available as a result of step two. Each diagnostic is given a level of risk depending upon the quantity and the quality of the data collected; if data aremissing, the diagnostic is not secured and there is a risk that the product does not effectivelymeet its
performance targets. ■ Assess the results of the diagnostic, define and decide actions to enhance the performance level and therefore reduce the risk.
Question Four
What are the limits for simulation? How far do you think it will be possible for product test in complex ìoperationalî rather than parametric areas, such as ageing and crashworthiness, to be simulated at the design stage? Will we reach a stage where most product testing is done through simulation?
SolidWorks: This is a very open ended question to which I will give an open ended answer. It depends on how long the user wants to wait. Jaguar Cars (amongmany others) aremoving to a complete virtual car development process with no prototypes. So the limit is the availability of computational resource and the patience of the user. Today solving linear static problems is
Expert views: The concept from PTC, top; the desktop view from SolidWorks, below; an example of a real design from Autodesk, above
Another continual push is to improve the
speed of the solution process. Using multiple CPUs on amachine is available today with SolidWorks but the future holds the promise of distributed computing on the cloud, which for all simulation users will be very attractive. But at the same time we are not just investing in technologies to make the analysis process quicker: it is also aboutmaking sure that the designer become adept at using the software quickly and has confidence in the answer.
PTC: InSight Products Analytics proposes a
four-step process to achieve this: ■ Define product performance targets expected for the product under design as early as possible during the development
phase ■ Collect all data needed to assess this performance: it is a process during which data will be progressively collected and their quality validated, andmonitoring
missing data is also important. ■ Run the analysis of the product on the basis of its bill ofmaterial and all the data
accessible formost problems using a laptop computer and the answer is available withinminutes; solving crash test problems requires significantlymore computational power and the solution is in hours if not days. So one day soon and probably within five years product development via simulation will not be that unusual.
Autodesk: There are no limits to simulation. Today, we are only scratching the surface of what this approach will offer in the future. Ultimately, we will reach a stage where most product testing is done through simulation. This process is already well under way – 300 tonnemarine turbines are today being tested using digital prototypes exclusively, eliminating the need for physicalmodels. Simulation offers compelling benefits for
designers andmanufacturers, helping to accelerate time tomarket, drive innovation and reduce costs incurred in the design process. The approach also helps companies to gaugemore accurately the future lifetime of their designs. Increasingly, organisations are able to
develop cars, buildings and consumer products and know categorically that they are going to work and that they are going to stay working for a specified amount of time. ■
February 2011 ◆ Environmental Engineering ◆ 47
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