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Trusted By More Than 1.3 Million Users

Altair EDEM™

Altair EDEM is Discrete Element Method (DEM) software that simulates bulk and granular materials to predict how ores, soils, grains and powders interact with equipment, so you can validate designs, optimise flow and reduce physical testing.

Validate
designs earlier

Improve
throughput

Cut testing
costs

Integrates with
your CAE stack

Trusted By More Than 1.3 Million Users

Altair EDEM

Altair EDEM is Discrete Element Method (DEM) software that simulates bulk and granular materials to predict how ores, soils, grains and powders interact with equipment, so you can validate designs, optimise flow and reduce physical testing.

Validate
designs earlier

Improve
throughput

Cut testing
costs

Integrates with
your CAE stack

Where Altair EDEM excels

Altair EDEM - Mining and quarrying

Mining and quarrying

Optimise crushers, conveyors, chutes, and screens under realistic loads to boost throughput and reduce wear using Altair EDEM.

Altair EDEM - Off-road and heavy equipment

Off-road and heavy equipment

Model soil and aggregate interaction with buckets, blades, tracks, and tyres to inform durability and performance using Altair EDEM.

Altair EDEM - Process manufacturing

Process manufacturing

Simulate powder mixing, hopper discharge, and tablet handling to improve consistency and reduce rejects with Altair EDEM.

Altair EDEM - Additive manufacturing feedstocks

Additive manufacturing feedstocks

Assess powder spreading and layer quality to support repeatable builds using Altair EDEM.

Altair EDEM technical specifications
Method:	Discrete Element Method for bulk and granular materials.
Particle shapes:	Multi-sphere, polyhedral, sphero-cylinder, CAD import.
Partical libraries:	Validated granular property databases to accelerate setup.
Couplings:	CFD (AcuSolve, interfaces for Fluent and OpenFOAM), MBD (MotionSolve, generic), FEA export for structural analysis.
Acceleration:	CUDA GPU and multi-GPU scaling for large particle counts.
Outputs:	Flow rates, velocities, force and pressure fields, energy, wear indicators.

Predict real-world bulk material with Altair EDEM

Altair EDEM simulates the behaviour of coal, ores, soils, grains, powders, and tablets across operating conditions.

Use Altair EDEM stand-alone or with other CAE tools to understand loads, flow, segregation, and wear, then make confident design decisions that shorten development cycles and reduce reliance on physical prototypes.

Predict real-world bulk material with Altair EDEM

Altair EDEM simulates the behaviour of coal, ores, soils, grains, powders, and tablets across operating conditions.

Use Altair EDEM stand-alone or with other CAE tools to understand loads, flow, segregation, and wear, then make confident design decisions that shorten development cycles and reduce reliance on physical prototypes.

Altair EDEM Capabilities - Engineered for faster, better decisions

Accurate particle shape modelling

Choose multi-sphere, polyhedral, or sphero-cylinder particles, or import CAD-based geometries to balance realism and runtime. Better shape fidelity improves predictions of flow, mixing, segregation, and wear in Altair EDEM.

Ready-to-use material libraries

Start faster with validated granular property databases to reduce setup time, improve repeatability, and keep Altair EDEM projects consistent across teams.

GPU and multi-GPU performance

Altair EDEM accelerates large studies with CUDA GPUs and scales to multi-GPU. Recent results on 8× NVIDIA H100 GPUs (Google Cloud A3 VMs) show practical paths for big cases and rapid design comparison.

Multi-physics integration

Co-simulate Altair EDEM with MBD (MotionSolve / RecurDyn) to exchange forces and motion; couple with CFD (AcuSolve, Fluent via interface, OpenFOAM via interface) for particle-fluid systems; export loads to FEA for structural response.

Altair EDEM vs Similar Software

Criterion	Altair EDEM	Ansys Rocky	LIGGGHTS + CFDEM	Itasca PFC
Particle shapes	Multi-sphere, polyhedral, sphero-cylinder, CAD import	Advanced non-spherical particles; DEM in Ansys ecosystem	Open-source DEM; shape options depend on build/models	DEM for geomechanics/soils; rock mechanics focus
CFD coupling	AcuSolve; interfaces for Fluent and OpenFOAM	Tight Fluent/Workbench integration	OpenFOAM coupling via CFDEM® toolbox	CFD module connects to external solvers (not built-in)
MBD coupling	MotionSolve, RecurDyn (via interface)	MBD via Ansys partner integrations/FMUs	DIY/custom; powerful but engineering-heavy	Limited turnkey MBD, niche geomechanics
GPU scaling	CUDA GPU and multi-GPU; scaled on 8× H100 in cloud tests	Native GPU & multi-GPU solver	CPU-first; GPU depends on forks/builds	CPU-centric; optional CFD module
Ease of use	Commercial GUI, documentation, validated libraries	Commercial GUI within Ansys	Command-line heavy, expert-friendly	Specialist toolchain for geomechanics

Get Altair EDEM in 3 easy steps

1

Step 1: Book your demo

Share your application and materials. We’ll map the most efficient Altair EDEM workflow for your goals.

2

Step 2: Validate with your data

Run a pilot on representative geometry and loads to verify accuracy in Altair EDEM.

3

Step 3: Scale to production

Standardise templates, automate reporting, and compare design options quickly.

Will Altair EDEM model my materials and particle shapes accurately?

Yes. Altair EDEM supports multiple shape strategies so you choose fidelity vs speed: multi-sphere for performance, polyhedral/sphero-cylinder for edges or elongated shapes, and CAD imports when geometry matters most.

Pair these with validated material data to start with realistic properties, reduce calibration effort, and keep results consistent across teams.

That’s why Altair EDEM is widely used where granular realism is critical.

How does Altair EDEM fit into my CFD, FEA, and MBD workflows?

Altair EDEM supports two-way MBD co-simulation (for example with MotionSolve and RecurDyn) to exchange forces and motion under granular loads.

For fluids, couple Altair EDEM with AcuSolve and interface to Ansys Fluent/OpenFOAM to study fluidised beds, spray/coating, slurry transport, or powder spreading.

When durability matters, export forces/pressures to FEA (e.g., Ansys Workbench). This gives you an end-to-end chain from granular flow to structural response using tools your team already trusts.

How does Altair EDEM fit into my CFD, FEA, and MBD workflows?

Altair EDEM supports two-way MBD co-simulation (for example with MotionSolve and RecurDyn) to exchange forces and motion under granular loads.

For fluids, couple Altair EDEM with AcuSolve and interface to Ansys Fluent/OpenFOAM to study fluidised beds, spray/coating, slurry transport, or powder spreading.

When durability matters, export forces/pressures to FEA (e.g., Ansys Workbench). This gives you an end-to-end chain from granular flow to structural response using tools your team already trusts.

Can Altair EDEM run the large studies I need within my schedule?

Yes. Altair EDEM accelerates big particle counts with CUDA GPUs and supports multi-GPU scaling.

In collaboration with Google Cloud, Altair demonstrated large DEM runs on 8× NVIDIA H100 GPUs, enabling on-demand capacity for demanding scenarios without new on-prem hardware.

That performance headroom lets engineers compare more alternatives and converge faster on production-ready designs.

See Altair EDEM on your parts and materials

Get a tailored demo, confirm accuracy on your application, and map a deployment plan with our engineers.

See Altair EDEM on your parts and materials

Get a tailored demo, confirm accuracy on your application, and map a deployment plan with our engineers.