databases for cal- culations involving computational thermodynamics and diffu- sion controlled simulations, Thermo-Calc Software is a foun- dational component of any ICME/MGI framework. For more than 30 years, Thermo-Calc has been used within industry, government research labs and academia to gain insight into problems related to materials science and engineering and is now licensed by more than 1,000 of the world’s top companies, research labs and universities in over 70 countries. SOFTWARE In addition to our primary software package, Thermo-Calc users can select add-on packages that extend the functionality of the software. Thermo-Calc : a powerful tool for performing thermody- namic and phase equilibria calculations for multicompo- nent systems. DICTRA : an add-on program used for accurate simula- tions of diffusion in multicomponent alloys. TC-PRISMA : an add-on program for the prediction of precipitation kinetics. Software developments kits : enable Thermo-Calc to be called directly from the user’s own software or from MATLAB. More information on these products can be found on our website, www.thermocalc.com. DATABASES Calculations are based on thermodynamic and mobility databases produced by expert evaluation of experimental data using the CALPHAD approach. More than 30 thermo- dynamic databases are available which cover a broad range of materials and sys- tems including Fe-based alloys, Ni-, Al-, Mg-, Ti- alloys, solders, oxides and slags, aqueous systems and more. Detailed in- formation on these databases is available on our website, www.thermocalc.com. Our modelling and simulation tools are used for many different purposes within the lifecy- cle of a material, from R&D efforts in designing new ma- terials to identifying optimal processing windows, all the way through addressing waste and re-cycling issues. Typical bene- fits expressed by our customers include: • Reducing the number of costly, time-consuming experiments and testing by making better use of pre-screening/pre-test calculations • Increasing the value of experiments through deeper understanding of the results • Defining safe and optimal processing windows in terms of composition tolerances and temperatures • Basing decisions on scientifically supported models, tools and data • Shortening development times and bringing products to market faster • Making predictions that are difficult or even impossi- ble with an experimental approach REGULAR UPDATES AND SUPPORT Originally developed in the early 1980s, Thermo-Calc has been consistently updated to satisfy the needs of our customers. Our software are now on a two times per year release cycle, and our main databases are also updated regularly. Our products are backed by a dedi- cated technical support team that helps our users get the most from our tools. With representatives in 9 countries around the world and a subsidiary in the United States, local support is available in many regions. Training courses are held two times per year in Sweden and the USA as well as other locations in conjunction with our agents. THERMO-CALC SOFTWARE Thermo-Calc Software email: paul@thermocalc.com • web: www.thermocalc.com