Staff at the Division of Computer Aided Design have been active in simulation of welding for more than three decades. The developments over the years have made it possible to solve real industrial problems. Simulations still pose challenges with respect to the computer resources but the most crucial aspect is the required modelling expertise, where the material modelling is the most demanding task. Thus simulations are currently only used in applications where large economic gains can be obtained or where safety is of utmost importance. The latter is the focus in aerospace and nuclear power applications. This paper summarises some developments that have been carried out in order to facilitate the simulations in some of the research projects at the division.