If it feels like your job is speeding up, you\u2019re not alone. Engineers are a first-hand witness to the accelerated product development cycles manufacturer\u2019s face today. While there\u2019s a number of modern-day reasons for the need for speed, most of them come down to time to market. The first manufacturer to market, particularly with a new and innovative product, has a leg up on sales, marketing, and leadership.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n While the product development cycle won\u2019t be slowing down any time soon, a manufacturer\u2019s commitment to quality certainly can\u2019t be compromised. Products that fail to perform lead to recalls, change orders, and worst of all, damaged brands. Modern products need to operate correctly right out of the gate.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n Engineers have found ways to speed development and ensure products performance. For this, they rely on one particular function: simulation. Such analyses allow engineers to predict how their designs perform in their operating environments. This includes engineering physics such as structures, excitation, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics and much more.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n Running simulations, however, isn\u2019t a snap. There are many challenges engineers must navigate along the way. One of those is working with designs from suppliers that come in a wide array of CAD formats.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n Many Suppliers, Many CAD Files<\/STRONG><\/P><\/p>\n Today, manufacturers of almost every size work with suppliers of some sort. And the simple truth is, companies that work with a lot of suppliers will be getting CAD models in many different formats. Sometimes it can seem like you have as many CAD formats to deal with as you have suppliers. That is, no two suppliers will seem to use the same CAD format. That\u2019s just the reality today. <\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n A manufacturer could dictate the format a supplier can use when doing business with the company, but that manufacturer is likely to have far fewer quality suppliers to choose from. Suppliers simply can\u2019t keep any number of CAD applications in house, much less train their own engineers on the use of multiple files. <\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n The bottom line is this: manufacturers have, and will continue, to get designs in a wide range of formats. They need to simulate those designs, despite the plethora of formats.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n Working with Models in Many Formats<\/STRONG><\/P><\/p>\n Given the modern reality of getting designs in many formats, and the need to digital check their performance, most manufacturers must find a way to rise to the challenge.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n The first step is working in a simulation tool that allows users to open models from a wide range of formats. Sometimes, this requires opening models in native formats like Creo, NX, CATIA, Solid Edge, SOLIDWORKS, and plenty more. Other times, it means working with designs in neutral formats like STEP and IGES.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n Regardless of how the model is opened, there will be a need to modify and tweak the design geometry. Most designs include small details that add complexity to the simulation model without affecting performance. Many users will simplify or abstract such small details away. The issue lies in making such changes. Models brought in through native or neutral formats lack features or parameters to drive geometry change. It is a simple solid. So instead, direct modeling capabilities are needed to make changes.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n Easy Part and Assembly Analyses<\/STRONG><\/P><\/p>\n In general, suppliers are responsible for ensuring their components meet the specifications laid out by the manufacturer. And those components must be tested. The component may meet the manufacturer\u2019s requirements, for example, but fail when subjected to other circumstantial loading. That\u2019s the big reason components must be simulated before they can be manufactured.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n All of that, however, carries some implications for how the manufacturer simulates performance. They often will not need to conduct piece part analyses. Instead, they will place components in an assembly, define contact points between the parts, and run an analysis. Keep in mind that the parts in this assembly will often come from different <\/SPAN>CAD applications in different formats.<\/P><\/p>\n In this case, quick and easy assembly simulation modeling is critical. Automation in setting up contact is key. Automated meshing for assembly simulation is also important.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n Recap<\/STRONG><\/P> The capability to simulate designs supplied from any number of CAD systems is key for today\u2019s quick design cycles. It allows engineers to get to the important job: simulating the design, right away. In fact, engineers don\u2019t need to think much about the CAD format used for the simulation. Their main job, simulating the model to ensure it meets specifications, happens quickly and smoothly.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/p>\n
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