With simulation software, engineers can analyse stresses on product designs without having to do any physical testing. That’s a real time-saver. Simulation also sounds like it could save you money – and it can! So why do so many engineers choose not to use simulation when designing products?
According to an Autodesk report released back in 2016, it revealed 5 factors or myths, that prevented the use of Simulation in companies.
If you can easily test a simple product physically, simulation is unnecessary? Wrong. If the power of generative design is any indicator, it’s safe to assume that computers can divine things the human brain simply can’t. Using simulation, an engineer could redesign a product so that it doesn’t use as much material or doesn’t have such a complex structure, thereby lowering the cost of material, manufacturing time, and the overall cost of the product.
At a later stage in the design cycle, engineers might think that they’re too far into the process to make any changes. However, if issues come up with the design, simulation offers a quicker and cheaper way to make changes. It’s risk mitigation.
It’s true enough that purchasing simulation software has an upfront cost, but it pays for itself over time by reducing material costs, eliminating the need for costly testing equipment (such as wind tunnels), and limiting the need for physical testing. It saves you money because you can optimise your design before you actually build anything. Cost of entry is now also greatly reduced thanks to improved technology: You can run the software on a cheap laptop and solve on the cloud.
Using simulation software does require some skill, but whatever learning curve this requires it is still likely easier, less time consuming and costly than building a physical product for testing.
If you’ve read this far, you know that this myth doesn’t hold up, because you can use simulation to optimise designs and to test multiple design options quickly without prototyping. It’s also used to determine how a product will react to stresses put on it.
So, should you be using simulation to design your product?
Yes - it will save time and money for well-designed parts. Who wouldn’t want that?
Symetri can support you to choose the right software, increase your employees’ skill level via training or even take your simulation project and deliver back to you with the right solutions. We can also help you via consultancy in the event you are under tight timescales. If you require any assistance, please fill in the form.
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