The Development of Computer Aided Engineering: Introduced from an Engineering Perspective A Presentation By: Jesse Logan Moe What Defines CAE? Introduction Computer-Aided Engineering is the use of information assisted with technology used to support engineers in tasks such as analysis, simulation, design, manufacturing, planning, diagnosis and repair. More simply put, CAE is the use of computer software and applications to solve engineering problems. CAE uses specifically designed software to tackle each task encompassed in varying fields of engineering; these interactive software programs are considered CAE Tools. 1
Introduction What Are CAE Applications? Engineers carry out a multitude of jobs, many of which can be solved with the unique knowledge and skills they have acquired. In an attempt to facilitate these occupational tasks, engineers utilize CAE technology to demonstrate a more completed design while offering greater efficiency. Computer-Aided Engineering applications consist of multiple software tools, many which assist in design construction such as, AutoCAD or Solid Works; however, there are also many tools specifically intended for analysis and simulation, like: Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and Multiple Event Simulation (MES). Introduction Why Was There a Need for CAE? Fifty years ago, there were no personal computers, pocket calculators, and certainly no 3D-virtual design software. As a result, most engineers solved problems simply relying on the basics: a pencil, pad of paper, and math tables. These methods were terribly inefficient and time became a huge constraint to engineers as every calculation had to be done by hand. The inability to design more efficiently was only one of the many predicaments facing pre-modern engineering. Engineers also had very little ability to test solutions or product models before they were constructed. 2
Introduction Why Was There a Need for CAE? (Continued) Engineers relied mainly on hypothesis and approximations. As a result, designers had to be over-excessive with safety factors in order to account for all the uncertainties. This lead to overspending and material squandering. Introduction How Did CAE Develop With Industry's Need? Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing systems were created in the early 1960's by the aerospace industry to assist with the massive design and documentation tasks associated with the production of airplanes. As a result of the introduction of computers into industry, engineers began taking on a completely new set of expectations. It was no longer extremely important to be an adequate calligrapher, or even necessary to know how to perform complex mathematical equations with great speed and accuracy; rather a strong grasp of computer interfacing became more beneficial. It can clearly be concluded that the computer aided technologies have specifically been conformed to their desired uses. 3
Present Use of CAE What Defines the Product Cycle? Simply put, production processes goods with exchange value and brings them into existence. This definition includes the entire manufacturing process, as well as other functional areas carried out in factories such as, information, design, analysis, and control. The production cycle is primarily composed of two main procedures; the Design Process and the Manufacturing Process. The Product Cycle Design Process Manufacturing Process Analysis Process Synthesis Process Process Planning Development Of Tools Material Planning CNC Programming Production & QC Packaging Shipping 00101101 110 100 11100 10 001 01001 10110 10 1001 00001 110 1 1001 100 1 100 1001 010 101 01 101000 1001 100 10110101 101 1000110011 0101 01 01110 10 101 101010101 1010 1010 100 1101 0101 01 011110 110101001 01100 1000101001 1000101 0010 011 01 001 1001010011001 10010001 1001000 100 110111111 001 1001 0110011 011 01 1001 4
Present Use of CAE How Is CAE Used in the Product Cycle? There are three general steps to any engineering design task. Pre-Processing-defines the model and environmental factors that may affect it. Analysis Solving-utilizes high powered computers to analyze data. Post-Processing- creates a computer visualization of the resultant data. Present Use of CAE How Is CAE Used in the Product Cycle? (Design) Synthesis (With the Use of CAE) In the synthesis sub-processes, designs can be altered using corresponding data gathered from a feasibility study. Computers can also offer aid in the conceptual design phase by physically generating various designs. Analysis (With the Use of CAE) CAE software can help in the analysis process by using tools such as: stress analysis, interference checks, kinematics analysis, and other simulators. A prominent feature of CAE is the computers ability to store and recall data. Design documentation can be very arduous if not properly managed. 5
Present Use of CAE How Is CAE Used in the Product Cycle? (Manufacturing) Software like Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) which includes programs for generating instructions to a computer for uses such as: numerical control (NC), machining, production, process scheduling, and inventory control. These tools help in the manufacturing process in other areas also, such as: process and production planning, design and procurement of new tools, ordering of materials, quality control, and packaging. Present Use of CAE What Risks Were There to Introducing CAE? Computers took time to penetrate industry primarily because the advantages of using computers was not perceived as great enough to overcome peoples doubt of their convenience. One of the first fields to introduce CAE tools and techniques were aeronautical engineers. They overcame all doubts when they implemented computeraided tools to help with design and production for airplanes, risking the men's lives that flew them. Eventually, consumer fears were overcome even in the homes of the common-man, which is obvious because almost everyone now has access to computers. 6
