As industries across the globe continue to push the boundaries of efficiency, sustainability, and innovation, THERCAST® has emerged as a leader in solidification and manufacturing simulation. At the Transvalor International Simulation Day 2024, François Frascati and the THERCAST® team unveiled an exciting roadmap for the future, detailing advancements in technology, usability, and industry applications. 


Where We Started: A Rich History of Innovation 

Since its inception in 1995, THERCAST® has evolved to meet the increasingly complex demands of industries like automotive, nuclear, aeronautics, and defense. With innovations in ingot casting, continuous casting, and the introduction of cutting-edge solvers, the software has consistently set new benchmarks in simulation technology. This foundation now propels THERCAST® toward a future of even greater impact. 

Industrial Challenges: Addressing Key Needs 

Today's industrial sectors face immense challenges: 

  • Economic efficiency: Reducing time-to-market and enhancing profitability. 
  • Innovation and sustainability: Adopting green manufacturing processes and meeting global environmental standards. 
  • Defect prevention: Avoiding porosity, shrinkage, and cracking to ensure high-quality final products. 

THERCAST® is uniquely positioned to address these challenges through its advanced capabilities, ensuring reliable and efficient solutions across manufacturing routes. 

Introducing THERCAST® NxT 3.0

The latest release, THERCAST® NxT 3.0, combines power and simplicity to deliver unparalleled simulation performance. Key features include: 

  • Material Database: A robust library of 90+ materials, easily customizable using tools like JMATPRO or THERMOCALC. 
  • User-Friendly Interface: Modern, ergonomic design with simplified templates for beginners and advanced tools for experts. 
  • Python API Integration: Automates tasks like setup, meshing, and analysis, streamlining workflows for welding, foundry, continuous casting and other processes. 
  • Advanced Solvers: Thermal, hydraulic, thermo-mechanical, and electromagnetic solvers to model all physical phenomena relevant to the mosta advanced casting processe, to predict porosity, segregation, residual stresses, and even solidification structure. 

Looking Ahead: The Roadmap for THERCAST® 

The future of THERCAST® lies in expanding its capabilities while addressing the evolving needs of its users. Key roadmap highlights include: 

  • Scalability and AI Integration: Leveraging AI to enhance simulation accuracy, efficiency, and predictive capabilities. 
  • Expanded Applications: Supporting a fully chained solution, from raw materials to finished products, across foundry, siderurgy, forging, and heat treatment processes. 
  • Sustainability Focus: Developing greener simulation processes and storage solutions to align with global decarbonization goals. 
  •  Partnerships for Industrial development: Collaborating with top universities and industrial players to refine models and integrate real-world data like process data and outputs from material testing and analyses. 

Planned releases, such as THERCAST® NxT 3.1, 4.0, and 4.1, will bring new tools for continuous casting, CPU time reduction, and enhanced material reliability, further cementing THERCAST® as the go-to solution for solidification simulation. 

thercast roadmap

Conclusions and Perspectives 

By 2027, THERCAST® aims to: 

  • Become the leading software for solidification worldwide. 
  • Achieve scientific and technical excellence in its models. 
  • Offer a fully chained solution integrated with other Transvalor software. 
  • Deliver a user-friendly and environmentally conscious platform. 

The journey ahead is one of innovation, collaboration, and a steadfast commitment to addressing the real-world challenges of heavy industries. As THERCAST® evolves, it continues to empower its users with tools that optimize processes, reduce waste, and shape the future of manufacturing.