Editor’s Pick: CompoSIDE v2.8.2

Dear DE Reader:

Composites are so vital in so many applications that an itemization would leave you numb. But what can really leave you numb is pondering the computational overhead of designing and analyzing composite materials. If you ply your trade in composites, today’s Pick of the Week looks at a cloud-based service that seems to have some interesting features.

A quarterly or annual subscription to CompoSIDE gets you core functionality like a materials database, laminate calculation, beam section design, 3D FEA (finite element analysis) modeling, integrated reporting and BOM (bill of materials) generation. The platform supports multiple simultaneous users, and has a whole set of administrator tools for setting roles, permissions and so on.

CompoSIDE’s materials database, your central hub, has tools for managing materials data, physical properties and mechanical properties as well as ply generation and micro-mechanics. It supports material types like adhesives, cores, fibers, matrix and plies as well as non-composite materials such as metals, woods and plastics. You can add your own materials.

CompoSIDE also has system tools for configuring project settings like safety factors and failure settings. It links designs and BOMs dynamically, so you can update and review the effects of design decisions on BOMs and costs easily.

CompoSIDE has many nice touches. For example, its BOM generation tool automatically produces your bill of materials with weight and cost estimates. The reporting engine provides customizable templates and generates project documentation automatically. There are quality control features like issue and revision/version control and even a user-defined Wiki for your projects.

CompoSIDE Ltd. has released version 2.8.2 of its CompoSIDE integrated suite of web-based design, analysis and data management tools for composites design as well as applications using metal and other materials such as wood and plastics. Image courtesy of CompoSIDE Ltd.

CompoSIDE v2.8.2 introduces the Materials Data Manager role with dedicated rights to approve and publish new materials across your library of materials. What sounds like a major new feature in v2.8.2 is a desktop client for 2D/3D modeling and FEA. What it does is combine your local resources for model editing with CompoSIDE’s HPC (high-performance computing) infrastructure for running solvers and analysis tasks, relieving your workstation of the compute-intensive stuff.

CompoSIDE sounds like it can be a big help for a lot of engineers. You can learn more about v2.8.2 from today’s Pick of the Week write-up. There are links to a couple of videos and other interesting details. Most importantly, you’ll find a link to a complimentary 30-day trial.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, DE