Simulation Apps: Simulation for...

Simulation Apps for automated Design Space Exploration

Simulation Apps:

Simulation for EveryoneMalcolm Panthaki, Founder & CTO, Comet Solutions, Inc.


Agenda

• Engineering Goal: Design Space Exploration

• Simulation Market: The status quo– Why is Simulation limited to the experts?

– Current attempts to solve this problem

• Simulation Market: The new business drivers

• Simulation Apps– What are they?

– Real use cases and the ROI

– Key ingredients

• Conclusions: Simulation Is For Everyone!


Design Space Exploration vs. Design Optimization

“Design optimization strategies have two distinct parts:

formulate and converge. Here it is assumed that the problem

can be formulated before the search and convergence begins.”

“Design exploration strategies, on the other hand, are based

on the belief that the problem formulation evolves during the

process of searching and converging, thus ultimately leading

to a more informed optimal solution. In this way, design

exploration is both divergent and convergent.”

Dr. Chris Mattson

Director, Design Exploration Research Group, Brigham Young University (BYU)

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


From Optimization to Design Space Exploration

Copyright 2016 Ora Research, Bruce Jenkins


Goal: Automated Design Space Exploration (DSE)

Simulation process automation – at any

level of model fidelity – is key to making

automated DSE work, for both experts

and non-experts

– By enabling…

• Robust and safe simulation automation

• At all levels of model fidelity

…everyone on the product development team

can explore the design space and refine their

designs, at all stages of the design process


Goal: Non-Experts in the Concept Phase

• In the concept phase, the automation templates

should allow any user, expert or non-expert, to:

– Explore various architectures at any “reasonable” level

of model fidelity

– Swap out entire subsystems/components

to rapidly find a better initial architecture and design

• Makes it easy for all relevant engineering team

members, not just simulation experts, to

contribute their expertise to design exploration

Result: Better product architecture & design, faster, cheaper


Agenda







– Key ingredients



A Wider Audience of Users Can Benefit from CAE

20 MillionEngineers Globally

(2015)

8 MillionEngineers of a type who can benefit from

CAE use

Significant barriers to broader adoption of CAE within the enterprise

Formal education: Most expert users are PhD’s and MS engineers

Requires specific product training and experience, for many years

Many engineers and employees engaged in product development are not able or capable of participating in simulation today, even though this would be highly advantageous for the product development process

Current Simulation (CAE) End-User Realities

750 K Engineers actually

using CAE today

750,000 simulation experts 8 million engineers 20M potential users*Source (2014): Cambashi


Simulation Team

Simulation status quo: The Problems

Simulation in the hands of too few, for too longHow can we get complex simulation safely and effectively to “Everyone Who Needs It”?

CAECode 1

CAECode 2

CAECode 25

CAECode 13

CAECode 32

CAECode 35

CAECode 40

CAECode 38

Excel

Matlab

Optimization

Product Managers

Product Development Engineers

Systems Engineers

Test Engineers

Salespeople

…everyone needs simulation!

Product Development Team

Simulation Data: in silos, inconsistent, non-integrated

Simulation Processes: manual, error-prone, highly inefficient

5 days to “clean up” geometry and create a “perfect” mesh??

4-6 weeks to complete a single analysis?

How can simulation be a driving force in design?

Simulation Experts: often the bottlenecks


Why is simulation limited to experts?Simulation is hard, especially when dealing with product

assemblies and complex phenomena

Simulation environments are general-purpose100’s-1000’s of functions, and keep growing

Extracting “good”, usable results from a particular

simulation tool takes years of experienceNeeds expertise in both the physics and the tools

Precisely because they are easier to use, garbage-in/garbage-out is a real danger!“Pretty” pictures are not only worth a 1000 words, but can easily deceive!


Attempts to Solve These Problems

Use “Excel”, early and often (750M active users!!)

