ANSYS Case Studies Audemars Piguet: Reducing Development Time with ANSYS Simulation

	Audemars Piguet: Reducing Development Time with ANSYS Simulation ANSYS

Audemars Piguet: Reducing Development Time with ANSYS Simulation

ANSYS

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation Cybersecurity & Privacy - Intrusion Detection
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Manufacturing Process Simulation Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Challenge	Audemars Piguet & Cie, a luxury watch manufacturer, faced a significant challenge in the design and manufacturing of their high-precision watch components, specifically the date display mechanism. This mechanism, which changes the date every 24 hours, needs to advance the date in a way that appears instantaneous to the human eye, usually within 0.015 seconds, and must reveal the correct next date. This is achieved through a complex assembly of a jumper, spring, and trigger cam to rotate the display disk exactly one date step. Traditionally, these fine watch mechanisms were designed using prototyping, a costly and iterative process. While simulation could reduce the need for prototypes, the precise and flexible components within the watch mechanism’s dynamic system required extremely accurate nonlinear dynamics capabilities to characterize correctly. Read More
About Customer	Audemars Piguet & Cie SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, founded in 1875. The company is renowned for developing and crafting precision watches equipped with complex mechanisms. Over the years, Audemars Piguet has pushed the boundaries of watchmaking, developing many firsts in the industry. Today, the company continues to be characterized by Swiss precision and its exceptional timepieces. The company's commitment to innovation and quality is evident in its use of advanced simulation technologies to improve the design and manufacturing process of its watches. Read More
Solution	Audemars Piguet & Cie adopted ANSYS simulation technology, specifically ANSYS Mechanical and ANSYS LS-DYNA, to address their challenge. The company used ANSYS transient dynamic and explicit solutions to analyze the dynamic behavior of the date display mechanism. They employed nonlinear contact behavior to accurately model the moving mechanism of the date display. This allowed them to analyze and compare the behavior of different design models and improve the mechanism based on simulation results. The simulation results were then compared with real tests which showed outstanding agreement. This approach allowed the company to meet the exacting precision required by the watch industry and launch the model into production without any further prototypes. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Intrusion Detection

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Manufacturing Process Simulation

Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing

Challenge

Audemars Piguet & Cie, a luxury watch manufacturer, faced a significant challenge in the design and manufacturing of their high-precision watch components, specifically the date display mechanism. This mechanism, which changes the date every 24 hours, needs to advance the date in a way that appears instantaneous to the human eye, usually within 0.015 seconds, and must reveal the correct next date. This is achieved through a complex assembly of a jumper, spring, and trigger cam to rotate the display disk exactly one date step. Traditionally, these fine watch mechanisms were designed using prototyping, a costly and iterative process. While simulation could reduce the need for prototypes, the precise and flexible components within the watch mechanism’s dynamic system required extremely accurate nonlinear dynamics capabilities to characterize correctly.

About Customer

Audemars Piguet & Cie SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches, founded in 1875. The company is renowned for developing and crafting precision watches equipped with complex mechanisms. Over the years, Audemars Piguet has pushed the boundaries of watchmaking, developing many firsts in the industry. Today, the company continues to be characterized by Swiss precision and its exceptional timepieces. The company's commitment to innovation and quality is evident in its use of advanced simulation technologies to improve the design and manufacturing process of its watches.

Solution

Audemars Piguet & Cie adopted ANSYS simulation technology, specifically ANSYS Mechanical and ANSYS LS-DYNA, to address their challenge. The company used ANSYS transient dynamic and explicit solutions to analyze the dynamic behavior of the date display mechanism. They employed nonlinear contact behavior to accurately model the moving mechanism of the date display. This allowed them to analyze and compare the behavior of different design models and improve the mechanism based on simulation results. The simulation results were then compared with real tests which showed outstanding agreement. This approach allowed the company to meet the exacting precision required by the watch industry and launch the model into production without any further prototypes.

Impact #1	The adoption of ANSYS simulation technology has brought significant operational benefits to Audemars Piguet & Cie. The ability to accurately model and analyze the transient dynamics of the watch mechanisms has improved the design process, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming prototyping. The simulation results have shown outstanding agreement with real tests, providing confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the simulation process. This has enabled the company to launch new models into production more quickly and efficiently, without the need for further prototypes. The use of simulation has also enhanced the company's ability to innovate, allowing them to analyze and compare different design models and make improvements based on the simulation results.

Impact #1

The adoption of ANSYS simulation technology has brought significant operational benefits to Audemars Piguet & Cie. The ability to accurately model and analyze the transient dynamics of the watch mechanisms has improved the design process, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming prototyping. The simulation results have shown outstanding agreement with real tests, providing confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the simulation process. This has enabled the company to launch new models into production more quickly and efficiently, without the need for further prototypes. The use of simulation has also enhanced the company's ability to innovate, allowing them to analyze and compare different design models and make improvements based on the simulation results.

Benefit #1	The use of ANSYS simulation technology reduced the development time by half.
Benefit #2	The mechanism developed using ANSYS simulation met all relevant performance criteria.
Benefit #3	The model was launched into production without any further prototypes.

Benefit #1

The use of ANSYS simulation technology reduced the development time by half.

Benefit #2

The mechanism developed using ANSYS simulation met all relevant performance criteria.

Benefit #3

The model was launched into production without any further prototypes.

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Overview

Audemars Piguet: Reducing Development Time with ANSYS Simulation

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit