{"id":5923,"date":"2016-09-15T05:30:01","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T12:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.plm.automation.siemens.com\/t5\/Simcenter-Blog\/How-Aerospace-and-Defense-A-amp-D-Companies-Get-More-Value-from\/ba-p\/365495"},"modified":"2026-03-26T05:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:49:12","slug":"how-aerospace-and-defense-ad-companies-get-more-value-from-simulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/how-aerospace-and-defense-ad-companies-get-more-value-from-simulation\/","title":{"rendered":"How Aerospace and Defense (A&#038;D) Companies Get More Value from Simulation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><P>While product complexity is a growing concern for many industries, aerospace and defense (A&amp;D) companies produce some of the most complex products in the world. Engineers must deal with all sorts of factors which drive complexity, including long development cycles, thousands of components, and multiple engineering disciplines. With so much complexity, it is interesting to note what A&amp;D companies report as their top development challenges. In our recent Tech-Clarity study, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plm.automation.siemens.com\/en_us\/campaigns\/single_topic.cfm?Component=247350&amp;ComponentTemplate=186312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Addressing the Bottlenecks of FEA Simulation <\/A>we looked at the top challenges facing companies as they develop products. You can hear&nbsp;more about this study at an <a href=\"https:\/\/event.on24.com\/eventRegistration\/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&amp;partnerref=hp&amp;eventid=1234402&amp;sessionid=1&amp;key=305517FF5E696995B02FE2515F4820C7&amp;regTag=&amp;sourcepage=register\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">upcoming webinar on Thursday, September 29, 2016 at&nbsp;2:00 PM ET\/ 11:00 AM PT.<\/A><\/P><\/p>\n<p><P>Figure 1 shows how A&amp;D companies responded compared to all respondents.&nbsp;<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center\" style=\"width: 999px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/Fig-1-blog-5-top-dev-challenges2-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fig 1 blog 5 top dev challenges2.jpg\" title=\"Fig 1 blog 5 top dev challenges2.jpg\" \/><span class=\"lia-inline-image-caption\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault();\">Figure 1: Top Product Development Challenges<\/span><\/span>\ufeff<\/P><br \/>\n<P>While all companies struggle with responding to frequent changes, even more A&amp;D companies report it as a top challenge. Given the amount of product complexity, it\u2019s not surprising that frequent <span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-left\" style=\"width: 400px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/commercial-aircraft-1.jpg\" alt=\"commercial aircraft.jpg\" title=\"commercial aircraft.jpg\" \/><\/span>\ufeffchanges are a problem. However, simulation can help with better insight into product performance to guide design decisions. More informed design decisions can help reduce the number of changes later on.<\/P><\/p>\n<p><P>Mitigating the risk of new designs is an even bigger issue for A&amp;D companies than for other industries. Compliance and FAA certification contribute to the challenges associated with new designs. Plus, unlike some other industries, a defect can be catastrophic. Again, simulation can help to catch problems that could complicate compliance or certification. By catching problems early on in a virtual environment, simulation can also help improve quality and reduce the risk of new designs.<\/P><\/p>\n<p><P>Finally, verifying requirements have been&nbsp;met is another big challenge. Predicting product behavior is very difficult, especially when dealing with products as complex as what A&amp;D companies produce. This is a key area where simulation can help. Simulation can be used to verify requirements throughout the <span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-right\" style=\"width: 400px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/aircraft-alabatros-airplane-1.jpg\" alt=\"aircraft alabatros airplane.jpg\" title=\"aircraft alabatros airplane.jpg\" \/><\/span>\ufeffdesign process. Verification along the way helps to avoid finding bigger problems later on at the end of the development cycle.<\/P><\/p>\n<p><P>With the opportunity for simulation to help with some of the biggest development challenges A&amp;D companies face,&nbsp;let\u2019s take a look at how A&amp;D companies can get even more value from simulation. To do this, we will identify which parts of the simulation process take the most time. Figure 2 shows how much time A&amp;D companies spend on each phase of the simulation process.<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center\" style=\"width: 423px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/Fig-2-blog-5-breakdown-1.jpg\" width=\"423\" height=\"299\" alt=\"Fig 2 blog 5 breakdown.jpg\" title=\"Fig 2 blog 5 breakdown.jpg\" \/><span class=\"lia-inline-image-caption\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault();\">Figure 2: Breakdown of Simulation Process for A&amp;D Companies<\/span><\/span>\ufeffAll industries report that preprocessing takes the most time, but even more so for A&amp;D companies. (For more information on what all companies report, as well as the definitions of the different phases of simulation, please see the post titled, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.plm.automation.siemens.com\/t5\/Femap-Blog\/Announcing-New-Research-on-FEA-Simulation-Bottlenecks\/ba-p\/361112#U361112\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Announcing New Research on FEA Simulation Bottlenecks<\/A>.)<\/P><\/p>\n<p><P>What parts of preprocessing consume the most time? Figure 3 shows that cleaning up the geometry takes up close to half of the preprocessing time for A&amp;D companies.<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center\" style=\"width: 400px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/Fig-3-blog-5-breakdown-preprocess-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fig 3 blog 5 breakdown preprocess.jpg\" title=\"Fig 3 blog 5 breakdown preprocess.jpg\" \/><span class=\"lia-inline-image-caption\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault();\">Figure 3: Breakdown of Preprocessing Time for A&amp;D Companies<\/span><\/span>\ufeffWith geometry cleanup taking so much time, let\u2019s take a look at where the geometry comes from (Figure 4).