Altair c2r summer fall 2016 by Srb México

SharkNinja Cleans Up in the Household Appliance Market

Maxion Wheels Puts a Different Spin on Product Development

Why Lightweighting is a Game Changer in Automotive Design

IDEAS AND STRATEGIES IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Massive Radio Telescope Project:

OPENS DOORS TO THE UNIVERSE

Summer/Fall 2016 | An

Publication

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www.C2Rmagazine.com Editorial Director Beverly Beckert beverly.beckert@penton.com Publisher Michael J. Kidder mkidder@altair.com Author Relations Manager Biba A. Bedi biba@altair.com Media Services Manager Sam Schulenberg sam.schulenberg@penton.com Creative Director Cavedweller Studio mail@cavedwellerstudio.com Audience Development Manager Maria Miesik miesik@altair.com Concept To Reality is published semi-annually for Altair Engineering, Inc. by Penton Marketing, a unit of Penton.

Save the Date to learn how Altair customers are innovating our world At the heart of engineering, applying scientific knowledge, mathematics, and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical, societal and commercial problems gets us out of bed in the morning. The energy and passion that fills the room of engineering and industry professionals here at ATC is expressed through the exchange of knowledge, information, ideas and stories about the many facets of applying simulation early and often to synthesize and optimize designs, processes, and decisions for improved business performance. Learn more at altair.com/atc

1100 Superior Ave. 8th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114 Subscription Services To subscribe to Concept To Reality, visit www.C2Rmagazine.com/subscribe Send address changes to: Beverly Beckert Penton 1100 Superior Ave. 8th Floor Cleveland, OH 44114 ÂŠ 2016 Altair Engineering, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks, company names and product names referred to throughout this publication are the properties of their respective companies. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Contents Features

SharkNinja Cleans Up in the Household Appliance Market Simulation drives new product development initiatives, enabling engineers to roll out quality, leading-edge products in a highly competitive consumer marketplace.

Massive Radio Telescope Project Opens Doors to the Universe Researchers and students at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa apply simulation tools to investigate the effects of electromagnetic interference on the design of antennas and radio frequency front-end systems.

12 12

Maxion Wheels Puts a Different Spin on Product Development A global manufacturer of steel and aluminum wheels begins its simulation-driven product development process with optimization technology.

Why Lightweighting is a Game Changer in Automotive Design Ford Motor Company, winner of the 2015 Altair Enlighten Award, discusses the importance of its lightweighting strategy in the redesign of the Ford F-150 truck.

Departments 02

Product and Experience Creation Converge to Make the Impossible Possible The new solidThinking Converge 2016 conference series explores the intersection of technology and design, with events in six countries from September through November. Altair invites you to attend â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and learn how this intersection can make an innovative difference in your business.

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LETTER FROM THE CEO

IN THE NEWS

Stay up to date on Altairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest activities SUMMER/FALL 2016 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | 1

Letter from the CEO

James R. Scapa Chairman and CEO, Altair

Product and Experience Creation Converge to Make the Impossible Possible

T “Overlaying simulation and optimization is enabling our clients to create more and better products and experiences in shorter timeframes.“

This issue of Concept To Reality contains a wonderfully diverse set of new and successful applications of technology that is evolving how we design. These feature stories celebrate true client achievements in design innovation for new space radio telescopes, trucks, vacuum cleaners and even car wheels. Beyond Altair’s technology playing a supporting role in these successes, there are good reasons for these seemingly disparate organizations to find themselves together in one magazine. Crossindustry and interdisciplinary pollination are expanding as market and technology trends exert strong influence on how products and human experiences are created. High-performance computing, big data and analytics, the Internet of Things and application-specific computing appliances are enabling simulation and optimization to utilize data to inform great decision making – and this trend will continue to grow. Altair’s culture has always sought to bring together multiple disciplines of engineering and creative processes. Inside our company we innovate constantly in the way we design, the products we create and the business models we experiment with. We aggressively employ our software tools and product development methods, so that outside our company we can play an enabling role in the great things our clients are accomplishing. We strongly believe that bringing simulation software and rapid manufacturing technology forward in the design process can be a source of inspiration, along with a winning response to accelerated product lifecycles. Overlaying simulation and optimization is enabling our clients to create more and

