Altair Case Studies Scania: Reducing the Development Cycle with Assembly Automation

	Scania: Reducing the Development Cycle with Assembly Automation Altair

Scania: Reducing the Development Cycle with Assembly Automation

Altair

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Challenge	Scania, a European heavy vehicles manufacturer, is renowned for its ability to deliver highly customized products. This unique selling proposition, however, presents a significant challenge for the company's computer aided engineering (CAE) departments. The engineers are tasked with rapidly verifying a multitude of different variants using finite element simulations. The entire virtual model assembly process, which includes positioning hundreds of components, creating contact definitions, and building part connections with pre-strained bolts, was a major goal for Scania to automate. This process was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, thereby necessitating a solution that could streamline and automate the process. Read More
About Customer	Scania is a European-based manufacturer of heavy vehicles, known for its ability to deliver highly customized products. The company's unique selling proposition lies in its ability to rapidly verify a multitude of different variants using finite element simulations. However, this process was time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to the need for automation. Scania's goal was to automate the entire virtual model assembly process, which included tasks such as positioning hundreds of components, creating contact definitions, and building part connections with pre-strained bolts. Read More
Solution	Scania collaborated with Altair ProductDesign’s Process Automation team to identify areas where standard design routines could be automated. A semi-automatic pre-processing manager was developed based on the HyperWorks framework to meet the special modeling requests of the chassis department. The HyperWorks Process Manager application performs several tasks during model assembly. These include reading CAD libraries and automatically selecting appropriate files, monitoring the FE and geometry libraries and providing notifications if changes are made, 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

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Challenge

Scania, a European heavy vehicles manufacturer, is renowned for its ability to deliver highly customized products. This unique selling proposition, however, presents a significant challenge for the company's computer aided engineering (CAE) departments. The engineers are tasked with rapidly verifying a multitude of different variants using finite element simulations. The entire virtual model assembly process, which includes positioning hundreds of components, creating contact definitions, and building part connections with pre-strained bolts, was a major goal for Scania to automate. This process was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, thereby necessitating a solution that could streamline and automate the process.

About Customer

Scania is a European-based manufacturer of heavy vehicles, known for its ability to deliver highly customized products. The company's unique selling proposition lies in its ability to rapidly verify a multitude of different variants using finite element simulations. However, this process was time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to the need for automation. Scania's goal was to automate the entire virtual model assembly process, which included tasks such as positioning hundreds of components, creating contact definitions, and building part connections with pre-strained bolts.

Solution

Scania collaborated with Altair ProductDesign’s Process Automation team to identify areas where standard design routines could be automated. A semi-automatic pre-processing manager was developed based on the HyperWorks framework to meet the special modeling requests of the chassis department. The HyperWorks Process Manager application performs several tasks during model assembly. These include reading CAD libraries and automatically selecting appropriate files, monitoring the FE and geometry libraries and providing notifications if changes are made, 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 collaboration between Scania and Altair ProductDesign’s Process Automation team resulted in several benefits for Scania. There was a noticeable improvement in the FE model quality, leading to more accurate and reliable results. The process of computer aided engineering became more consistent, reducing the likelihood of errors and inconsistencies. The project also increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling, allowing for more customization and adaptability. Most importantly, there was a significant reduction in the overall development cycle, enabling Scania to deliver its highly customized products more quickly and efficiently.

Impact #1

The collaboration between Scania and Altair ProductDesign’s Process Automation team resulted in several benefits for Scania. There was a noticeable improvement in the FE model quality, leading to more accurate and reliable results. The process of computer aided engineering became more consistent, reducing the likelihood of errors and inconsistencies. The project also increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling, allowing for more customization and adaptability. Most importantly, there was a significant reduction in the overall development cycle, enabling Scania to deliver its highly customized products more quickly and efficiently.

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Overview

Scania: Reducing the Development Cycle with Assembly Automation

Operational Impact