VisiCalc – 1979

Issues• Can get complex & hard to understand

• Obscured logic

• Too easy to modify

• Version control & distribution issues

• Limited math

Benefits• Targeted “Apps”

• Easy to create & modify

• Easy to use

• Simple to complex

• Affordable

• Ubiquitous


Use CAD-embedded simulation tools

Make simulation environments easier & easier to useOngoing process, with huge progress over the last 20 years

Benefits• Integrated with the CAD environment

• Relatively simple interface

• Designers can run simulation directly

• Experts can work more efficiently in

their “general-purpose” tools


IssuesCAD Embedded Tools

• Simple interfaces, but still general-purpose

• Limited simulation capabilities

• These are not the tools that experts use, so they often do not trust the results

• Have not seen widespread use as designers do not understand simulation and

are reluctant to trust the results

General-Purpose Expert Tools

• Though easier for experts to use, these still cannot be used by non-experts



Use Vertical (solution-specific) ApplicationsScripted, expensive to create/maintain, limited & brittle

Benefits• Targeted “Apps”

• Easy to use

Issues• Scripting/programming approach requires “programmers”

• Expensive to create

• Logic (including rules) is obscured within the program

• Difficult and expensive to enhance/modify

• Often break when the design changes by “too much”

• Often do not work across a product family


Agenda







– Key ingredients



Simulation Market: New business drivers

What’s driving changes in the simulation market?

This has resulted in increased focus and investment

in simulation by major PLM software vendors

Simulation has seen continual, steady annual growth for 40 years

Simulation is now a significant portion of the Engineering

Software Market and a driver for future growth

Growing Business awareness that

Simulation is key to increased Competitiveness

Credit: Joe Walsh, intrinSIM (www.intrinsim.com)

However, more recently, due to strong market pressures…

The changing role of simulation is more about it’s

role in business than the changes in simulation technology

http://www.intrinsim.com/


Business Drivers

Expertise Available Expertise Required

MCAE Market Trends revolution

Credit: Joe Walsh, intrinSIM (www.intrinsim.com)

So, innovative Businesses are asking questions:How can we better leverage the power of Simulation to be more innovative, faster?

How can we deal with a small, ageing population of simulation experts?

The demand for simulation is rapidly increasing…

A Simulation Revolution

has begun:

“Fit for purpose”

“Smart”

“Integrated”

“Transparent”

http://www.intrinsim.com/


ASSESS Initiative

Analysis, Simulation & Systems Engineering

Software Strategies

Mission statement:

“Expanding the use and benefit of Model Based Simulation, Analysis and Systems Engineering”

2005 2015 2020?1 in 22

1 in 6-10 ALL

Next gathering is in Potomac, MD – Jan 20-22, 2016

http://assessevent.com/

Brad Holtz, Cyon Research

Joe Walsh, intrinSIM

http://assessevent.com/


Potential economic impact of $5.2T to $6.7T per year in 2025

Disruptive Impact of Technology Waves

• Capture product engineering knowledge in

reusable system modelling templates

• Automate multi-fidelity, multi-disciplinary product

and design calculations related to performance,

manufacturing, maintenance, or cost

• Allow these automated calculations to be

safely & easily run using simple Simulation Apps

Simulation Automation


Agenda







– Key ingredients



Simulation Apps: A Solution

Simulation Apps(author the Apps)

CAE

Code 1

CAE

Code 2

CAE

Code 3CAD Tool

Optimization

Simulation

Experts

Product Managers

Systems Engineers

Designers

Salespeople

…

(users of the

Simulation Apps)

Targeted Applications: answer particular questions,

on a particular product family, at a particular level of fidelity

Simple GUI’s that drive Simulation Automation Templates

that capture & enforce the expertiseSafe and robust for all users

Must speak the language of the user, not “Simulation”

Web-deployed on “The Cloud” – why does that matter?

Product Development & Sales Teams Simulation Team


Simulation Apps: What are the Benefits?