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better products and experiences in shorter timeframes. Our solidThinking Converge 2016 conference series is exploring this intersection of technology and design, with events in six countries from September through November http://event.converge2016.com/. We look forward to hearing from a number of invited industry thought leaders with regard to how their organizations are capitalizing on newfound abilities to create and manufacture more efficiently and faster than ever. We are hopeful that this new conference series will help accelerate the beautiful things that happen when right brain, left brain, art, science, form, function, design, engineering and manufacturing are propelling upward in concert. Through Converge 2016 and this publication, we want to help push the boundaries of product and experience creation. Our goal is to deliver content and share broad industry insights to stimulate and inspire the global community of designers, engineers, architects, and product and experience creators who will champion tomorrow’s breakthrough advancements and new discoveries. As you read this issue, I hope you enjoy our selected feature stories shining a light on design and engineering as they relate to our everyday lives. Secondly, I invite and encourage you to join us at one or more of the global Converge conferences to learn how the intersection of technology and design come together -- and can make an innovative difference in your business.

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Company

Design Strategies

SharkNinja Cleans Up in the Household Appliance Market

Simulation drives new product development initiatives, enabling engineers to roll out quality, leading-edge products in a highly competitive consumer marketplace. By Beverly A. Beckert

Through its unique offering of state-of-the art blenders and food processors, coffee bars, irons/steamers and vacuum cleaners, SharkNinja has strategically increased its share to 30% of the competitive U.S. household appliance market. The manufacturer, based in Newton, Massachusetts, attributes part of its success to innovative R&D and new product development (NPD) practices. In particular, SharkNinja has adopted a simulation-driven philosophy in product development. The company uses a combination of analysis tools and techniques to gain a deeper understanding of product behavior, as well as to improve product performance and durability. Simulation tools from Altair’s HyperWorks® suite help drive engineers’ efforts and keep them focused on

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the company’s mission: to innovate and deliver the products that positively impact people’s lives every day in every home around the world.

The “Wow” Factor How does SharkNinja define product innovation? Senior Mechanical Engineer Pu Zhou explains the company relies heavily on customer feedback. Products that garner a “wow” and five-star reviews are definite indicators of external success. Time to market and cost drive internal measures of success. It takes approximately 18 months for a product to go from concept to the store shelf, depending on the appliance. In the case of vacuum cleaners, the process begins with marketing and industrial design (ID) teams pitching product requirements and

functionality. The recommendations are shared with the design team in China, which collaborates with contractors to deliver initial CAD drawings. Zhou, the R&D and NPD lead, says that engineers employ rapid prototyping technology to produce two to four rounds of prototypes. A cross-functional team then performs multiple evaluations. Engineering and quality team members focus on product functionality while ID and marketing staff make sure the product appeals to customers. Simulation is heavily involved in the process. In fact, it is the first step in a series of standard practices that Zhou has implemented at SharkNinja. “We use finite-element analysis (FEA) to simulate standard structures before tooling takes place so that we can identify any problems before they occur,” says Zhou. He adds that before every tool change, they run FEA to help ensure things go smoothly.

A Simulation Mindset In its product evaluations, SharkNinja performs drop testing, strength and durability analysis, and fluid dynamics simulation. Flow analysis is performed to increase the suction power of vacuums and the mixing effectiveness of blenders. Zhou explains that the company wants its vacuum cleaners to be sturdy enough to withstand accidental drops or impact occurring during normal usage without mechanical failures or housing cracks. Using Altair’s HyperMesh®, a finite-element pre-processor for modeling complex geometries, and RADIOSS ®, a nonlinear structural analysis solver, team members develop detailed simulation models of vacuum cleaner sections and then subject them to various virtual drop test and impact scenarios. Simulation techniques help product designers and analysts better understand the root cause of potential problems early in the design stage. The software enables them to address design issues without having to build and test models at the point of failure reporting. For vacuum cleaners, FEA is performed on nozzle, handle and body assemblies. For each assembly, there are different tests

