Technology Drives Innovation

This is certainly accurate in describing the product design and development space today. Processes have been changing rapidly since high performance cluster computers, model parameterization, multi-disciplinary optimization and new analysis tools have emerged.

Competing Design Criteria

Because the design of mechanical structures is driven by many competing criteria such as cost and weight reduction, contrasted by enhanced multi-disciplinary performance and manufacturability, new technology was required to solve these challenges.

Furthermore, the introduction of new manufacturing processes and materials, for example Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS), significantly increases the available design space. A broader design space expands the set of all possible designs for mechanical systems, bringing the optimal design within reach.

Optimization Drives Design

To explore the entire design space more effectively, while trying to reduce design cycle times, engineers at Engineering Technology Associates, Inc. (ETA) developed an automated way to use optimization to drive the design process. They use a method that works as a virtual search engine resulting in hundreds of design possibilities that meet design criteria/constraints at varying degrees. Like plots on a diagram, the optimal design concept can be found when the most ideal balance is met.

Evolving over the last decade, the methodology used is the Accelerated Concept to Product (ACP) Process®, a performance-driven, holistic product development method based on design optimization. The methodology combines design, material and manufacturing expertise with CAD, CAE and CAO tools. As a result, product development time, cost and product mass is reduced, while overall product performance is improved.

Using the ACP Process, the engineer can easily reveal the optimal balance of structure and strength and can greatly decrease the time required to identify a set of feasible, or even optimal, designs prior to building and testing the first prototype. The methodology has proved that it could also compensate for the limitations of human intuition and provide design engineers with the freedom and power to seek creative solutions that are not obvious to even the most experienced design engineers.

Introducing ACP OpDesign

Last year, ETA joined forces with BETA CAE Systems, an innovation leader in engineering software specializing in state of the art CAE Pre/Post-Processing software systems. The partnership set forth to combine ETA’s ACP Process with BETA CAE System’s powerful software platform, ANSA, into ACP OpDesign. The tool will be released in this last quarter of 2016.

ACP OpDesign provides two major functions for product design and development. First, it acts as an Optimization Suite, which allows the engineer to perform any type of design optimization. It offers an easy and effective gateway to commercial optimization and solvers. Second, led by design optimization, it provides tools to design structural products, from concept to production.

CAE, design and manufacturing are all synchronized to find the optimal design solution. Using ACP OpDesign, various shape (geometry), gage, and material grade design variables are setup using ANSA’s morphing and optimization setup functionality. Post-Processing is done in automated sessions, which track and report responses for the runs and optimization tools provide easy to use and simple to understand optimization results.

The solution can be applied to a range of structural products in a variety of industries. ACP OpDesign is a gateway to a variety of tools and promises to streamline the product design and development process, making a wide array of structural products lighter, cheaper, stronger and more efficient.

For more information, as well as an opportunity to sign-up for a beta trial, visit ACP OpDesign.