Simple, targeted, web-deployed Simulation Applications

Hydraulic Rod Calculator

Bumper Impact Calculator

• Targeted/Solution-SpecificAnswer specific questions about the design of a particular product at particular levels of fidelity

• Dirt Simple & often Cloud Available – Think Apps!Easy to use, speak the users’ language, and globally web-accessible

• Useful Across a Wide Range of Product DesignsWork across significant design changes and also across a product family whose members share a common functional architecture

• Safe To Use – Expert-Certified!Have the expertise of the experts embedded in them – company best practices are captured and enforced

• Harness the Full Power of the Expert Tools – Expert-Blessed!Use the same, underlying, validated expert CAE tools

• And Fast – All the Compute Power You NeedProvide access to the required compute hardware on the intra/public Cloud


AweSim is a unique public-private partnership facilitating the adoption of affordable, effective and convenient simulation-driven design by small- and medium-sized companies by providing simple and easy-to-use access to:

• Online modeling and simulation apps and tools

• Educational materials and training courses

• Industry-specific expertise and consultants

AweSim Partners

AweSim Workflow

Ohio Supercomputer: AweSim Program


AltaSim: Heatsink Simulation App

• Power electronics

– Long term reliable

operation

• High power density

– Increased functionality and

decreased size

• Operating temperatures

– Approach component

failure

• Thermal management considered earlier in development cycle

• Traditional assessment methods not sufficiently accurate

• Accurate solutions complex to implement

Credit: Jeffrey Crompton, AltaSim Technologies (www.altasimtechnologies.com)

Simulation using COMSOL

http://www.altasimtechnologies.com/


Heatsink Simulation App: Inputs


26


Level 1: Results

27


Level 2: ResultsOptimum heat sink design

• Conduction

• Convection

• Radiation


GKN: Democratizing CAE with SPDM

Global Application

Engineers

User – Simulation Process Automation

Queue-Based Remote Execution

Web Tool: OutputsWeb Portal Web Tool: Interface

Fatigue: Life Prediction

CAD: Step files

Internal Loads

Solver & Post-processorPre-processor

Strength & Fatigue Modeling

Credit: Glenn Valine, GKN Driveline (http://www.gkn.com/)

http://www.gkn.com/


Simulation Process and

Data Management with

Run-Ready Input Decks

Simulation Recipes/Methods,

CAD-Attached CAE

Script-based

Simulation Process

Automation

Enterprise Deployed

Democratized CAE

Building Blocks to Democratizing CAE

Ad-Hoc Simulations with Traditional OTS Solvers

Num

ber

of

Users

and/o

r Job E

xecutions /

Year

Time

Credit: Glenn Valine, GKN Driveline (http://www.gkn.com/)

http://www.gkn.com/


FEA: Smart Web-Enabled Apps

1

2

3

4

5

Credit: Juan Betts, Front End Analytics (http://www.feasol.com/)

EASA for rapid web app development

Catia for CAD

Abaqus for finite element analysis

http://www.feasol.com/


American Axle: Driveline SimApps

Glen Steyer, American Axle’s Executive Director of Product Engineering, reports

major benefits from the new tool: • Average 75% time reduction for each analysis iteration.

• Approximately $130,000 in annual cost savings at a single engineering site.

• Improved quality through globally enforced modeling and NVH standards/practices which minimizes

opportunity for human error.

• Ability to run many more NVH analysis iterations, leading to more design decisions, earlier.

• Ability to redeploy resources as less experienced engineers are now able to safely run

simulations.

Teamcenter


Kinetic Vision: Container Top-Load App

Credits: Kinetic Vision (http://www.kinetic-vision.com/) & Comet Solutions (www.cometsolutions.com)

Kinetic Vision SimApps Library

Top-Load Container Analysis SimApp

Family of containers

Send in 3-D CAD model and automatically

run a top-load crush analysis using 2-D mid-

surface shells

Uses EASA for Web App development

Uses ANSA for meshing

Uses Abaqus for finite element analysis

SimApp deployed in the Cloud

Used by product engineers who have

little prior CAE expertise

http://www.kinetic-vision.com/

http://www.cometsolutions.com/


•Perform physical testing on molded parts to validate performance

•Build/modify injection mold and produce samples.

•New Pail Mold: $120k

•Modifications: $5k-$10k

BWAY Corp: Sim-App Process (2015+)Injection Molded

Samples

Product Testing

•Evaluate test data

•Make “Go To Market” or “Back To Drawing Board” Decision

•1-2 design iterations required

Evaluate and Decide

GO TO

MARKET

•Upload model to product-specific Sim-App with minimal input.

