Improving Analyst Productivity

1
Improving Analyst Productivity

• Olivier Tabaste
• Senior Technical Consultant

2
Summary 1/2

• Product Development Background
• Design to Market Decision Scenario
• Design Scenario
• Lessons Learned
• Value Proposition
• Vertical Solution
• Process Driver
• Simple/Single GUI
• Process Workflow Mapping
• Architecture Overview

3
Summary 2/2

• Drive Page
• MSC.Acumen Applications
• Operational Description Summary
• Conclusion

4
Product Development Background
5
Design to Market Decision Scenario
Prototypes
Pre-definition
Production
Cost
Fatigue
Life cycle
Design
Weights
Corrosion
Welding properties
Key properties
Creep properties
Quality insurance

Mechanical analysis
Thermal fatigue
Analysis
Thermal analysis

Availability
Molding behavior
Tolerance
Machining
Dimension
Ductility
Surface Polish
Machine type
Ajustement
Heat Treatment
6
Design Scenario
CAE Thermal CAE Expert 2
CAD Model Design Engineer
CAE Mechanical CAE Expert 1
CAE Multi Physics CAE Expert 3
Product Specs Customer
Certification
Customer
7
Lessons Learned

• Imbedding CAE tools in CAD systems failed to meet
  the challenge...wizards
• Training design engineers in the usage of
  general-purpose CAE tools has proven to NOT be
  successful
• Usage of inference engine or rules-based KBE
  approach has proven to NOT scale up to complex
  product simulation problems
• Make MSC/PATRAN useable for the design engineer
  or non-expert requires an expert system

8
Value Proposition
Benefits for customers

• Capture and leverage
• engineering process
• throughout enterprise

Existing Process

• Process validated by
• resident experts

• Owned by experts
• Limited access
• Not optimized
• Slow to apply
• Expensive usage

• Tracability maintained

• Enable Novice users and
• design engineers to perform
• complex simulation without
• training

• Quantum of productivity 1-30

• Lower Warranty cost by
• extensive usage

Acumen Implementation
9
Vertical Solution
MSC.Acumen
Database Administrators
Designer
Analyst
Materials Specialist
Product Specs
CAD
Design
CAE Mechanical
Assembly
CAE Thermal
Component
Details
CAE Multi Physics
Certification
Knowledge
10
Process Driver

• Single Drive Page Interface - HTML based
• Ultra-intuitive, eliminates hunting through
• Ultra-intuitive Interviewer
• Simple decisions, Yes, No, or I Dont Know
• Navigator
• Takes user directly to functionality
• Checker
• Abandon session and re-enter where you left off
• Leverage PCL and in-house codes

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Simple/Single GUI

• Custom applications fit you and your process
  needs
• No user training is required due to ultra
  ease-of-use
• The applications speak your language
• The expert system guides you to quality answers

• Work flow management guides you through the
  simulation process, checks for successful
  completion, and indicates status

• Text and graphics provide clear step-by-step
  instructions and options

• With the click of a mouse, hypertext links launch
  powerful automation functions
• Hunting through forms is eliminated
• The inputs area accepts your interaction
  whenever user inputs or screen picks are required

12
Process Workflow Mapping
Capture Experts Process Write the Logical
Algorithm Map it into XML Drive Page
Interpret XML Page Follow Workflow Logic
Single-Form Interface
Expert Workflow Manager
Dialog
Platform Software Drive Page Reader HTML
widget
Inputs
Hyperlink Interpreter
ACTION
Automation Function and PCL Library 2,000
functions
13
Architecture Overview
Acumen Platform Interviewer, Navigator, Checker
Automation and PCL Functions
MSC/PATRAN
PATRAN DB
HTML WIDGET
SOLVERS MSC/ NASTRAN In-House, Other
Commercial ANSYS, ABAQUS
XML PAGES
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Drive Page

• Extensible Markup Language (XML)
• Industry standard, hardware independent
• Web standard HTML technology for display
• Used to model process knowledge and flow
• Authoring analysis scenarios similar to writing
  web pages
• No UI graphics form or widget programming
  required
• The platform is flexible enough to handle any
  workflow scenario
• Multi-level UNDO within any given step

15
MSC.Acumen Applications 1/4

• Empower design engineers with automated, expert,
  high-quality, vertical
  applications
• Brake Squeal Complex
  Eigenvalue
• Achievement
• Reduced a 6 to 8 weeks process to less than
  a week
• Breakeven Investment after 10 to 12 systems

16
MSC.Acumen Applications 2/4

• Enable Novice users to manage certification
  analysis
• Sekisui Chemical Company
• Meet seismic certification requirements of
  Japanese government for underground piping
  systems
• Achievement
• Productivity improvement 140

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MSC.Acumen Applications 3/4

• Eliminate routine, repetitive tasks for expert
  analyst with templates in distinct workflow
  categories
• Major US Truck Manufacturer
• Simple structure under concentrated force
  Radiator Stay Rod, Suspension Hanger others
• Achievement
• System supports all Analysis, where attempts over
  10 years to train design engineers on
  sophisticated software failed
• Wait queue down from 4-6 weeks to 0
• Dramatic order of magnitude process improvement

18
MSC.Acumen Applications 4/4

• Breakdown complex simulation into individual
  workflow categories using modular, autonomous
  drive pages, within parameterized Design
• Ball Grid Array Manufacturer in Japan
• Parameterized component assembled for
  plastic-creep analysis
• Limited only by your imagination

19
Operational Description Summary

• Capture and implement customer and MSC expert
  advice, knowledge and procedures in the
  application
• Guide, control and enforces the process
• Options available (to user) are limited in
  context to the particular step
• Application author decides on options, advice,
  and standards
• HTML is the vehicle for text and graphics
• Powerful hypertext links invoke automation
  functions
• XML tags allow calling background functions
  during dialog display
• Tags reference editable table for UI automation
• Table lists default values for user inputs type
  of input widgets
• Browser-like single form UI enables navigation
  through process
• User responses and decisions are used in logic
  operations

20
Conclusion

• MSC.Software is currently developing a number of
  applications using MSC.Acumen,
• It covers a wide range of industries,
• It will fulfill the goal of enabling the casual
  user of FEA to produce expert level analyses in a
  greatly reduced timeframe,
• general purpose programs can be focused to
  specialized purposes in a cost effective manner.