An Independent Association of Engineers - Term Paper Example

Design and technology affiliations Design and Technology Introduction NAFEMS is an independent association of engineers. The engineering association analysis community held a two-day conference in the United Kingdom starting on the eleventh of June, 2014 at the Oxford Belfry Hotel. The conference had a primary aim of assisting those in attendance answer some of the questions that address engineering and design issues. The potential of the computer-aided engineering was elaborated in detail majoring on what has been achieved and what needs to be addressed. The conference touched on the best existing practices and also the state of the FEA to ensure that attendees were equipped with an elaborate impression of the current technological state available in the market. Computer-aided engineering is the use of software and tools to enhance the user’s productivity. Computer-aided engineering tools such as the MuSES IR Signature Prediction by ThermoAnalytics and the Solidworks tools by Bassauult Systems as illustrated on the UK conference. The future of computer-aided engineering aims at developing programs that can share data with each other and eradicating manual involvements, cross-checking, and the checking of errors. Manual attributes are regarded as a low-value utilization of an engineer’s time where organizations cannot maximize their resources using the manual approach. The future of computer-aided engineering seeks to automate most non-value tasks to enable engineers complete challenging tasks in the least time possible (Hsieh & Tsai, n.d). According to the presentations by Altair, TranscenData, and Enginesoft among others, the new development of the computer-aided programming seeks to converge most approaches as the computer-aided design by adding a central database to increase automation levels. The presented software and tools such as the ESTECO Enterprise Suite indicate that engineers will be able to load numerous data entries into the database that can hold all recurrent data and insert it where necessary in a keystroke. Engineers are choosing the use of the computer-aided engineering will convert project documentation into various regional standards and languages to facilitate cross-border collaborations. The computer-aided engineering initially included simulation and optimization and was once regarded as a specialty task that required advanced development and research. Today simulation through the finite element analysis has drastically evolved into a relevant part of an engineer’s design. The impact of simulation can be observed in everything from packaging of appliances to the airframes integrity and the driving power of golf clubs. Software such as the NX CAE help organizations and engineers in achieving efficient simulation driven designs. The illustration by Altair for their approach the CAD and the CAE are deployed simultaneously making the tools more intelligent and predictive. Engineers are taking computer-aided programming and developing initial artifacts and using simulation analysis to optimize their creations. Simulation analysis is also efficient in the reduction of the materials from the product to reduce its overall weight while maintaining its performance and strength. The future of simulation presents a no end in sight. Simulation and analysis will increase the incorporation of stochastic elements and adopt the cloud-based software to enable employees communicate among regions. A Troy, Michigan based Altair Engineering has managed to shrink the test necessary for the setup and execution of a complete car crash to a few days and not weeks and months. The process could in the future be accelerated to produce an efficient simulation in a day. The future of simulation is that it will continue to play a significant role in determining product designs from inception to the final product (Brennan, 2011). Some of the enablers that will carry the future of computer-aided programming include mechanical computer-aided engineering, mechanical computer-aided design, and the electrical computer-aided design. The mechanical computer-aided engineering focuses on the simulation of the physical performance of a model in its operational environment. Software applications are used to separate the focus between preparation and the review of results. In preparation, the model mathematically solves prepared simulations and then reviews the results in models known as the post-processors. Mechanical computer-aided engineering can also provide critical information on how to best improve the performance of the design in automated ways (Lifecycle Insight, 2015). The mechanical computer-aided design is essential in the creation of and modification of geometry in 2D and 3D platforms. The software can assess and also record the mechanical components required, assemblies, dies, and other tooling. Through its 3D modeling, there are different capabilities presented and include parametric and direct modeling. In parametric modeling, parameter sizing are used to create features necessary in the production of the necessary geometry. In the direct modeling, geometry is originated from pre-defined shapes that are later modified using drag, push, and pull manipulations (Lifecycle Insight, 2015). An electrical computer-aided design is a software used by engineers in the creation and modification of both 2D and 3D layouts. The designs are crucial in the assessment, design, and the documentation of circuit boards. The software can be used to generate manufacturing information necessary in the fabrication and production of engineering designs. The electrical computer-aided design is also essential in the exploration of changes that need to be effected on the circuit boards (Lifecycle Insight, 2015). ABAQUS is used mainly in finite element analysis in modeling and assessment of mechanical designs, components, and assemblies. ABAQUS has both pre and post processing capabilities. ANSYS