•Many iterations possible.

•Design product or product modification based on customer requirements and analysis data

Product Design

Cloud-Based Sim-App

Credit: Forrest Burney, BWAY Corp. (http://www.bwaycorp.com/)

http://www.bwaycorp.com/


Top Load Simulation App: Process– Access the Simulation App directly through the Web

– User submits a 3-D SolidWorks CAD file and inputs the following:• Material

• Compression Distance (mm)

• Duration (ms)

• Mesh Size (mm)

– The simulation runs in ~6-15 hours and produces results




Results • 3D view of deformation (Image and Video)

• Maximum reaction force

• Error %

• Force versus Deflection graph

Max ReactionForce Results

lbf N

Physical Test 2875.1 12,789

Simulation App 2379.6 10,585

Top Load Simulation App: Results




Validation of the simulation app

• Error in results produced from the simulation app was <15%

(when compared to physical test results)

• Latest results show error <10%

Max ReactionForce Results

lbf N

Physical Test 2875.1 12,789.08

Simulation App 2379.6 10,585

Top Load Simulation App: Validation

Credit: Kinetic Vision (http://www.kinetic-vision.com/)

Validation of a Simulation App’s results is CRITICAL!!

http://www.kinetic-vision.com/


Simulation Apps: From “simple” to complex

Automotive subsystems

Off-Road vehicles

Plastics & containers

Consumer appliances

Aerospace subsystems

Optical Imaging systems

Laser systems

Electronics PCBs

Plastic Bottle DesignAutomotive Driveline Design

Automotive Spring Design

Vehicle Suspension Design

Engine Connecting Rod Design

Electronics Board ReliabilitySpace-Borne Optical Systems

with Thermal Controls Laser Systems Design

Heavy Equipment Design

Washing Machine Design

Automotive Bumper Design

Aircraft Metallic Seal Design


Simulation Apps driving

Simulation Automation Templates

Let’s look at some examples “live”…


• Expertise, expertise, and test results for validationCapture and leverage best practices & rules across the global org.

• Rapid Template Development Environment (Comet)Capture the model & the rules – single, integrated data model, minimize scripting & programming, days not months!

– Rules based on Functional ArchitectureWorks across geometry, topology & configuration changes,and across a Family of Products

• Libraries of Parametric Analysis CAD & SystemsOvercome the tyranny of “CAD for Manufacturing”Easily swap components at different levels of fidelity

• Rapid Web GUI Development Environment (EASA) Create SimApps that drive the templates

Simulation Apps: Key Ingredients


Agenda







– Key ingredients



Simulation Is Being Democratized Now!• Automated Design Space Exploration for the

whole product development team is here

• General-purpose simulation environments are not the solution for non-experts

• Simulation Apps must have embedded expertise

• Simulation Apps must work across a Product Family

• Rapid Template & Web App development platforms are a requirement to make SimApps economically feasible

• The advent of The Cloud makes it feasible and cost effective to access huge computing resources, as needed

Non-experts are using safe and robust Simulation Apps to

perform complex simulation routinely and efficiently.

This could increase the # of simulation users 10X to 100X!


NAFEMS Webinar Series 2015

Democratization of CAE

UsabilityOct 1

Expert Knowledge Capture & ReuseSept 17

AccessibilityOct 26

Series Introduction Aug 27

Experts & Industry Analysts

End-User Companies presenting in each webinar

http://nafems.org/about/regional/americas/events/2020vision/

http://nafems.org/about/regional/americas/events/2020vision/democratization/

http://nafems.org/about/regional/americas/events/2020vision/

http://nafems.org/about/regional/americas/events/2020vision/democratization/


Simulation Apps: Simulation for Everyone

Malcolm Panthaki

Comet Solutions, Inc.

January 2016

View the recording here:

http://www.engineering.com/resourcemain.aspx?resid=381

Engineering.com Webinar Recording

http://www.engineering.com/resourcemain.aspx?resid=381


Malcolm Panthaki

CTO & Founder

Comet Solutions, Inc.

Thank You!

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