Altair EDEM
Simulation & CAE software
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What is Altair EDEM
Altair EDEM is a discrete element method (DEM) simulation tool used to model and analyze bulk material behavior such as powders, pellets, and granular flow. It is used by CAE engineers and product/process designers to evaluate material handling, mixing, wear, and particle–equipment interactions in industrial equipment. The product focuses on particle-scale physics and supports coupling with other simulation domains (for example, structural and fluid simulations) to study multi-physics behavior.
Multi-physics coupling options
EDEM supports co-simulation workflows to connect particle behavior with other physics domains, enabling studies where particle loads affect structures or where fluids influence particle motion. This is useful for applications like wear prediction inputs, equipment loading, and process optimization studies. In practice, coupling can reduce the need to rely on separate, loosely connected analyses.
Specialized DEM particle modeling
EDEM is purpose-built for simulating granular materials using DEM, which is a distinct capability compared with general numerical computing tools and many CAD-centric products. It supports common bulk material use cases such as hopper discharge, conveying, mixing, and segregation analysis. This specialization helps teams evaluate particle flow behavior that is difficult to approximate with continuum-only methods.
Engineering-focused post-processing
The software provides analysis outputs oriented to bulk material engineering, such as particle trajectories, contact forces, and flow metrics. These outputs help users diagnose bottlenecks (e.g., arching, ratholing) and compare design variants. The focus on particle interaction data can complement geometry-centric design tools used earlier in the workflow.
Narrow scope beyond DEM
EDEM primarily addresses granular and particulate behavior; it is not a general-purpose CAD modeler or a broad CAE suite on its own. Teams typically still need separate tools for geometry creation, meshing, and non-particle physics analyses. This can increase the number of systems involved in an end-to-end engineering workflow.
Material calibration effort
Accurate DEM results often require calibration of particle properties (e.g., friction, restitution, cohesion) against experimental data. This setup can be time-consuming and may require domain expertise and test data that is not always available. Without calibration, results may be directionally useful but less reliable for quantitative decisions.
Compute-intensive at scale
DEM simulations can become computationally expensive as particle counts and contact complexity increase. Large industrial scenarios may require high-performance computing resources and careful model simplification. This can limit iteration speed compared with lighter-weight analytical approaches or less detailed simulation methods.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Altair Units / Custom (contact sales) Free tier/trial: Free Student Edition (academic-only) includes EDEM with limitations; Free trial access available via Altair One marketplace and via an application for an EDEM Google Cloud trial. Public pricing: No public list prices or per-user/per-seat subscription tiers for commercial EDEM were found on Altair's official product, licensing or marketplace pages. Commercial licensing is provided via Altair Units or by requesting a quote from Altair (contact sales). Notes & evidence:
- EDEM product page directs users to "Request a quote" and "Contact us" for pricing/quotes, and links to a Free Trial entry on Altair One.
- Altair uses an "Altair Units" licensing model (pool of sharable Units) across many products; unit prices are not published on the site.
- EDEM is included in Altair's free Student Edition (academic use only) with explicit limits (10,000 particle limit, 2× CPU max, and disabled coupling/features listed).
- Altair offers trial routes: Altair One product trial (marketplace) and an application for trying EDEM on Google Cloud; community/support pages discuss trial license activations and short-term trial licenses.
Seller details
Altair Engineering Inc.
Troy, Michigan, USA
1985
Public
https://www.altair.com/
https://x.com/altair
https://www.linkedin.com/company/altair-engineering/
