Altair acquires M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH

Altair Engineering (Troy, Mich., U.S.) a global technology company providing solutions in data analytics, simulation, and high-performance computing (HPC), announced on Oct. 8 the acquisition of M-Base Engineering + Software GmbH (M-Base, Aachen, Germany), an international supplier of material database and material information systems, with a focus on plastics. Altair notes that the acquisition will allow the company to offer the most comprehensive, high-fidelity plastics database available on the market, which will directly connect with Altair’s powerful solvers.

Further, acquiring M-Base is said to be an important additional step to deliver comprehensive material information and infrastructure to predict and optimize product performance through simulation. M-Base's offering covers the complete lifecycle of material data, from testing and test evaluation to computer-aided engineering (CAE) interfaces, with a focus on plastics. M-Base also reportedly brings to Altair first-rate plastics material data supplied directly by material producers, deep knowledge in material database technology and plastics material data preparation from raw data to data consumable by designers and engineers.

M-Base is the official software supplier to Computer Aided Material Preselection by Uniform Standards (CAMPUS), what is said to be the world’s most successful plastic material database adhering to rigorous international standards. Altair will continue to invest in CAMPUS to ensure consistent, high-quality material data for customers to drive accurate simulation results.

“The integration of M-Base into the Altair ecosystem brings deep knowledge and experience in material database projects, as well as the high-quality data our customers require to improve the design of their products,” says James R. Scapa, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Altair. “It also expands our presence in the plastics industry, as M-Base holds strong relationships with plastics manufacturers and the gold standard, CAMPUS. We look forward to working deeply with CAMPUS members to grow together.”

According to M-Base, its Web-based plastics database, Material Data Center, is the leading plastics information tool, enabling accurate material selection in the early design phases and offering continuity throughout the product lifecycle. It covers the complete international plastics market including the entire content of the CAMPUS database, as well as an application database, a tradename directory, a literature database and several other tools to support designers and engineers.

“Integrating our technology and Material Data Center with Altair will provide excellent functionality for engineers and designers during material selection and product development processes,” adds Dr. Erwin Baur, co-founder of M-Base.