“What people want us to deliver is a seamless integration of different tools,” says Seth Hindman, director of product management and strategy, Autodesk. In 2023, the manufacturing simulation technologies from these purchases have been woven into the digital fabric of Autodesk Fusion 360, Autodesk’s mainstream product development and manufacturing platform.

It went on to acquire Delcam, another CAM package, in 2014 Netfabb, a metal-additive simulation package, in 2015 and CAMplete, an advanced machine-tool simulation package, in 2020. In 2012, the company also acquired HSMWorks, a CAM package. In 2008, Autodesk acquired Moldflow, which allows users to simulate and analyze plastic injection molding of parts. This article examines the corporate handshakes, partnerships and milestone acquisitions that paved the way.

Now, manufacturing simulation is a standard part of design programs-so much so that the original term, computer-aided design, may need to be revised. The integration of design and manufacturing, or CAD and CAM, got tighter over time. The merger had been happening in slow motion over two decades, right under our eyes in plain sight.

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