Package engineering: Computer simulation for Impress packaging

POST A COMMENT

Metal packaging specialists Impress Group will standardize its simulation process around MSC.Software's SimEnterprise solutions. Designers at Impress will use the new simulation technology to predict the in-service performance of their packaging products, optimize structural mass, and improve the industrialization processes of their manufacturing.

By introducing simulation at an earlier stage in the process, Impress will be able to simulate more accurately and efficiently, says MSC.Software. Impress expects to realize increased levels of design innovation and a 30 percent efficiency gain in engineering productivity from the change.

In order to extend their competitive advantage, and specifically to bring the simulation earlier into the design phase of their products, Impress conducted a full Economic Value Assessment of their growing technology and business requirements, and a Proof of Value study of a number of available solutions. The conclusion was the extension of the existing MSC MasterKey environment in order to additionally include MSC.Software's latest multidiscipline solution technologies, most notably MD Nastran and SimXpert.

"MSC.Software's simulation technology enables us to pursue ambitious design projects, and create new packaging designs in a completely virtual environment," said Richard Moore, Impress Vice-President of Strategic Development. "New ideas can quickly be developed and modified, with the virtual prototypes being verified for performance and manufacturability, delivering significant savings in both the time and cost of traditional physical prototyping."

SimXpert is MSC.Software's next-generation CAE solution that enables manufacturers to accelerate the speed and accuracy of simulation, increase design productivity, and bring better products to market faster. Designed exclusively for dedicated analysts, SimXpert is built around MSC.Software's multidiscipline (MD) core solutions, effectively combining all of the most common FE solutions into a single, common data model framework.

The SimXpert interface comprises interchangeable workspaces (including Structures, Motion, Thermal, and Explicit) each designed to efficiently guide the analyst through the set-up, solution, and results interpretation for the chosen application. Of particular interest to designers at Impress, the SimTemplate Studio also allows SimXpert users to capture, share, and reuse all stages of the simulation process, thereby mobilizing the inherent design intellect, and promoting consistency and best-practice throughout the organization.

"Thanks to the swiftness and expertise of MSC.Software's Professional Services team, we have already implemented MD Nastran and SimXpert," said Philippe Niec, Impress Numerical Simulation Leader. "The new functionality has brought immediate results and return on our investment."

Impress first selected MSC.Software in April 2005, creating a nonlinear solution capability based on MSC.Software's Engineering Products, mainly the Marc solver, accessed via the flexible MSC Masterkey licensing system. MSC.Software's heritage in Aerospace design was an influential factor in the selection, with Impress' Vice-President of Strategic Development Richard Moore recently commenting that "space rockets and metal cans have a surprising number of similar design complexities."

www.impressgroup.com

www.mscsoftware.com

POST A COMMENT

.