Computer-Aided Engineering
The materials and other features of your product, as well as the product’s intended use and environment, set numerous challenges to the safety, functionality and durability of your product. Thanks to computer-aided engineering (CAE), these can be secured before building any prototypes or manufacturing the product. Computer-aided engineering involves analyzing a product’s features with the help of different kinds of simulations.
Main benefits
The main benefit of using simulations is that they take significantly less time than building physical prototypes. When problems that are critical to the safety, functionality and durability of the product are detected already in the design phase, it not only helps to minimize the number of prototypes but also the amount of testing in the later stages of product development. This way, simulations help to save both time and money in the product development process.
However, the benefits of computer-aided engineering are not limited to detecting problems with new products: it can also be used for analyzing features of existing products. The information gained through these analyses can be utilized for further development of the product. By making changes that lengthen the operating life of the product or reduce its maintenance costs, significant savings can be achieved.
Techniques used
The main areas of computer-aided engineering are structural analysis and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The structural analysis involves evaluating the effects of loads on physical structures and their components. The most widely used techniques used in the structural analysis are the finite element method (FEM) and the stress analysis.
Computational fluid dynamics involves studying the behaviour of fluids (liquids and gases) and heat transfer in a device or system. This can be done by using techniques such as thermal and fluid flow analysis. With the help of these analyses, it is possible to detect problems caused by heat, such as overheating or thermal expansion, which can have significant effects on the product’s safety and durability.
Do you want to know more about Computer-Aided Engineering? Contact us by using the contact form below, by email sales@optotec.fi or by phone +358 40 632 9649.