Thirty years after the introduction of casting process simulation,casting process simulation is a widely accepted tool in foundry.Todays requirements on the development of a casting and the corresponding metal casting process demand methodologies and tools which allow a maximization of process robustness and profitability at the earliest possible point in time.Opposed to real-world trials,autonomous optimization using MAGMASOFT simulation tools provides significantly more flexibility.Autonomous optimization enables engineers to modify several parameters simultaneously and independently from each other,and quality criteria can be individually and quantitatively evaluated.Combined with established tools from statistical design of experiments,casting process simulation can be used to autonomously optimize casting processes and designs.Several examples have been presented in article to show how the complete integration of autonomous optimization in the casting process simulation tool MAGMA5.Foundry engineers now can combine single simulations,autonomous DOEs and autonomous optimizations to gain better process understanding and to establish robust casting processes making quality castings at the lowest possible cost.