Our world is a highly nonlinear and dynamic 3D domain. To develop products that are of high quality and robust to survive the real-world conditions, it is important to test the product’s behavior and performance prior to manufacturing. Simultaneously, there is the need to accelerate product innovation and cut down the time to market. This is where simulation technology for virtual testing can help you remain ahead of your competition.

What is Design Simulation?

Design Simulation is an approach to predict the product’s performance and behavior concurrent to the design process. Thus ensuring the product fulfills the defined user needs and/or technical specifications. Simulation of real-world scenarios in a virtual environment allows you to take risks, make mistakes in virtual conditions and try different approaches to find an optimal solution to complex problems. This helps avoid expensive product or performance failures from occurring later in the product’s real life.

>> Watch our design validation webinar series

Traditionally, product development has been a sequential process as shown in Figure 1. The process begins with a product’s initial conceptual design to its final design and manufacturing. Any design flaw or functional issue would require going back to rework the design. This results in higher cost, extended time to market and no scope for product innovation.  

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If you can identify design problems and evaluate product performance earlier in the design phase, it would not only shorten the product development time but also improve product quality and save money. Better business decisions can be made if you can evaluate your product’s design right from ideation/concept phase through the final design phase.

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As product specifications and complex mechanisms become more evolved, you will want to simulate multifaceted physical behaviors requiring powerful nonlinear, dynamics, fluid flow and coupled simulation capabilities. Simulation technology, such as SOLIDWORKS Simulation, allows you to use computer-based, mathematical modeling to approximate and simulate complex phenomena of our physical universe that can impact your product design. The SOLIDWORKS Simulation product portfolio includes Computational Fluid Dynamics, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Plastics for Injection Molding and Motion Analysis for Kinematics & Dynamics.

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Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation for Design Validation

SOLIDWORKS Simulation is embedded within SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and you don’t have to worry about file translation or learn a new user interface. You can define material properties, load and fixtures to approximate the real-world condition in which your design must perform. SOLIDWORKS Simulation has an easy to use interface it’s advanced visualization techniques allow you to gain valuable insights about your design early in the process.

>> Watch our on-demand webinar, Get to Know SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Five Reasons Why Simulation Analyst is a Needed Skill

Now that you are more familiar with the benefits of using simulation software for design validation, it’s important to have someone in your team that specializes in product simulation. Let’s look at the top five reasons why a Simulation Analyst role is ideal for your workflow.

1. Product Quality and Reliability – Engineers in product development are required not just design products using 3D CAD, but also simultaneously ensure their designs can reliably function and meet the technical requirements. Improved quality will reduce product failure and warranty claims. Simulation is fast becoming a critical part of efficient product development process.
2. Reduce Time- to- Market – With Industry 4.0 dawning upon the manufacturing world, companies are fostering digital transformation to enhance, automate and modernize the traditional product manufacturing process. Digital manufacturing seeks to reduce the product manufacturing cycle time and cost. To accomplish this, design and product development engineers must validate their design concurrent to the design process. Design simulation is no longer the last step or ‘behind the scene’ task of any design process. Easy to use SOLIDWORKS Simulation tools can help you identify design errors early in the product development cycle, thereby improving the product quality and reducing the time to market for a new product.
3. Optimizing Material Usage – By incorporating generative design technique, product development and design engineers can optimize their design for various loading conditions. Having a lighter design, with optimum material usage and without compromising the strength and performance, will result in cost savings and increasing profitability.
4. Reduce Product Development Costs – According to a market research report, the global virtual prototype market size is estimated to reach USD 861.7 million by the year 2025 and expand at a compound annual growth rate of 19.4%. Instead of building multiple prototypes for physical testing, engineers can use simulation tools to virtually test their ideas. Use of Simulation helps reduce the number of prototypes required for actual testing.
5. Accelerate Product Innovation – Virtual product development using simulation tools allows engineers to quickly and efficiently test multiple design iterations in the very early stages of the design cycle. Different loading scenarios can be virtually tested to create a high-quality optimized design. This will allow you to make better technical decisions driven by simulation insights for product and business benefits.

Skilled engineers with powerful simulation tools such as SOLIDWORKS Simulation are empowered to create successful products.

It’s time to develop those simulation skills and expand your SOLIDWORKS knowledge. Explore our SOLIDWORKS Simulation classes and register to enhance your skills!