About us

SIGMA Plastic Services, Inc.

SIGMA Plastic Services, Inc. is a sister company of MAGMA Foundry Technologies, Inc., the technology and market leader in casting simulation. MAGMA and SIGMA are both headquartered in Aachen, Germany, and have locations around the globe. Owner-managed and fascinated by technology, we make modern polymer forming processes transparent. With our simulation product SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding, our customers optimize plastics parts and injection molds as well as production conditions of thermoplastic, elastomer, thermoset, or MIM/CIM applications.

SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding

Covered by a modern, intuitive graphical user interface, SIGMASOFT® Virtual Molding integrates multiple process-specific models and 3D-simulation technologies which have been developed, validated, and continuously optimized for more than 30 years. This enhanced simulation approach is of outstanding added value compared to conventional simulation approaches available for injection molding.

Solution Service

Successful injection simulation always starts with direct, three-way communication between simulation users with their real-life requirements, the support team professional in polymer technology, and the actual software development team. Thus SIGMA offers a direct support and sales organization with an application-oriented development team located in Aachen, Germany, and a strong development-partner network throughout the world.

Less Guess - More Knowledge

This is our motivation to move polymer technology forward. Further improvement and optimization of polymer processing technologies are only possible by understanding the actual process details. Diffuse guesses are not acceptable, and 90% solutions are not competitive. Our customers share this vision, and our partners are helping us to realize it.

 

Over 25 years of SIGMA history

2022    SIGMASOFT® v6 is released, with an improved graphic interface and faster speeds.

2021    SIGMASOFT® v5.3.1 is released in September. In addition to many smaller and larger innovations, it is now possible to simulate compression molding processes.

2020    SIGMA Engineering GmbH moves to new premises. In the new working environment with enlarged office and academy rooms, work as well as trainings can be carried out with new momentum.

2019    SIGMASOFT® v5.3 is released and combined with the newly released software SIGMAinteract® it provides a new way to communicate SIGMASOFT® results with colleagues and customers.

2017     With the Autonomous Optimization SIGMASOFT® v5.2 newly defines Virtual Molding. It also includes the capability of virtual DoE, thus providing for the users a full toolkit of possibilities to solve their questions. During the 3rd SIGMASOFT® International User Meeting the SIGMA Award is presented for the first time. The first winners are GÜNTHER Heisskanaltechnik GmbH, Germany, and Speedturtle, Portugal. During the last years SIGMA GmbH and SIGMA Inc. each doubled the number of their employees. Also, since summer SIGMA is a sister company to MAGMA.

2015     SIGMASOFT® v5.1 is released with an entire new look. The new GUI significantly improves the usability for the users.

2013     SIGMASOFT® is the technological benchmark for injection molding simulation and leading in the process-focused markets, e.g. for elastomer-, thermoset or MIM/CIM production.

2012    MAGMAacademy is started, a joint department between MAGMA and SIGMA with spacious, modern training- and seminar facilities. In 4 classes more than 20 trainees can be educated in the usage of either SIGMASOFT® or MAGMASOFT®. An additional seminar room accommodates up to 40 people for technical workshops and seminars.

2010    SIGMASOFT® activities are started in Istanbul (Turkey) with a local office. During the financial crisis SIGMA doubled the customer base in D, A, CH.

2009    SIGMASOFT® activities are started in in Singapore and Sao Paulo (Brazil) to explore the emerging markets. SIGMA Engineering GmbH again expands its office facilities.

2006    SIGMA Plastics Services Inc. is founded in Chicago (USA). SIGMA Engineering GmbH changed into new office facilities and doubled the space at Aachen, Kackertstr. 11.

2004    SIGMA presents SIGMASOFT® v4.3 at K’2004 (Düsseldorf). v4.3 became a breakthrough and paradigm shift in calculation times for true 3D simulations.

2003    SIGMA presents the first true 3D fiber orientation calculation and a mapping interface towards FE-Analysis Packages

1999    First customers were found in the rubber industry.

1998    Founding of SIGMA Engineering GmbH, Aachen (Germany), as 100% daughter company of MAGMA. SIGMA is the responsible Engineering and Sales organization to market SIGMASOFT® in D,A,CH, Europe and worldwide. Due to the sister product MAGMASOFT® already the first SIGMASOFT® version was full 3D taking the full mold, the polymer flow and all thermal effects physically accurate into account.

1995    Start of a R&D project at MAGMA to understand, model and simulate the processing of semisolid metal melts (Aluminum & Magnesium alloys). The rheology of those alloys show strong shear-rate dependencies of the viscosity in addition to the usual temperature dependency. This rheological behavior is almost identical to polymers. From a modeling point of view, this was the birth of the SIGMASOFT® product.

1988    Founding of MAGMA Gießereitechnologie GmbH, Aachen (Germany). From scratch on MAGMASOFT® was implemented as true 3D simulation product, taking the mold, the flow and all relevant thermal effects fully 3 dimensionally into the casting simulation.