Category: Mechanical

Better Electrical and Mechanical Design Collaboration – 4 Rules

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Development of intricate and convergent designs is a fact CAD software is starting to live with. The adoption is happening in many ways; one of the prominent ways is the collaboration of electrical and mechanical design. Products now need better integration for better mechanical stability, electrical components, and unified industrial design. Due to the same, the barrier between electrical and mechanical designers is worn down.

How can electrical and mechanical teams work collaboratively, is that even a good idea? Let us discuss some rules to take the design team on the right path.

Rule 1 – Communication within Design Teams with Universally Shared Data

Data silos take place when the electrical and mechanical designers are unable to share data effectively. To enhance collaboration:

  • Breaking these data silos completely can be a better approach.
  • While following this approach, both the electrical and mechanical teams must be able to access the same universal data.
  • The real-time, as well as up-to-date version of the PCB, should be seen by the mechanical designer for his designing enclosure.
  • Conflict of components with mechanical design change must be immediately seen by the electrical engineer.

Rule 2 – Close the Gap between ECAD and MCAD

  • It will be much better to access the data in a way that is appropriate for both design teams.
  • No need for other software to access data for both electrical and mechanical teams.
  • It is critical for design software to adjusting and house multidisciplinary teamwork.
  • Making data accessible for each team in a way they both can work together and implement a bidirectional workflow.
  • An MCAD perspective is presented here as SOLIDWORKS, and ECAD perspective is presented as Altium Designer; however both presented with varied perspective eventually showing same data.

Rule 3 – Compatible Digital Tools across Engineering Disciples

  • Bidirectional flow of data all over the designing software can turn out as the best way to start.
  • ECAD and MCAD tools must establish a consistent design setting. Collaborative features such as revision history as well as comments, can be accessed from any application.
  • The issues of data silos and ineffective communication techniques will flourish unless the application is not compatible.

Rule 4 – Reduce Data Transition Overhead and Maximize Results

  • When more than one application, namely ECAD and MCAD is used by a design team which was not designed for data interoperable, the it is unavoidable to use data translation program.
  • Success or failure of data translation is based on the model’s complexity as well as the data formats in the question.
  • Data translation is sheer overhead that does not add any value to a product designing team. 
  • Designers can effectively use their time by removing the need for workflow and quickly launch their product to the market.

Nevertheless, if the software used by you is not as interoperable as defined in the above four rules, find a way to abate data translation to develop collaborative success with electromechanical design teams.

What’s New in CATIA R2019x

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CATIA R2019X have become a powerful tool for surface modeling across automobile and aircraft industries. The tool allows designers to create compelling visual products using the 3D virtual reality. It provides a lean and intuitive environment to carry out all design and engineering activities. Have a look at some of the exciting features of CATIA R2019x latest release.

New Immersive Design Experience

The immersive virtual reality integrated into CATIA is now extended in R2019x to Virtual Reality. The feature helps teams to experience the product in real time. It also allows designers to communicate their creativity transforming 2D ideas into 3D models.

Product Experience Presenter

The feature helps to create compelling visual products in 3D for more professional and effective styling presentations. The presenter gives power to the designers to create detailed design explorations and reviews.  

ICEM Design Experience

The tool introduced ICEM Design Experience application, which is a surface modeling app used for Computer Aided Styling and Class A surface modelers. The application has a highly interactive and innovative user experience to increase the levels of productivity and collaboration.

Function Driven Generative Design

The feature helps even the design beginners to generate optimized conceptual assemblies and parts from the functional specifications. The advanced version needs just a button press to run simulations and create highly optimized, smooth, and regular product surfaces. The feature also has some new controls to make changes in the designs of the optimized parts.  

Cyber Systems Engineering

The feature provides digital continuity to validate, design, and experience mechanical, electronic and software systems. Cyber systems engineering has also introduced a new role Virtual Systems Experience Designer which helps in the integration of 3D party FMI. The feature gives a better understanding of the realistic behavior of the entire system.

Some other features of CATIA R2019x:

  • System engineers can now work with multiple enhancements and across additional roles. The new version of the tool makes their job easier and highly productive.
  • The unconstrained creativity in its new version of the 3D Generative innovator combines the graphical visual scripting and interactive 3D modeling which can be used anytime.
  • The improved visual scripting feature allows the creative people in the field of Design/ Styling, Architecture, and engineering to quickly design and explore complex shapes and patterns.

The new version of CATIA R2019x makes the product designs easy to navigate and track. Also, these enhancements will help designers to improve their design, engineering and system process.

Convergence of Mechanical and Electronic Design

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Electronics and product design have now become so much inter-dependent that it is difficult to imagine a product that is purely mechanical. Most importantly, the physical form of electronics plays an important role in product design.

