Dassault Systèmes, Purdue establish center of excellence

On Oct. 28, Dassault Systèmes (Vélizy-Villacoublay, France and Waltham, Mass., U.S.) and Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind., U.S.) held a virtual opening for the 3DEXPERIENCE Education Center of Excellence in Advanced Composites at the Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center (CMSC) of Purdue University. The Center of Excellence establishes a partnership between Dassault Systèmes’ education branch and the university to advance composites and model-based engineering education and research in North America.

“Our goal is to advance the creation of the digital twin and model-based engineering by creating a learning environment at multiple levels, from research in manufacturing and performance of advanced composites, to engagement of students at all levels, in order to build the digital workforce of the future for Industry 4.0,” said Dr. R. Byron Pipes, executive director of the CMSC of Purdue University, at the opening event.

According to Erik Swedberg, executive VP of the Americas for Dassault Systèmes, “Industry and academia need to develop engagement models for students to be workforce-ready by the time they graduate. Competition is no longer at the local level. With cloud-based tools, people can connect from anywhere at any time. Skilled talents can be found anywhere globally.”

Research initiatives are said to focus on aerospace and defense applications of advanced composites, as well as innovations in transportation, energy, materials and other areas. The new Center of Excellence also establishes partnerships with the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI, Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) and industry leaders like Boeing (Chicago, Ill., U.S.), Hexcel (Stamford, Conn., U.S.) and Volkswagen (Wolfsburg, Germany and Herndon, Va., U.S.).

“In the U.S., we see education and industry teaming up, because they understand the value of creating this very strong connection for innovation, and for building the workforce,” said Valérie Ferret, VP of 3DEXPERIENCE Edu at Dassault Systèmes. 

According to Ferret, 5 million students per year have the opportunity to learn from the 3DEXPERIENCE solution through Dassault Systèmes’ academic partnerships. The company has established 3DEXPERIENCE centers around the world, with five now in North America including the Purdue center.

“Purdue University and Dassault Systèmes have an exciting future ahead with the digital twin, the digital thread and model-based engineering hosted in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and our joint efforts will accelerate the fourth Industrial Revolution for the benefit of all society,” Pipes concluded the event.

Purdue and Dassault Systèmes hope to be able to hold an in-person event on the Center of Excellence’s one-year anniversary next year. Register to watch a recording of the virtual opening event here.