Present Use of CAE How Has CAE Increased Efficiency? To get a clearer understanding of how CAE has increased efficiency, let us view it from a specific field such as electrical engineering. As an electrical engineer, you must be comfortable designing circuits while applying mathematical and physical properties to ensure accuracy. Computer software allows engineers to simulate voltages and current as well as measure resistances within circuits. These systems offer a much greater efficiency to the design process without the use of excess materials or risk to the design. CAE has also successfully reduced production time, improved quality, reduced wasted materials, and increased production quantity while creating almost an exact replica of the original prototype. Present Use of CAE Does CAE Change the Face of Designers? Today students at most universities and even some highschools have been given access to CAE tools and software. This, of course, was not always the case. Computer based technologies had to be phased into preliminary course studies to satisfy future employer's expectations and bias's regarding these technologies. Programs like Solid Works, Solid Edge, and AutoCAD are now able to be used by almost any individual. The skills and information resulting from programs like these are taken with each person into the workforce regardless of career. 7
The Future of CAE What Limitations Are There on CAE? Computers, even though they bring many great benefits, are still incapable of independent production from synthesis to shipment. Today's computers cannot independently think and give themselves instructions, this prohibits them in much of the synthesis process. And while computers can be programmed with the use of probability, there are still constraints. Another limitation CAE faces is that industrial machines, as well as computers, are constantly in need of maintenance and upkeep. This is one constraint that may improve with time, yet seems unlikely to ever go away completely. Furthermore, machining is still limited to a maximum speed as well as certain accuracy proficiency. The Future of CAE Which Limitations Are Being Addressed? There is an apparent move of an idealization in the area of geometry. The representations of these geometric functions are consistently in use for computer based design systems, yet their origin is still not quite fully discovered. There is further development needed for product-model based engineering applications. Companies now wish to automate or use computers to assist in as many stages of the product life cycle as possible. For instance, a move for a better configuration of management with the use of CAE is desired. 8
The Future of CAE Which Limitations Are Being Addressed? (Continued) Finally, there is a continuous movement to expand clarity referring to dimensions and tolerances. It is widely known that the selection of tolerances can have a large impact on the quality and cost of products. Therefore, for maximum efficiency there is a desire to investigate computer based tools which enable designers to select the most appropriate dimensions and tolerances for each component. The Future of CAE What May CAE Soon Represent? In the future, CAE systems will be a major source of information providing help and support to design teams in decision making. CAE systems can provide support to many businesses; this is achieved primarily through the use of reference architectures and its ability to place informational views on the business process. Another goal is the move for the formulation of system modules to possess a high ability to adapt their behavior to human values and also a complex non- uniformed building process; but at the same time, constraints must be put on them so that users do not end up with a confusion of computerized routines that are hard to access, control, and comprehend. 9
The Future of CAE What May CAE Soon Represent? (Continued) Manufacturing and industrial engineers need sophisticated computing capabilities to solve the complex problems they face and manage the vast data associated with the design of a manufacturing system. The Future of CAE Can Expanding CAE Redefine Engineering? It is evident that in the near future, there will be a radical change within the use of computers; furthermore, the common user will be less concerned with programming, in the old sense of the word, and will act more as a creator and manipulator of information. Soon, CAD software and tools will add a higher degree of human characteristics as it will gradually incorporate human standards into the engineering environment. The potential to reason with computerized systems is a new and very beneficial concept within the engineering field. 10
The Future of CAE Can Expanding CAE Redefine Engineering? (Continued) As a whole, newer standards are now being forced into acceptance faster than ever before due to an increase in pressure from the current markets. This will inevitably lead to further developments, not only in the computer-aided engineering field, but also in computer technology as a whole. The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It! ~ Alan Kay 11