Standardization of Model Building Process with Meshing and Weld Creation Automation at F.tech R&D North America
Technology Category
- Robots - Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV)
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
- Equipment & Machinery
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Leasing Finance Automation
- Material Handling Automation
Services
- Testing & Certification
About The Customer
F.tech R&D North America, headquartered in Japan with international locations, is a Tier-1 automotive systems supplier. The company provides a variety of automotive components such as subframes, suspension control arms, and pedals to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). F.tech R&D North America based in Troy, OH, has full in-house research and development capabilities for Design, Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), prototyping and testing. This team embraces virtual design validation, making extensive use of simulation tools, including Altair’s HyperWorks™ software suite.
The Challenge
F.tech R&D North America, a Tier-1 automotive systems supplier, was facing challenges in standardizing their model building process with meshing and different types of weld creation automation. The complexities in vehicle design and development, including the cost of prototypes, compliance with safety standards, and emissions, posed many challenges for the engineers. The Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) team at F.tech R&D North America was struggling with tedious tasks related to model build and geometry preparation for weld creation. The need for a solution that could streamline these processes, eliminate human errors, increase the accuracy of analysis data, and save valuable development time was evident.
The Solution
Altair developed a customized solution for F.tech R&D North America, known as F.tech–PAS (F.tech -Pre-processing Automation Solution). This solution was developed using Altair’s Model Mesher Director (MMD) PSO (Packaged Solution Offering). The F.tech-PAS is a streamlined toolset which aids F.tech engineers in CAE meshing and assembly from CAD to solver deck. It includes key features such as launching the tool from Altair HyperMesh™, capturing best model building practices, and automating the different steps in the meshing and welding processes. Once the model file is imported, it is simplified by geometry clean-up and meshing, creating welds and washers. The engineers are now able to efficiently simplify and de-feature the geometry, accelerate the meshing and weld creation process, and automatically assign materials & properties. After the model is complete it is ready for analysis with Altair OptiStruct™ or an alternate solver.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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