Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2023 winners
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Bioplastics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
April 26, 1999 02:00 AM

OLD, NEW SCHOOLS VIRTUALLY SPLIT OVER CAE

Joseph Pryweller PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    NOVI, MICH. — Computer-aided engineering is sparking a running feud between old-school and new-school parts designers.

    The old-school view goes something like this: A part is designed, borrowing from dozens of hard prototypes, and then passed to engineers for physical testing before it is ready for production.

    ``It's a fairly intuitive process and based more on judgment calls than computer analysis,'' said Anne Bernhardt, president of Dallas-based Plastics & Computer Inc., a software consulting firm. ``You feel like you can't mess up too badly with all the years of experience you have.''

    The new-school view, practiced by automotive molder Key Plastics Inc. and others, turns that theory on its head. The supplier has resolved to pare pre-production time to a minimum by using CAE tools concurrent with computer-aided design.

    A goal is to let the speedier, virtual world of computer simulations absorb some of the labor-intensive work of testing and building prototype models.

    It is a departure from the show-me approach of older design engineers, said Kenneth Haviland, CAD/CAE engineering manager for Novi-based Key Plastics.

    ``Some people misperceive CAE tools to be only a trend and not factual enough to take at face value,'' Haviland said. ``But we don't want to re-create the wheel every time we make a product. [CAE] helps us streamline the design process and contain costs.''

    Key Plastics has a 45-person technical center in Novi that includes five CAE engineers. Four years ago, when Haviland began managing the center, it had fewer than 10 people, he said.

    Unlike most processors with design studios, at Key, a design engineer only performs rudimentary CAD work before passing the design to a CAE expert.

    The part then is put through an extensive battery of computer-driven tests. They include some of the fundamentals of CAE, such as mold-filling simulations and finite-element analyses to predict impact resistance.

    But the tests also include computational fluid dynamics to depict air and liquid flow in such parts as air vents; light analysis to show how natural light affects a dashboard graphic; noise, vibration and harshness tests; kinematics to depict how vehicle motion dislodges a part; and cubing-room software to predict surface quality.

    ``We can do a lot of the engineering work by computer,'' said Payman Afshari, senior CAE technical specialist at Key. ``We don't need to do a lot of physical testing.''

    Only then is the part looped back to the designer for finishing details before it is cut loose for production tooling and final validation.

    The idea is to spend more time testing a part by computer to avoid designing a part that might never get past the studio door, said Calvin Saur, Key Plastics' vice president of global technology and product development.

    ``You never have good design unless you have a robust process,'' Saur said. ``We design all our parts for manufacturing and assembly. CAE tools are the driving force for that.''

    Ideally, those CAE tools will eliminate the need to make early prototypes in design, said Mike Heskitt, director of the engineering services division of Troy, Mich.-based firm Altair Engineering Inc.

    ``In plastics, many suppliers are just coming off the curve gaining expertise to apply [CAE],'' Heskitt said. ``The goal is to have the first test work be successful with CAE and only use prototypes for final testing.''

    In the auto industry, CAE work traditionally has been done by carmakers, Heskitt said. Now, those companies are beginning to push suppliers to perform those services and invest in CAE tools. That has led to an abundance of work for Altair to get suppliers up to speed, he said.

    Haviland said Key greatly has reduced the number of prototypes it needs to produce. The company uses a fused-deposition modeling rapid prototyping machine to assist with quick part development.

    Production and assembly run on the same math-based data.

    Using both rapid prototyping and CAE make time and cost savings even more dramatic, Haviland said. A typical door handle can be made in 12-14 weeks instead of six months or longer, he said.

    Yet, some companies working outside the automotive industry are not quite ready to give up their prototypes just yet. Doing that could be a bit rash, said marketing manager Mark Powers of Sundberg-Ferar Product Development Inc., an industrial-design firm in Walled Lake, Mich.

    The firm performs a great deal of consumer product design work for Whirlpool Corp. and other companies. And prototypes are still a necessity, according to Powers.

    ``You can't get away from the need to make something physical,'' he said. ``We preach pretty religiously that seeing a green widget on a [computer] tube is nice, but you need a physical iteration of it. You can't feel it and see how it goes together unless you create prototypes.''

    The same goes for Mack Group Inc., a large processor of consumer and electronic plastic parts. The company, headquartered in Arlington, Vt., uses CAE tools to analyze mold flow and uses prototype parts to help it learn how a part will function, said Mack senior staff engineer Randy Pell.

    The problem is that CAE tools are only as good as the best operator, said Pell, whose company has set up a separate design group to manage projects for customers.

    ``You need someone who knows that a part just doesn't look right after a computer analysis,'' Pell said. ``But a cheap prototype tool, made from aluminum or new epoxies, might help you do that, too.''

    Still, cost savings with CAE tools can make a difference, said Sandy Munro, president of Troy-based manufacturing consultant firm Munro & Associates Inc. Crash tests alone on vehicles can cost $500,000, at the very least. Computer simulation software, which can cost around $20,000, could perform some of that work, he said.

    Some suppliers still are loath to use it regularly, Munro added.

    ``But it takes a paradigm shift,'' Munro said. ``It's a matter of getting people to accept data and utilize tools in front of them. There's still a fear of the unknown because it's a computer and not real to some people.''

    The firm has a design and training technology company called Command Train Inc., which helps designers and engineers use CAE tools. Command Train Vice President Lawrence Maples said designers and engineers have begun to work together.

    In one instance, for a windshield-wiper module, product-development time dropped from 18 months to six months, he said.

    ``We've heard about making a design and then throwing it over an imaginary wall to an engineer,'' Maples said. ``Well, now, we're starting to see some holes in that wall. It will continue to happen.''

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    PureCycle clears hurdle for second PP recycling plant in Georgia
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Treaty talks stumble on debate over resin production cap
    2
    Target, Walmart cut from bag drop-off site directory following report
    3
    Plastics treaty talks bring industry leaders to Paris
    4
    Material Insights: Commodity resins move in opposite directions
    5
    Resin Prices
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2023 winners
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Bioplastics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified