03Detail & Simulation
Detailed design, shaped for manufacture and proven by analysis
The chosen concept becomes a full 3D design, with materials, tolerances and details set for the way it will be made. Simulation answers the questions that would otherwise wait for a prototype.
Most of the engineering happens here. The detailed model is built in Autodesk Inventor, every part is designed for its process and supplier, and the assembly is worked through for fit, access and assembly order.
Simulation happens inside this stage, while the design can still change cheaply. Stress, fatigue, vibration, flow, heat and, for bulk materials, discrete element modelling are used where the product needs them. The results come back as changes to the model, made by the same engineers.
What you leave with
- A production-intent 3D model
- Parts and assemblies designed for their processes and ready for drawings.
- Answers from analysis
- Stress, life, temperatures, flows or fields at the conditions that matter, with the changes they led to.
- Fewer surprises at prototype
- Problems found in the model are fixed before anything is made.
Simulation in this stage
Each study can also be bought on its own. Engineering simulation
- Structural analysis and FEAStress, stiffness, yielding, vibration, fatigue, thermal stress and drop or impact, in parts and assemblies.
- Fluid flow and CFDPressure drop, flow distribution, mixing, multiphase and free-surface flow, and heat carried by the flow.
- Thermal simulationConduction, convection and radiation, steady or transient, and whether parts stay inside their temperature limits.
- ElectromagneticsMagnetic and electric fields in motors, solenoids, actuators and transformers: force, torque, inductance and losses.
- MultiphysicsStudies where one effect drives another: losses into heat, heat into stress, flow loads onto a structure.
Questions this stage answers
Can you take on only the simulation?
Yes. Many clients bring a single study for a design their own team is developing, and some go on to use us for the changes.
How do you decide what to simulate?
By risk. The parts and conditions that could fail, run hot or underperform get analysed; the rest are designed by experience and standard practice.
Do you work in our CAD system?
We design in Autodesk Inventor and work from STEP and most native formats, so your existing models can be the starting point.
Will the design suit our suppliers?
Tell us who makes your parts and we design for their processes and capabilities.
Case study
Over 50% more material handling throughput in high-rise construction.
Material handling equipment for bulk and construction use
A manufacturer selling material handling systems worldwide wanted to move more material, with less dust and damage, from a product line that could grow.
Guides for this stage
Discuss your project
