Today we are going to talk about simulation driven design. What we are seeing people try to do now is to bring simulation in at an earlier stage of the design process. So, it is no longer restricted to later stages, such as design validation and verification. By introducing simulation earlier in the design process, it opens up the possibility of making a lot more changes; using it to drive the overall design instead of limiting it to the backend of the process.
Concept ideas can come from a wide range of sources and there are plenty of ways to look at concept design. But, for most engineers and designers, only some of concept ideas start from scratch. Instead, many will come from, at least in part, from existing design models. So, let’s take a look at why this is the case.
The latest release of Creo Parametric has brought impressive productivity enhancements for 3D CAD users. It’s over 20% faster than Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0 and significant improvements have been made to the user experience.
First of all, what is it we mean by design flexibility? Well, it’s having the capabilities to take you design, as it stands, and react to changes you need to make without impacting on the design integrity. Having tools that facilitate design flexibility mean you’re prepared for the challenges that come as part of product design. So, what are the 5 key challenges that mean you need flexibility in your design work?
We recently came back from the brilliant Formula Student competition, held at Silverstone from 11th-15th July. It was an excellent event, showcasing the promising potential of engineering students. We have to congratulate the team from Swedish Chalmers University for their winning car, as well as everyone else who made up the 132 teams in the competition.
CAD tools need to be flexible, particularly in the later stages of product development cycles. Yet, traditional parametric models can make it difficult to accommodate late-stage design changes and restrict design agility. Recent CAD developments are now addressing these limitations, enabling designers to explore more design possibilities with increase agility.
Engineering teams need to respond to many challenges when developing products, especially in a dynamic, competitive environment. Design engineers must respond quickly to project or bid proposals, rapidly generate design concepts or make late-stage changes to the product based on customer or supplier input.
In my blog on 4th April 2012, I discussed the Free Tutorials available on the PTC Website through the Learning Connector, which provides quick demonstrations of PTC products, along with some tips and techniques.