<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center\" style=\"width: 999px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/Fig-4-blog-5-geometry-source-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fig 4 blog 5 geometry source.jpg\" title=\"Fig 4 blog 5 geometry source.jpg\" \/><span class=\"lia-inline-image-caption\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault();\">Figure 4: Source of Geometry for A&amp;D Companies<\/span><\/span>\ufeffBased on Figure 4, A&amp;D companies need better ways to work with IGES and STEP files, in addition to multi-CAD data. What\u2019s especially striking is that 40% report they cannot even use existing CAD data and create geometry from scratch. In fact, Figure 5 shows that the time wasted re-creating CAD geometry is the top challenge A&amp;D companies face when defining the geometry for the simulation model.<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center\" style=\"width: 999px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/Fig-5-blog-5-geometry-challenges-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fig 5 blog 5 geometry challenges.jpg\" title=\"Fig 5 blog 5 geometry challenges.jpg\" \/><span class=\"lia-inline-image-caption\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault();\">Figure 5: A&amp;D Top Challenges Defining Simulation Model Geometry<\/span><\/span>\ufeff<\/P><br \/>\n<P>After defining the geometry for the simulation model, the next step involves setting up the model for simulation. Figure 6 shows some of the top challenges A&amp;D companies report for this part.<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center\" style=\"width: 999px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/Fig-6-blog-5-model-challenges-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fig 6 blog 5 model challenges.jpg\" title=\"Fig 6 blog 5 model challenges.jpg\" \/><span class=\"lia-inline-image-caption\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault();\">Figure 6: A&amp;D Top Challenges Defining Simulation Models<\/span><\/span>\ufeff<\/P><br \/>\n<P>Figure 7 shows some of the top ways A&amp;D companies solve these challenges.<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-center\" style=\"width: 999px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/Fig-7-blog-5-solve-challenges-1.jpg\" alt=\"Fig 7 blog 5 solve challenges.jpg\" title=\"Fig 7 blog 5 solve challenges.jpg\" \/><span class=\"lia-inline-image-caption\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault();\">Figure 7: How A&amp;D Companies Solve Top Challenges<\/span><\/span>\ufeff<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-left\" style=\"width: 400px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/carrier-rocket-1.jpg\" alt=\"carrier rocket.jpg\" title=\"carrier rocket.jpg\" \/><\/span>\ufeff<\/P><br \/>\n<P>Fifty-three percent (53%) of A&amp;D companies report that using simulation tools that support multi-CAD helps, with another 13% wanting to implement this. With so many A&amp;D companies needing to work with IGES, STEP, and multi-CAD data, a simulation tool that will work with the multi-CAD data easily can help to reduce the time wasted on recreating CAD geometry.<\/P><\/p>\n<p><P>With so many A&amp;D companies reporting that the time required to define assembly contacts is a top challenge, it makes sense that A&amp;D companies say that using tools that automatically detect and define assembly contacts saves time. When dealing with thousands of components, defining the assembly contact for each component can be incredibly tedious. While many say it helps, another 27% say they would like to implement this.<\/P><br \/>\n<P><span class=\"lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-right\" style=\"width: 400px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/International-space-station-module-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"International space station module 2.jpg\" title=\"International space station module 2.jpg\" \/><\/span>\ufeff<\/P><br \/>\n<P>Another top preprocessing challenge is the time it takes to run all the desired simulation iterations. Setting up for each iteration is very time-consuming.&nbsp;To overcome this, many A&amp;D companies have&nbsp;found it helpful to use a simulation tool&nbsp;that has the ability to re-mesh the model&nbsp;with new parameters. This way they can preserve the work they already did, but test the impact of different changes to different parameters. In addition to the 53% who already find it helpful, another 33% would like to implement this.<\/P><\/p>\n<p><P>For more insights and findings from this study, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plm.automation.siemens.com\/en_us\/campaigns\/single_topic.cfm?Component=247350&amp;ComponentTemplate=186312\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">download the complete report here<\/A> (free of charge, registration required). I will also be sharing&nbsp;findings from this study at a webinar on&nbsp;Thursday, September 29, 2016 at&nbsp;2:00 PM ET\/ 11:00 AM PT. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/event.on24.com\/eventRegistration\/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&amp;partnerref=hp&amp;eventid=1234402&amp;sessionid=1&amp;key=305517FF5E696995B02FE2515F4820C7&amp;regTag=&amp;sourcepage=register\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">register for this event here<\/A>. I will be joined by&nbsp;Mark Beyer&nbsp;from The Spaceship Company (Virgin Galactic) who will share further insights on the use of simulation at his company.<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While product complexity is a growing concern for many industries, aerospace and defense (A&amp;D) companies produce some of the most complex products in the world. Engineers must deal with all sorts&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52600,"featured_media":5956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"industry":[],"product":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-5923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/09\/carrier-rocket-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52600"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5923"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5958,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5923\/revisions\/5958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5923"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=5923"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=5923"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}