is a simulation software used mostly in engineering and is capable of both pre and post processing simulation analysis. COMSOL is a software analysis used in finite element analysis with the capabilities of performing simulation analysis for various engineering and physics applications. The three software also have varied graphic user interfaces with ABAQUS ranking as the one with the favorable graphic user interface and COMSOL as the one with the most sophisticated graphic user interface. The plastic injection process using C-mold and the moldflow approaches begin with the placing of a polymer into the hopper that moves it towards the barrel that gets heated to the anticipated temperature. The heating depends on the material to be produced but to a point where it will flow freely. The molten plastic is then injected into the mold under high pressure. Once the injection is complete, the platens get subjected to high pressures so as to hold the molten mold tool in a place where it is let to cool and solidify. The platens move away from each other once the mold has solidified and attained its shape. The molded product is finally removed from the mold, and the injection process repeats itself (Autodesk, 2015). Hyperwork is crucial in the design of products and the simplification of an engineer’s work. The Hyperwork package helps the engineer in that it optimizes performance through a broad category of multiphysics solutions and solvers. Through Hyperwork packages, tailored simulations can be used to help reduce the weight of a given design and product. Hyperwork reduces weight while maintaining the product’s objectives and performance through the use of new materials, advanced approaches, and effective geometrics. Hyperwork packages also provide automation services drastically reducing the time of production due to its efficient simulation. The Hyperwork package has also adopted new technological measures for design and optimization including the use of cloud-based products (Altair, 2014). Material structure simulations software includes the computer-aided design embedded simulation package by SolidWorks that enable finite element analysis. These simulations work to better the performance and validate designs for organizations while reducing the need for expensive prototypes. Material structure simulations cover vast areas of FEA problems including the strength and the stiffness of a given product. The approach adopted in material structure simulation depends on the nature and loads and the organization’s estimated failure modes. The next NAFEMS World Congress & International SPDM Conference will be held on June twenty-first to twenty-fourth year 2015 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. Conclusion Typical engineering models involved a primary design that was followed by repetitions of assessment and complex results evaluation. The process was tedious and time consuming as the iterative process proposed changes and modifications and adopted the same procedure. However, the adoption of the computer-aided engineering software has streamlined the design process and engineers can focus on the necessary issues avoiding the no-value activities. The computer-aided engineering presents a simulation analysis by developing advanced preprocessing and post-processing capabilities. Designers seek a next generation computer-aided engineering software that incorporates the computer-aided interactive design to assist in the development of better and more efficient designs. Computer-aided engineering is the best approach for engineers to reduce their cost of production. The software also reduces the duration necessary for the design and computation of final products. With reduced time in testing and prototype development to the end product, the issues affecting the society are reduced almost promptly. As the uses of computer-aided engineering software increases, the society is bound to receive better and efficient products. The products could be favorable to the environment and the consumers. Governments and organizations should highly facilitate the research into developing better and more sophisticated computer-aided engineering platforms. Recommendation Computer-aided engineering use has continually increased in a double digit growth. The cumulative growth illustrates that CAE has developed into a significant portion of the engineering sector. Simulation analysis has presented numerous benefits to the society, and the progressive increase is necessary. The society from the government to the engineers should come up with strategies that are adequate in providing a better platform for CAE. Learning institutions should incorporate simulation and other computer-aided engineering techniques studies in the engineering courses to develop critical skills and knowledge in understanding modern design. Governments and organizations should invest in research to ensure that engineers can skillfully apply their engineering experiences to the research. Research should be increased in the development of the application of computer-aided software in all stages of development. References Altair (2014). Altair HyperWorks 13.0 Advances Current Product Design Trends. Altair Corporate. Accessed from http://www.altair.com/newsdetail.aspx?news_id=11052&news_country=en-US Autodesk (2015). Products: Plastic injection molding. Autodesk Inc. Accessed from http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=17669283 Brennan, J. (2011). The Computer-Aided-Engineering Revolution Is here. Industry Week. Retrieved from http://www.industryweek.com/global-economy/computer-aided-engineering-revolution-here Hsieh, Y. and Tsai, S. (n.d). Computer-aided iterative design – a future trend in computer-aided Engineering Software. Taipei, Taiwan: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Lifecycle Insight (2015). Technology Enablers. Lifecycle Insights. Retrieved from http://www.lifecycleinsights.com/tech-category/technology-enablers/ Read More