Lenovo ThinkPads Get Tougher and More Sensitive with Abaqus FEA
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- Asia
Country
- China
Product
- Lenovo ThinkPad X300
- Lenovo ThinkPad T400
- Abaqus FEA software
Tech Stack
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Innovation Output
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Applicable Industries
- Electronics
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Digital Twin
- Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
About The Customer
Lenovo is a multinational technology company that designs, develops, manufactures, and sells personal computers, tablet computers, smartphones, workstations, servers, electronic storage devices, IT management software, and smart televisions. The company is known for its ThinkPad line of laptops, which are widely recognized for their performance, durability, and aesthetics. Lenovo's Innovation Design Center (IDC) in Beijing is responsible for analyzing all of Lenovo’s products, ranging from PCs and notebooks to cell phones and servers. The IDC has received numerous awards for its design excellence.
The Challenge
Lenovo's ThinkPad line of laptops is known for its aesthetics and durability. However, the challenge lies in ensuring that the laptops are not only portable but also durable. The laptops face demanding loads and forces even when they’re just being carried from place to place. It’s important for the covers to be stiff enough, with minimal deformation, so that the rear cover will protect the display, while the base cover protects the motherboard. Another challenge was to reduce the thickness of the keyboard assembly without losing the traditional keystroke feel.
The Solution
Lenovo uses SIMULIA’s Abaqus FEA software to design out flex, engineer in stiffness, and improve keystroke feel. The software is used early in the design process to verify product strength, choose between different versions, and identify and improve problem areas. The process involves pre-processing from CAD to meshed model; establishing loads, boundaries, and part interactions; running the analysis; and creating the reports. For the keyboard design, engineers simulated the effects of keystroke pressure on the original dome-shaped rubber spring to confirm that the feel remained the same from the old keyboard to the new. The nonlinear simulation enabled the engineers to establish values for how far the rubber dome traveled downward as keystroke force increased.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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