Issues with distinct Mechanical and Electronic Design

Mechanical products under development move back and forth between electronics and mechanical design phases during their development life cycle. They also face delays due to reasons such as:

  • A board created by the electronic engineer is sent to a third party to create a prototype.
  • The prototypes often do not fit into the enclosure due to some additional changes.
  • A collective effort of electronic, mechanical, and software engineers also create conflicts.

Uniting Electronic and Mechanical Designs

To resolve such issues, CAD vendors are now making efforts to develop workflows that seamlessly integrate software, mechanical, and electrical parts of product design. For instance, to reduce such delays and improve the overall product development life cycle, Siemens PLM started working with Mentor Graphics in 2017. The product now offers electronics and electrical design with their CAD packages, SolidEdge, and NX.

Similarly, Autodesk is working in association with EAGLE since 2016. EAGLE is Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software that enables the printed circuit board designers to connect easily with schematic diagrams, PCB routing, and component placement.

All of these software vendors strive to create bi-directional associativity without carrying out file translation to develop an easy workflow across electrical, electronic, and mechanical aspects of a product. Designers now enjoy product design benefits such as:

  • The integrated suite now supports importing board outlines from the mechanical model design suite Fusion 360 to EAGLE and vice versa.
  • The application also letsusers update their component placement on the board.
  • It helps to populate each component with a 3D model.

The integrated workflow also faced some constraints in the product design. Typically, the electronics designers have to work under them. Some of these include:

  • Size of the board
  • Placement of critical components
  • Position of the mounting holes

Specialists then developed an integrated EAGLE/Fusion 360 environment which eradicated these issues. Now, any change in one model is directly reflected in another. The best part is, the designer can either choose to accept or reject these changes.

The new functionality has proved to be a game changer in the overall product development and design. Designers can now carry out the product design more efficiently and quickly. The tool also helps the designers to explore new techniques to design electronic products.

NOW ANSYS 19.2 WITH FASTEST CFD, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND MANY MORE

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ANSYS a company which develops, markets, and supports engineering replication software used to forecast how product designs will act in real-world environment. Engineering simulation is their sole focus. Their latest release of ANSYS 19.2 software has updated tools that will support autonomous vehicles designing, additive manufacturing, optics and assembly. Some of the important features of ANSYS 19.2 are:

Automotive System

ANSYS 19.2 introduced the ANSYS VRXPERIENCE, which permits operators to fully and realistically simulate independent vehicles using real-world customizable conditions.

Increased Use of Optics

ANSYS 19.2 contains a capital of general optical imitation tools, such as ANSYS SPEOS which is one solution for imitation of optics and optoelectronics. These new tools permit imitation of lighting, interior and exterior lighting, cameras and LiDARs, and delivers designers with the ability to assess optical performance while reducing expansion time and costs.

Digital Twins Bug

New capabilities of ANSYS 19.2 make it easier to shape, authenticate and organize digital twins more quickly. Now, users can create images of 3D fields of static ROMs (Reduced Order Modeling) and view simulation results, such as speed and flow rate, on the 3D geometry of the twin.

Preservative Manufacturing

ANSYS 19.2 continues to deliver the Additive Suite and Additive Print tools for imagining 3D printing processes. It also offers a beta version of Additive Science. This technology allows operators to simulate the micro structure and advance insight into the properties of the final published part.

Computerized Fluid Dynamics

In the fluids suite, ANSYS 19.2 delivers new features to accelerate CFD simulations for boosting productivity. It works on the basis of Mosaic meshing technology.

Discover Live Updates

This feature gives a boost to its abilities by allowing users to account for the angular speed of rotating components in a fluid simulation. This is especially useful for understanding the result of wheel rotation on a vehicle and detecting real-world trends in virtual designs.

Physical Simulations

The new Material Designer feature can make full models of fiber-filled, woven or lattice resources, and then calculate equivalent belongings for use in larger-scale imitations. In topology optimization, ANSYS 19.2 has extra loading options, manufacturing restraints that are perfect for preservative manufacturing, and a sole lattice optimization capability.

Overall, the features mentioned above shows some additional features incorporated in ANSYS 19.2. Precisely, these additional features would improve the productivity of ANSYS and would enhance the overall user experience.

Why Should Every Engineer Learn Machining?

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Engineers and machinists often work together on a single project across the manufacturing industries. An open communication and awareness about their respective work methods can do wonders. On the other hand, a breakdown in their communication can be disastrous for a project. These two groups are dependent on each other as they work together. Therefore, it can be highly beneficial for the engineers to learn some machining basics:

  • Learning about machining helps them to look at the world from both perspectives.
  • There will be a better understanding among both groups about the technical details.
  • Knowing the design details about the machine will enhance the engineer’s imagination towards its operation.
  • It will help to adopt better design principles.

From a designer’s point of view, it is essential to push their limits beyond imagination. Being an engineer and a machinist will help in knowing what can be done and how will it be done. As a result, it will increase the overall efficiency.