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Third Wave Systems is solutions company, made up of engineers who develop and apply cutting edge technologies to various manufacturing industries. Engineers at Third Wave Systems are consistently investing in new technologies while maintaining a strong focus on customer support and the needs of the markets served.
Since the foundation of Third Wave Systems in 1993, AdvantEdge and Production Module products have been used by some of the world’s top tooling suppliers and manufacturers to see more, and know more, about their machining processes. By utilizing the information Third Wave Systems products provide, companies are able to eliminate trial-and-error testing, decrease tooling costs, reduce capital investment and get their products to market faster.
1993
Brothers Kerry & Troy Marusich enjoy couple beers while discussing Troy’s Ph.D. research at Brown University. By the time Troy finishes explaining his work, Kerry is convinced he can package it and sell it to companies that machine metals. By the time Troy receives his doctorate, they have their first customer: The Boeing Company. Third Wave Systems is in business.
1995
Third Wave Systems’ finite element analysis product is launched under the trade name Mach 2D; it is later renamed AdvantEdge.
1997
Physics-based material modeling software and services are introduced and provided by Third Wave Systems to optimize the machining process.
1999
Third Wave Systems and CRC Research Institute agree to a pilot program distributing Third Wave products in Japan. The success of the initiative prompts the creation of Third Wave Systems’ first formal distributor agreement.
2001
Third Wave Systems licenses the MRPS source code for General Motors toolpath analysis software TurnSim, FaceSim, and MillSim. The two companies shared software development efforts until 2003, when TWS became the sole developer and relaunched the product as Production Module. A three-dimensional version of the software was introduced a few years later.
The U.S. Air Force awards Third Wave Systems its first Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. The six-month $100,000 project demonstrates the feasibility of using machining modeling technology to improve titanium machining processes. In the years that follow, SBIR projects become key avenues for expanding Third Wave Systems product capabilities.
Third Wave Systems releases a three-dimensional version of AdvantEdge, providing customers with additional methodologies for analyzing their milling, drilling, and grooving processes.
2005
Third Wave Systems purchases its first five-axis machining center: a Mori Seiki NH6300. The machine becomes an integral tool in the company’s validation activities for both material models and toolpath optimization strategies.
Production Module 3D is launched at the EMO trade show in Germany. Selling points include 5-axis milling, automated NC code optimization, and toolpath import capabilities.
2006
Third Wave Systems celebrates the opening of its Productivity Center in Plymouth, Minnesota. Located within Ellison Technologies, the facility houses machining and metrology equipment in a showroom environment, enabling applications engineers to not only validate product outputs, but also conduct machining demonstrations.
2007
Third Wave Systems releases a parallel computing upgrade for AdvantEdge, after previewing the technology at the 2006 JIMTOF trade show in Japan and its 2007 Users Conference in Seattle, Washington. The upgrade computes simulations 1.5–3 times faster than previously attainable using a single processor.
2008
Third Wave Systems is awarded its first Phase III SBIR contract: a $2.97 million project funded by the U.S. Air Force. During the project, engineers use Production Module to machine an F135 component 2.4 times faster than current standards.
2010
Third Wave Systems upgrades its server room to a high performance computing cluster, quadrupling internal resources and equipping the company with the tools necessary to pursue cloud computing and Software as a Service opportunities.
2011
Third Wave purchases a Microlution 363-S micro-milling machine, equipping the company with the resources necessary for validating machining phenomena at the micron level. Third Wave Systems is now positioned for entry into the precision machining marketplace.
