If you, like so many manufacturing companies, are getting into model-based design (MBD), you realize how critical it is to have a 3D modeling solution that includes rapid simulation capabilities to support your efforts.
Simulation-driven product development is a necessity for model-based design.
Why You Need CAD Simulation
Rapid CAD Simulation Is a Game Changer
Simulation-driven product development ensures that you can quickly create rich CAD models. Using CAD simulation, these models are destined to become the source documents for your entire supply chain, including:
- Raw material and component suppliers
- Subcontractors
- Your own manufacturing and inspection teams
- Post-sales service team
Optimize Product Designs Fast
The best solutions use the most up-to-the-minute CAD simulation techniques to support your designs so you can create high-quality, innovative products. Robust generative design and simulation tools help you enhance and refine your designs. With streamlined simulations, you can do this over and over until you have reached the ideal balance of cost, quality, and manufacturability.
Instant Feedback
One of the most significant challenges to 3D CAD simulation is the time it takes to perform iterations, but if you find a tool that provides instant feedback on your designs, you never have to guesstimate or use rules of thumb that can only approximate the optimum solution. You can see immediately how your design performs in the real world.
Simulation Provides Clear Benefits and Cost Savings
According to recent research from analyst firm Tech-Clarity, 95% of companies benefit from CAD simulation because they either catch potential problems sooner, require fewer prototypes to hit on the best design, or do less rework during early-stage development. In addition, more than 37% of these companies said they develop more innovative products and designs when they use a simulation-driven product development process. Clearly, simulation-driven product development has real competitive benefits that translate into:
- Faster time to market
- Lower costs
- Higher quality
- Greater customer satisfaction
- Even more market share because of product innovations
CAD simulation can reduce engineering costs by 26%.
. . . but, sometimes engineers avoid simulations because of hard-to-use tools
The same survey revealed that 65% of manufacturing companies believe their engineers don’t conduct as many simulations as they should during the design phase. The companies attribute this to engineers who lack the expertise to run simulations or view their current simulation tools as too hard to use. In addition, a third of survey respondents cited the time it takes to conduct a CAD simulation as a reason for the shortfall in simulations performed.
Effective CAD Simulation Tools Improve Products
An overwhelming majority of these companies agreed that if CAD simulation results were available immediately in the modeling environment, allowing engineers to quickly perform the ideal number of simulations, they would benefit. Fifty-nine percent said they would experience fewer late-stage problems, and 55% said they would enjoy a faster time to market. In addition, 54% said they would have more optimized designs, and 48% felt they would produce more innovative designs.
Companies understand the benefits of simulation-driven product development, but until recently, CAD simulation tools proved inadequate. That’s where Creo Simulation Live comes in.
Simulation-driven product development drives product costs down through every phase of the product life cycle.
Creo Simulation Live: Address All CAD Simulation Concerns
Creo Simulation Live is a groundbreaking technology that can perform thermal, modal, and structural analysis on 3D CAD designs within seconds. The analysis even updates in real-time as engineers modify and edit designs or add new features and specifications. This real-time performance enables design engineers to perform as many CAD simulation cycles as necessary to achieve the optimal product design. And Creo Simulation Live is easy to use and easy to understand.
Creo Simulation Live addresses engineers’ top concerns about CAD simulation.
It’s axiomatic that most of a product’s costs become fixed for the life of the product during the design phase, so it makes sense to minimize costs as early in the cycle as possible. That means testing out different component specs, operational processes, and even potential repair costs.
Creo Simulation Live Is a Cost-Effective Solution
It seems as though such paradigm-shattering technology would be cost-prohibitive, but a recent study showed that product development costs are reduced to a staggering degree when the design team uses effective up-front CAD simulation tools.
Research-Supported Results
- Engineering costs: 26% lower
- Prototype costs: 30% lower
- Ideation scenario evaluation costs: 43% lower
- Testing and safety costs: 19% lower
- Cost of ECNs: 33% lower
All these cost savings come along with a 60% increase in the ability to explore iterative design alternatives. As a result, simulation-driven product development is a game-changer.
To Learn More
If you would like to learn more about Creo Simulation Live and how it can kick-start your simulation-driven product development process, contact us today to discuss how we can help.
