CDFAM Returns to Berlin for Second Annual Symposium

The second CDFAM Computational Design Symposium is scheduled for May 7-8, 2024, in Berlin, and will convene leading experts in computational design across all scales.

Building upon the first event in New York in 2023, which concentrated mainly on Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) with contributions from engineers, software developers, and academics, the scope in Berlin will broaden from the microscale of material properties up to the scale of architectural systems.

As AM hardware matures, becoming more reliable and repeatable, and as the material palette broadens and improves, enabling the production of end-use parts that sometimes outperform those produced by other manufacturing processes, it is now critical to optimize not only the designs themselves but also the processes we use to approach design systems.

“The architectural community is probably 10 years ahead of the engineering sector in the adoption of computational design thanks in great part to early exposure of Rhino’s Grasshopper in education,” said Duann Scott, CDFAM Organizer.

It is common to see trained architects leading product design and engineering projects requiring computational systems to create products, as they recognize that computational design thinking involves building the system to create the product, taking into account multiple variable inputs, rather than aiming to create a ‘single optimal solution,’ a method to which engineers are often trained.

Arup alone employs over 800 computational designers and has developed its own software stack, which it shares with clients to facilitate the adoption of computational design tools and reduce friction in the design, engineering, manufacturing and construction process.

With this in mind, CDFAM Berlin’s two-day program features over 30 speakers, bringing together leading thinkers in computational design across all scales and manufacturing processes. This gathering aims to disseminate ideas about the most effective approaches and available software to accelerate the adoption of computational design.

With keynote industry presentations from Johannes Pauli of BMW and Onur Yuce Gun of New Balance, in addition to insights from Stryker, Siemens Energy, and Framas, extending to the design of multi-objective architectural systems with Arup, BIG, Royal Haskoning, and Zaha Hadid, and software presentations from Altair, nTop, Carbon, Dassault, Rhino, alongside explorations of the latest research and adoption of AI/ML in engineering from MIT, Navasto, 1000Kelvin, Additive Flow, and The John Barnes Group, the two-day symposium provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of computational design and outlines what we need to do to adopt it in the future.

“​​I really want to share examples with the community that show how we are using computational design and implicit modeling on real parts to solve problems with tremendous impact on the speed and success of the energy transition. I think this can vastly contribute to the sense of purpose that a lot of us feel,” said Markus Lempke, Siemens Energy.

Limited tickets are currently available with a 20% discount using the code 3DPRINTCOM to register for the two-day event. This offers attendees the opportunity to learn from and network with leading experts in the field of computational design for additive manufacturing and beyond.

“I firmly believe that true progress is rooted in the exchange of ideas. At CDFAM, I’m looking forward to connecting with thought leaders, industry experts, and innovative researchers who challenge the limits of what’s commercially viable today. Additionally, I’ve heard there will be beer at some point,” said Matthias Bauer, Navasto.

Presentations from the previous CDFAM New York event are available in the CDFAM archives. If you cannot attend the Berlin symposium, the next event in Brooklyn is scheduled for August 7-8, 2024. Submissions to present are currently open for those interested in contributing to the sharing of knowledge and understanding around computational design at all scales.