Oqton Wins ASTRO-InSPIRE Distortion Prediction Challenge

Oqton was named the winner of the second annual ASTRO-InSPIRE Tech Showcase on August 12 in Destin, Florida. The Shark Tank-style competition focused on distortion prediction and compensation in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of Inconel 718, one of the aerospace and defense industry's most stubborn manufacturing headaches.

The challenge

ASTRO America and Florida State University's InSPIRE Institute designed the 2026 event around a single problem: LPBF parts warp during cooling, and existing software tools are not reliably benchmarked against real production geometries. Competitors had to show how their approach predicted and corrected distortion on actual complex parts, not simple test coupons.

Five solution providers made it through the evaluation period from March through June. The finalists faced technical evaluators from defense, aerospace, and investment backgrounds. Alongside Oqton, the field included Ansys, Siemens, Dassault, Autodesk, and Cadence.

What Oqton submitted

Oqton's winning approach used its shrink-line prediction technology, previously developed for ESA and other space programs, adapted for LPBF Inconel 718. The company claims its method cut computation time by 40% in earlier LPBF test parts while maintaining accuracy across complex geometries.

Sridharan Hariharan, Oqton's Global VP of Sales and Customer Success, said the win validated the company's focus on production-ready tools rather than research-stage demos. He noted that the challenge used real parts of interest, not simplified specimens, which raised the bar for every entrant.

Why it matters

Distortion in LPBF directly drives scrap rates, inspection time, and part cost. A software edge here translates into faster qualification for aerospace and defense programs. The win also positions Oqton as a serious player in metal AM process control, a space dominated by traditional CAE vendors.

The showcase opened with keynote remarks from U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL), who highlighted Northwest Florida's growing role in defense manufacturing. ASTRO America's Dr. Abdalla Nassar called the competition a step toward scaling additive manufacturing for critical domestic production.