# Implicit Design, AI & Next Gen Design Tools: Inside nTop’s Bold New Design Frontier

- Show: [Additive Snack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack)
- Published: 2025-06-10
- Length: 1h 00m
- Episode: 13
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/05f54930

## Summary

Brad Rothenberg, CEO and founder of nTop (formerly nTopology), discusses the evolution of his company from a tool for additive manufacturing component design to a platform for implicit modeling and system-level engineering. He explains how nTop’s parametric approach helps aerospace companies like Siemens Energy explore design trade spaces to reduce risk in conservative industries, particularly in thermal management and heat exchanger design. Rothenberg also details nTop’s recent integration of AI and its native fluid solver, nTop Fluids, to accelerate physics simulations and lower the barrier to entry for engineers transitioning from traditional CAD.

## Chapters

- [0:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=5) Introduction and Founding Story
- [6:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=365) Implicit Modeling vs Traditional CAD
- [10:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=603) Aviation Industry Applications
- [19:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=1143) Thermal Management and Heat Exchangers
- [31:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=1865) Recreating Existing Models and Intern Projects
- [33:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=2023) Process Knowledge and Custom Blocks
- [38:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=2297) Future Roadmap and Simulation Integration
- [44:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=2656) AI and Machine Learning in Engineering
- [57:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-06-10-implicit-design-ai-next-gen-design-tools-inside-ntops-bold-new-design-frontier#t=3448) Lowering Barriers and Education

## Topics

- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Test & measurement](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/test-and-measurement)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- nTop (company)
- nTopology (company)
- Siemens Energy (company)
- Star CCM+ (tool)
- Fluent (tool)
- Luminary (company)
- Intax Solutions (company)
- nTop Fluids (product)
- Modulus (tool)
- NVIDIA (company)
- AutoCAD (tool)
- AutoLISP (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S5E39 Bradley Rothenberg | nTopology (nTop) & Computational Design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2024-09-27-s5e39-bradley-rothenberg-ntopology-ntop-computational-design) (Being an Engineer)
- [21. AI Rescues Firefighters, NASA Prints Spacecraft Parts, Plug & Play Prosthetics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2021-06-08-21-ai-rescues-firefighters-nasa-prints-spacecraft-parts-plug-play-prosthetics) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [How Simulation Technology is Reshaping Product Design w/ Dr. Masha Petrova](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2024-05-21-how-simulation-technology-is-reshaping-product-design-w-dr-masha-petrova) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [182: Consumer Product Hardware Trends in Mid 2023](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-06-30-182-consumer-product-hardware-trends-in-mid-2023) (Product Startup)
- [Revolutionary System Design: How Valispace is Changing Engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-19-revolutionary-system-design-how-valispace-is-changing-engineering) (OnTrack)

## Citing this page

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