State-of-Practice of Physics-Based Manufacturing Process Simulation in Industry

Introduction

NAFEMS wishes to commission an author to produce a “State of Practice” report on how physics-based manufacturing process simulation is being applied in industry today.

Manufacturing organisations are under pressure to shorten time-to-market, reduce scrap and rework, and improve product performance. Although “simulation” is widely referenced, the extent to which high-fidelity, physics-based simulation (e.g., FEA, CFD, coupled thermal–mechanical and multi-scale approaches) is used in real production environments varies considerably across sectors and organisations.

This report will map the current industrial landscape, where simulation is delivering measurable value, how it is being integrated into workflows, what the main practical barriers are, and what developments are likely to shape adoption over the next five years.

Intended Readership

Simulation, design, manufacturing and quality engineers, engineering managers, and technical decision-makers seeking a realistic view of how physics-based manufacturing process simulation is being used in practice.

Contents

Proposals are encouraged to shape the final structure, but the document is expected to address topics such as:

• Industrial adoption patterns (leading sectors, typical business drivers and barriers),
• Workflow integration across the product lifecycle,
• Gap analysis and practical bottlenecks,
• Future trends (next five years).

Format

The document should confirm to the standard NAFEMS publication template (provided upon contract award).

The anticipated length of the publication is between 20-30 A4 pages.

Cost

The total cost is not expected to exceed £4K (GBP), and it is expected that the document will be completed within 6 months from NAFEMS approval.

Guidance for Proposals

Each proposal should consist of:

• the proposed structure of the document with the titles of the sections to be developed,
• work plan including milestones and interim deliveries for early review,
• cost,
• The author's credentials, curriculum vitae, etc.

Submission

All proposals should be sent to NAFEMS at technical@nafems.org to arrive no later than 1st of July 2026.