Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
- Sensors - Optical Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Buildings
- Construction & Infrastructure
Use Cases
- Smart Lighting
About The Customer
Serapid is a company that specializes in designing systems for the transfer of heavy loads. Their technology is based on their unique 'rigid chain' concept. When designing support platforms, they often work with dummy geometries of parts from suppliers. These parts, which are to be installed on the platform, do not have contents – they are just skins of solids. Serapid uses these dummies to properly size the platform and position the parts on it. The suppliers also provide them with the mass of the dummy parts. Serapid then needs to simulate the complete structure, loading it with the weights of the installed devices.
The Challenge
Serapid, a company that designs systems for the transfer of heavy loads, often works with dummy geometries of parts from suppliers. These parts, which are to be installed on the platform, are essentially hollow solids. While these dummies are crucial for Serapid to properly size the platform and position the parts, they pose a challenge when simulating the complete structure. The company needs to load the structure with the weights of the installed devices, a process that can be time-consuming and complex. The weight of each part is applied in its center of gravity (COG), which is a remote load application point. This means that the COG of each part needs to be evaluated and spots on the platform where the remote load will be brought to need to be created. This process can be particularly challenging and time-consuming when many devices are installed.
The Solution
Serapid found an innovative solution to this challenge by using the Rigid Part functionality in Altair SimSolid. Instead of using the Remote Load functionality, they made the dummy geometry rigid. This approach works perfectly as Serapid does not need to worry about stresses and deformations in the spot light itself – this is the supplier's responsibility. To make a part rigid, they go to the Assembly workbench, open the Rigid Part dialog from the toolbar, select the parts they want to make rigid and assign a mass to them. They also apply Gravity in the Structural analysis workbench. SimSolid then automatically accounts for the gravity loads applied to the dummy parts and transfers the loads to the structure. This solution significantly simplifies the process and saves time.
Operational Impact
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