Altair Case Studies HyperWorks CAE Process Automation Accelerates Product Development at Scania

	HyperWorks CAE Process Automation Accelerates Product Development at Scania Altair

HyperWorks CAE Process Automation Accelerates Product Development at Scania

Altair

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries Sensors - GPS
Applicable Industries	Automotive Specialty Vehicles
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Indoor Positioning Systems Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Challenge	Scania, a leading global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty engine applications, is known for its ability to highly customize its products. This customization process, however, posed a significant challenge for Scania's computer-aided engineering (CAE) departments. The engineers had to rapidly verify a large number of different variants with finite-element (FE) simulations. Automating the entire virtual model assembly process was a major goal for Scania. The process, which included tasks such as positioning hundreds of components, creating contact definitions, and building part connections with pre-strained bolts, was time-consuming and prone to error. In the past, Scania analysts used fully automated solutions, without the capability for user interaction during execution. This lack of automation interactivity often required Scania CAE analysts to manually modify and improve the truck input models, further adding to the time-consuming process. Read More
About Customer	Scania CV AB is a Sweden-based leading global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty engine applications. The company is known for its ability to highly customize its products, offering a large number of engine models, transmission systems, and chassis for customers to choose from. This allows customers to greatly individualize their trucks. In 2006, Scania distributed a total of 65,000 vehicles in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Read More
Solution	To build an automated process that also allowed for user interactivity, Scania chose the HyperWorks CAE framework. This framework offered several technical advantages including native computer-aided design (CAD) support, meshing tools for advanced solid geometries, a comprehensive solver-neutral data model for easy conversion into various formats, automation capability through HyperWorks’ process automation engine, and the ability to interactively manage assembled FE models prior to job submission. Based on the HyperWorks framework, a semi-automatic pre-processing manager was developed to meet the chassis department’s special modeling requests. This application performs tasks such as reading CAD libraries and automatically selecting appropriate files, monitoring the FE and geometry libraries, positioning components to their correct location in the chassis, cutting holes in geometries/meshes to prepare for bolt connections, and generating “spider connections,” solid bolts with pre-tension and contact definitions. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries

Sensors - GPS

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Specialty Vehicles

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Indoor Positioning Systems

Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing

Challenge

Scania, a leading global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty engine applications, is known for its ability to highly customize its products. This customization process, however, posed a significant challenge for Scania's computer-aided engineering (CAE) departments. The engineers had to rapidly verify a large number of different variants with finite-element (FE) simulations. Automating the entire virtual model assembly process was a major goal for Scania. The process, which included tasks such as positioning hundreds of components, creating contact definitions, and building part connections with pre-strained bolts, was time-consuming and prone to error. In the past, Scania analysts used fully automated solutions, without the capability for user interaction during execution. This lack of automation interactivity often required Scania CAE analysts to manually modify and improve the truck input models, further adding to the time-consuming process.

About Customer

Scania CV AB is a Sweden-based leading global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty engine applications. The company is known for its ability to highly customize its products, offering a large number of engine models, transmission systems, and chassis for customers to choose from. This allows customers to greatly individualize their trucks. In 2006, Scania distributed a total of 65,000 vehicles in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Solution

To build an automated process that also allowed for user interactivity, Scania chose the HyperWorks CAE framework. This framework offered several technical advantages including native computer-aided design (CAD) support, meshing tools for advanced solid geometries, a comprehensive solver-neutral data model for easy conversion into various formats, automation capability through HyperWorks’ process automation engine, and the ability to interactively manage assembled FE models prior to job submission. Based on the HyperWorks framework, a semi-automatic pre-processing manager was developed to meet the chassis department’s special modeling requests. This application performs tasks such as reading CAD libraries and automatically selecting appropriate files, monitoring the FE and geometry libraries, positioning components to their correct location in the chassis, cutting holes in geometries/meshes to prepare for bolt connections, and generating “spider connections,” solid bolts with pre-tension and contact definitions.

Impact #1	The implementation of the HyperWorks CAE framework at Scania resulted in a more consistent CAE process. The automation of the virtual model assembly process not only increased simulation efficiency and robustness but also allowed for user interactivity. This meant that Scania CAE analysts no longer had to manually modify and improve the truck input models, saving time and reducing errors. The new process also increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling, which is especially critical to Scania’s truck-customization process.

Impact #1

The implementation of the HyperWorks CAE framework at Scania resulted in a more consistent CAE process. The automation of the virtual model assembly process not only increased simulation efficiency and robustness but also allowed for user interactivity. This meant that Scania CAE analysts no longer had to manually modify and improve the truck input models, saving time and reducing errors. The new process also increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling, which is especially critical to Scania’s truck-customization process.

Benefit #1	Improved quality of FE models
Benefit #2	Reduction of development cycle time as a result of the automated process
Benefit #3	Increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling

Benefit #1

Improved quality of FE models

Benefit #2

Reduction of development cycle time as a result of the automated process

Benefit #3

Increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling

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Overview

HyperWorks CAE Process Automation Accelerates Product Development at Scania

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit