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APEL Extrusions Limited, a full-service extrusion manufacturer specializing in aluminum extrusion and finishing, was facing a significant challenge in testing die extrusion performance while limiting time and cost. The company, which has a presence in both Canada and the United States, provides aluminum extrusions for a variety of applications including residential and commercial construction, HVAC systems, recreational vehicles, and consumer goods. The aluminum extrusion industry has been experiencing an increased demand for flat rolled and extruded aluminum products, primarily from the transportation sector. This trend, expected to continue through 2020, has put pressure on companies like APEL to adapt to customer needs while maintaining high-quality solutions that meet extremely tight tolerances. A critical step in APEL's process of providing high-quality products is the testing phase that occurs before the actual extrusion process begins.

GE Power, a global leader in energy technology, solutions, and services, faced the challenge of maintaining precise understanding of the flow of cooling and leakage air in their gas turbine engines. This precision was crucial for achieving low emissions of NOx and setting world records for gas turbine combined cycle efficiency. The complexity of the internal engine components and their interactions during various operations, from cold start to shut down, required a sophisticated tool. The company needed a solution that could manage the clearances between rotating and stationary components to the width of a few human hairs, understand the transient thermal response of the engine, and track the impact of cooling and leakage air on gas turbine efficiency and emissions.

GE Aviation’s Systems business, a unit that designs and produces systems critical to the interface between jet engines and the airframe, was tasked with providing a backup generator (BUG) for a new aircraft. This generator was to provide electrical power in the event of multiple failures of other systems. The BUG had to be mounted onto a newly designed engine to receive mechanical power, but maintain independence from the engine to ensure functionality. It had its own oil network, pump, and sump to provide lubrication and cooling to the electromagnetic components and bearings in the generator. The lubrication system relied on a gravity drain to return the oil from a bearing cavity to the onboard sump where the oil pump was located. The team needed to ensure that the drain was adequately sized to allow for passage of the worst-case level of oil flow so that oil does not build up and cause excess heat generation or any other sinister effects within the bearings. Due to the constraints on size and program timing, an analytical approach was desired to determine the capability of the current drainage passage network and the minimum size that will be required.

Philips, a leading health technology company, was faced with the challenge of visualizing new product concepts quickly and efficiently. The goal was to work collaboratively with design colleagues and the engineering department to share feedback, understand challenges, and ultimately conceptualize final products. The company needed a tool that could be used by all members of the team to create consistency, facilitate easy file transfer/handoff with design peers and engineering, and increase overall team speed and efficiency. The existing tools were not meeting these requirements, leading to a search for a new software solution.

LEIBER Group, a company specializing in the design and production of lightweight metal components, faced a challenge in redesigning a suspension beam for a commercial vehicle. The original part was made of cast iron, but the customer required a lighter yet equally strong component. This challenge was set against the backdrop of the automotive industry's conflicting demands: vehicles need to be lighter to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, but they also need to be safe, reliable, and competitively priced. For many years, weight reduction was not a primary development goal, leading to heavier vehicles due to new systems that increase safety, comfort, and driving experience. The industry is now seeking new approaches and methodologies to realize optimal lightweight structures.

Triton Bikes, a custom titanium bicycle and unicycle frames producer based in Moscow, Russia, was faced with the challenge of improving the performance, reducing the weight, and simplifying the manufacturability of a custom bike rear yoke. The rear yoke, a part of the bicycle’s titanium frame that connects the rear chainstays and the bottom bracket, was initially manufactured using a complex, time-consuming, and wasteful process. The part was CNC milled out of a titanium block in two parts, with some of the material milled out from the inside to save weight. The two halves were then welded together. Triton Bikes wanted to redesign this part to withstand a load equal to 130 kg, reduce its weight, increase its strength, simplify the production technology, and reduce cost.

Competitive racing, particularly in the all-electric class of Formula E, demands the utmost from both driver skill and engineering innovation. However, the regulations in this field are stringent, with the battery being standardized across all vehicles. This leaves teams with limited areas for customization and performance enhancement. A leading Formula E team, recognizing these constraints, sought to develop dynamic models of their car to find new ways to optimize their systems for peak performance. The team aimed to develop customized racing strategies for different tracks, weather conditions, and pit stops, ensuring optimal use of their battery power. They also wanted to incorporate real-time simulations to update the team with information as variables change during the race, a feature not commonly available without a system-level modeling tool.

The automotive industry is under constant pressure to innovate and meet higher performance standards without delaying the time to market. This challenge is particularly evident at China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT), where the integration of new technologies into passenger vehicles is a key focus. The company is developing new techniques to ensure the successful integration of various systems present in modern vehicle designs. One of the advanced technologies available for modern automotive design is system-level modeling, which uses specialized software to model the interactions across an entire system. However, the challenge lies in creating a powerful testing and simulation platform that can verify the functionality of new automotive technologies at earlier stages in the design process.

Harita Seating, a leading manufacturer of seating systems in India, was facing challenges in the homologation testing, regulations, and crash analysis for all commercial vehicle seats, bus passenger seats, and tractor & off-road seats. The company was looking for a solution that could help them reduce the total lead time, improve the quality of the components and tooling, and eliminate or reduce iterative reworking. The company was also seeking a solution that could provide new insights about the product performance and offer numerous design options. The challenge was to find a solution that could meet all these requirements without consuming any additional license.

The case study revolves around the exploration of the potential benefits of combining topology optimization and additive manufacturing in architectural projects. While this combination is common in industries like automotive or aerospace, it is rarely used in architecture. The challenge was to investigate the potential of this symbiosis for architectural projects. Bayu Prayudhi, an architectural student of the University of Delft, took up this challenge and re-designed an existing architectural project, the outdoor canopy at Baku international airport in Azerbaijan, originally designed by ARUP. The goal was to include topology optimization upfront in the design process and adapt the design for 3D printing. The challenge also involved dealing with boundary conditions such as costs, lead times, and technological limits while striving to combine function, shape, and innovation.

Dynamic Systems Analysis Ltd. (DSA) has been providing software solutions to the marine renewable energy industry for nearly a decade. Their ProteusDS and ShipMo3D simulation software tests virtual prototypes of vessels and equipment operating in ocean conditions. These virtual prototypes are crucial for the tidal energy industry as they help answer questions related to engineering design, planning, training, operations, and safety. Understanding the dynamic effects of ocean current, wind, and waves can significantly reduce the risk and uncertainty of vessel motions and loads on equipment in an ocean environment, leading to safer designs and lower risk and project cost. However, one of the biggest technical barriers the tidal industry faces is installing and maintaining turbines and cables in challenging sites like the Minas Passage. Traditionally, sea trials and experience would have solely guided marine operations, but there are many unknowns and little experience in working in extreme tidal environments.

Thesan, an Italian company specializing in the design, manufacture, and distribution of mounting structures for photovoltaic plants, was faced with the challenge of optimizing the mounting structure of a medium-sized PV field with a power of 5 MW. The field consisted of 1700 arrays, each mounted on two poles, with each individual assembled structure weighing about 60 kg. The total weight of the mounted structures on the field was 204 tons of steel, with material costs of about 170,000 Euro. A weight reduction of only 5 kg per structure would lead to significant savings in material and cost. The structure was composed of two main parts, a steel driven pile and an aluminum rafter, with the weight reduction of the more costly aluminum parts being crucial. Another significant factor for cost savings was transportation, as PV fields are often built in remote areas with poor infrastructure. Lighter structures would not only mean less material costs in production, but also lower transportation efforts and costs. However, the new, lighter weight structures still had to be able to carry all occurring loads from natural causes such as wind or snow and the dead load of the structure, ensuring perfect quality, consistent stability and the requested stiffness of the structures.

Mubea, a leading automotive provider, is known for its innovative light weighting projects for large automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company has pioneered the process of producing tailor-rolled blanks (TRB), a new type of process for high volume production. TRB allows engineers to tailor the blank so certain sheet thicknesses are located precisely where they are needed, resulting in the production of more cost-effective, lower weight components. However, the company faced challenges in improving its capacity for design optimization and innovation. Mubea was primarily using RADIOSS, a structural analysis solver in the HyperWorks suite used for highly non-linear problems under dynamic loadings. The company was looking to expand their current software contract and add a new cluster to their high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure to support current and new users of their design applications.

Mubea, a global supplier of automotive lightweight components, is the only supplier for Tailor Rolled Blanks (TRB), a cold rolling process that tailors sheet thicknesses to meet the needs of an automotive Body in White (BIW) structure. The company supports its customers by identifying lightweight potentials in a vehicle, designing proper tailor rolled parts, and conducting full light weight studies with full vehicle models with their own CAE resources. However, the design optimization of Tailor Rolled Blanks is normally based on explicit dynamic simulations, also known as crash simulations. Due to the large size of these crash models, a single simulation run takes between one to twelve hours. Exploring different design concepts leads to various simulation runs and potential optimization, but due to the long run times, this becomes prohibitive and can easily exceed a project’s allotted time frame, which decreases innovations.

Changan Automobile, a leading Chinese automotive brand, was grappling with the time-consuming and error-prone process of pre-processing and setting up their vehicle components, specifically the twist beam. The need for the model to be as close to reality as possible for accurate results made the process extremely labor-intensive. This created a significant bottleneck in the development process, making it increasingly difficult for Changan to keep projects within the designated timeline. The challenge was to find a solution that could streamline this process, reduce errors, and improve efficiency.

The challenge was to create a lightweight, high-performance product using additive manufacturing or 3D printing. The aerospace industry has been a pioneer in this field, and other sectors such as the automotive industry are following suit. The goal was to leverage the benefits of additive manufacturing, such as weight reduction and the ability to create complex geometries, to create an innovative product. The product in question was the Airbus APWorks Light Rider, the world's first 3D printed motorcycle prototype. The complex branched hollow structure of the Light Rider could not be realized with conventional manufacturing methods such as welding or milling. The challenge was to use topology optimization and a new material developed in-house by Airbus to create this innovative design.

Arkal Automotive, amidst its company growth and increased demand, was facing a significant challenge in its simulation department. The critical need was to reduce the preprocessing time, which was becoming a bottleneck in their operations. Interestingly, the issue was not related to the CPU time, but was primarily associated with the model preparation phase. The company was struggling to streamline and accelerate the creation of models, which was slowing down their overall workflow and affecting their productivity.

Sintavia, a global leader in independent metal additive manufacturing, faced the challenge of proving the ability to additively manufacture optimized aerospace replacement parts. The goal was to exceed the existing part’s mechanical and operational properties while decreasing the overall weight. The company aimed to produce optimized designs of aerospace brackets that meet or exceed the existing bracket’s mechanical properties while reducing the overall weight of the parts. The component selected for this challenge was an aftermarket aviation part for a low pressure turbine, used 12 times on each engine.

The 1001VELAcup is a competition where student teams from various universities design and build their own boats to compete in regattas. The boats must adhere to specific class rules, including size restrictions and the use of sustainable materials. The PoliTo Sailing Team from the Politecnico di Torino was one of the competing teams. Their challenge was to design a boat made with 70% sustainable material, within the given size restrictions, and using Altair‘s HyperWorks suite of computer aided engineering (CAE) tools. The team aimed to improve on their previous year's performance, where they achieved an eighth and third position in the regatta. The project focused on the design and construction of a skiff, a specific type of sailboat, within the given regatta regulation. The particular challenge was that the teams had to use a specific class of materials such as recyclable and natural materials, i.e. flax fiber, basalt fiber or wood. To develop a light and stiff boat structure with the given materials, the team had to use sophisticated modeling and simulation tools to find the ideal structural shape and material layout.

Ingeniacity S.L., a Spanish engineering service provider, was tasked by Juan Yacht Design to optimize the structural design of a new Swan 50 class yacht, with a particular focus on designing a new bowsprit made of composite material. The challenge was to create a structure that offered the highest possible stiffness while also being as light as possible. The bowsprit, a spar that attaches the forestay forward to the hull, is a critical part of the yacht's structure. The design and optimization of the bowsprit presented unique challenges due to the need to take into account the characteristics of the composite material to leverage its lightweight and stiffness potential. The engineers also had to consider buckling modes due to the thin walls of the bowsprit, which were necessary to keep the weight low. This required the use of sophisticated computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools and optimization technologies that could handle all necessary disciplines efficiently and deliver accurate results promptly.

Auburn University's Formula SAE team, with a history of designing and building formula-style racing cars, faced a significant challenge in optimizing their racecar design while adhering to constraints related to mass and SAE racecar specifications. The team aimed to improve the car's performance by focusing on components that promised mass reduction with equal or increased stiffness. The monocoque chassis was one such area of focus. The team aimed to reduce the mass while increasing the monocoque suspension stiffness to enhance the racecar's handling. However, achieving this design objective was not straightforward. The student team members had to consider concurrent development design goals and meet demanding build deadlines.

Mabe, a Mexico-based company that designs, produces, and distributes appliances globally, was facing a significant challenge in its product development process. The company conducts various analysis studies on its products, including refrigerators, washing machines, and dryers, to improve their performance and quality. A critical part of these studies is the Refrigerator Door Foam Modeling (RDFM) process, which involves modeling the foam within the refrigerator that helps maintain the internal temperature and absorb shock during a drop situation. However, due to the complexity and time-consuming nature of this process, it was often overlooked or skipped entirely. This led to two major issues: the computer-aided engineering (CAE) results were not matching the actual results 100%, and the energy usage was not being measured appropriately. Mabe wanted to perform RDFM more routinely but needed a more efficient way forward.

Wagon Automotive, a Germany-based system and module supplier of components to major car builders, was facing the challenge of accelerating product development and reducing prototyping costs while maintaining high quality. The company operates in a demanding, time-sensitive market, supplying components to an impressive list of customers that includes VW, Audi, GM, Toyota, Mercedes, Honda, Volvo, Ford, Jaguar, and Porsche. With development and production sites in Europe, Asia, and North America, 7,600 Wagon Automotive employees are engaged in the design, testing, and manufacture of components that must meet precise production deadlines. The rapidly changing nature of the global industry demands ever-shorter product development cycles from Wagon Automotive engineers. To sustain its strong competitive position and keep its customers satisfied, Wagon Automotive was seeking ways to speed up product development and reduce the growing costs of prototyping.

Sea Ray Boats, a leading U.S.-based manufacturer of high-end pleasure boats, is constantly challenged by the need for innovation and change in the luxury boat market. The company introduces eight to 12 new or refreshed designs every year, with the engineering team working on six or seven designs at any given time. The primary challenge in designing boats is creating usable space, which is always in short supply. Much of the design effort focuses on configurable space that can change function to fill more than one need. The design cycle varies with the boat, typically averaging eight to 18 months depending on the size and type of the boat. The engineering team at Sea Ray uses Altair HyperWorks CAE tools exclusively for the entire analysis process of the vessel, from modeling and simulation, to visualization and reporting.

The Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées Genopole, a research program established in 1999 in southern France, was facing a significant challenge. The program, which is part of the National Genopole Network, was dealing with an increasing number of complete genome sequences that required more processors and intensive utilization. The initial compute platform for bioinformatics at the Toulouse Genopole was a four-processor Dell server, later supplemented by a four-CPU IBM system. However, these resources were insufficient for the ambitious bioinformatics program and the researchers developing bioinformatics tools in three Genopole-connected laboratories. The demand for computational resources was steadily increasing, and the existing infrastructure was unable to keep up.

Zyvex Corporation, a leading molecular nanotechnology development company, was faced with the challenge of developing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology that could enable new nanotech applications. The majority of commercially available MEMS devices were essentially two-dimensional, grown onto or etched from a flat substrate. However, Zyvex saw the potential for MEMS technology that provided structures and devices with 3D characteristics. The challenge lay in the manufacturing process. Building a 3D MEMS device required some form of assembly to raise structures from the plane of fabrication and move them into the appropriate position. Conventional assembly methods were costly and alternative methods had limitations. Furthermore, the use of computational analysis was critical to the design of microstructures, as a microfabrication cycle could take up to four months.

Hitachi Truck Manufacturing was faced with the challenge of reducing material costs for their large mining trucks while adhering to standard specifications. The trucks, designed and built at their Guelph, Ontario plant, are massive rigid-body vehicles used for surface mining in various parts of the world. These trucks can be up to 30 feet wide and carry a payload of 316 tons. Given their size, they must be shipped in sections and assembled on site. The design engineers at Hitachi Truck Manufacturing (HTM) were tasked with reducing materials costs, meeting ISO specifications, and maintaining payload performance. The main challenge was predicting the behavior of the truck's structure, particularly the welded steel cab structure, to ensure it met ISO 3471 ROPS (rollover protection system) and FOPS (falling object protection system) specifications.

The H2politO team, a group of students from the Politecnico di Torino, participated in the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM), a competition that challenges student teams to design, build, and drive the most energy-efficient car. The team competed in the “Prototype” category with a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and in the “Urban Concept” category with a hybrid vehicle. The main challenge for the team was to reduce frictions and masses to minimize fuel consumption. One of the most critical issues was the wheel rim design. Lighter rims lead to less rotating masses, reducing energy consumption and improving the dynamic behavior of the vehicle. The geometry of this specific component had to be optimized: the ideal structure and mass distribution had to be determined, while also taking manufacturing constraints into account. For these development tasks, the H2politO team had to apply sophisticated computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools which would support a simulation driven design process and enable early decision making by proposing possible design directions for further improvements of the vehicles.

The Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) is a global competition that challenges student teams to design, build, and drive the most energy-efficient car. The team H2politO, a group of students from the Politecnico di Torino, participated in the competition with a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and a hybrid vehicle. The team aimed to improve their vehicles by reducing frictions and masses to minimize fuel consumption. One of the most critical issues was the wheel rim design. Lighter rims lead to less rotating masses, reducing energy consumption and improving the vehicle's dynamic behavior. The challenge was to optimize the geometry of the wheel rims to determine the ideal structure and mass distribution while considering manufacturing constraints. The team needed to apply sophisticated computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools to support a simulation-driven design process and enable early decision making for further improvements of the vehicles.

The Pan Asia Automotive Technology Center (PATAC), a joint venture between General Motors and SAIC Motor, was facing challenges in managing its computer-aided engineering (CAE) simulation technology. As PATAC's analytical technology improved, the volume of its CAE analysis tasks increased, and the subject and application fields expanded. Engineers needed a system to store, reuse, and share models, and synchronize iterative design schemes in different simulation fields for collaboration. Additionally, PATAC was promoting the digital transformation of its research and development system. The company needed a simulation management platform to manage daily analysis work, structure CAE data systematically, improve visualization of results and processes, and track analysis cases more easily.