performed. “FEA shows potential failure points so that we can change the structure,” says Zhou. He recalls a recent project in which the team was working to improve the front and side edges of a vacuum cleaner. At issue was the nozzle wall thickness. “We could not perform tests on the prototypes, so we were unable to get any information on structural integrity,” notes Zhou. He did not want to wait until off-tool parts were created because that could result in costly retooling changes and unacceptable program delays. Instead, the team relied on RADIOSS to simulate the reliability tests. After a few days of running multiple load cases, Zhou was confident that the wall thickness would survive the tests, with some reinforcing efforts. While analysis tools are used in product development, they also play a role in SharkNinja’s quality initiatives. The company’s Continuous Improvement Team handles issues after mass production, often requesting engineering change modifications to products already on the shelf. Zhou collaborates with this team, running simulations before any new tooling takes place. Last year, for example, the Continuous Improvement Team asked for Zhou’s help to identify an issue with a steam product. Zhou performed drop test simulation and was able to pinpoint the problem in only three days.

Structural analysis performed on vacuum cleaners’ nozzle, handle and body assemblies shows potential failure points during the product development phase.

Lighter is Better Whether consumers prefer an upright or canister model, the lighter the vacuum, the better, especially when users have to carry the appliance up and down stairs. That’s why SharkNinja devotes time to lightweighting design initiatives. One of the initiatives includes in-house user testing, for which the company invites consumers to participate. If SharkNinja receives feedback that an appliance is perceived as too heavy, it shifts into evaluation mode. Zhou explains that the base of a vacuum cleaner holds most of the components and is the heaviest assembly. The opportunity to make a vacuum cleaner lighter lies in the nozzle assembly. To cut down on weight, SharkNinja

CFD simulation with AcuSolve allows investigation of optimal flows without the need of a physical prototype.

SUMMER/FALL 2016 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | 5

Design Strategies evaluates different nozzle head shapes. “We remove and even change material,” says Zhou. “FEA helps, as we need to make the nozzle light but strong enough to survive the tests.”

Improving Efficiency A key component in vacuum cleaners is the fan, and high efficiency is critical to operations. Zhou recalls one project in which the team investigated ways to improve product motor fans with the use of computational f luid dynamics (CFD) software. AcuSolve®, a CFD solver within the HyperWorks suite, provided the thermal and f low analysis capabilities. Zhou relates that the team needed to evaluate a lot of parameters in the fan design, including blade thickness. However, they were not sure which parameters to alter. “By using CFD,” says Zhou, “we did not have to create a prototype. We built meshes and ran them to get our results. And the results correlated with testing.” With AcuSolve, analysts do not have to build a very structured mesh, which saves time in the model preparation phase. Ease of use and speed are reasons for its increasing adoption at the company.

Keeping Costs in Check SharkNinja is constantly looking for ways to operate efficiently in its NPD process. To help keep costs low, SharkNinja relies on global contractors with different skill levels to provide CAD models; however, the

models are often in need of repair before analysis can take place. Simulation tools in the HyperWorks suite, such as SimLab®, help address this issue. SimLab automates simulationmodeling tasks to reduce human errors as well as cost and time spent manually creating finite-element models and interpreting results. SharkNinja also takes advantage of Altair’s HyperWorks licensing system. The company purchases an annual subscription license for a “pool” of HyperWorks Units (HWUs); each HyperWorks application draws a specific quantity of HWUs that are returned to the pool when the application is closed. SharkNinja has engineering resources in China, the United Kingdom and India. The HyperWorks licensing model delivers a comprehensive CAE platform, offering scalability and significant value with a pool of HyperWorks units available to SharkNinja NPD teams in each country where they operate. According to Zhou, “Altair’s licensing model enables us to use the unparalleled pre-processor SimLab and solver RADIOSS at an attractive cost. It lets us perform multiple analyses simultaneously — and fast — and lowers our costs.” He adds that Altair’s Compute Manager service — which enables users to set up, submit, and monitor jobs on distributed resources — enables the company to run projects with no additional license required.

“The total cost,” says Zhou, “finally becomes lower than the benefits it brings. That’s critical in the cost-sensitive consumer product industry.”

Innovative Decisions SharkNinja’s innovative decision to adopt simulation technology in its NPD process — and make it a global standard practice — has strategically propelled the company to success. The R&D team can perform more virtual tests of different designs to see how they perform. Team members have been able to change the cost component of products by simulating performance with different materials. Manufacturing problems also have been averted or prevented through the use of simulation. The technology allows SharkNinja to allocate its resources more efficiently as well as discover opportunities for product improvement early in the design process, when changes are cost-effective. Zhou sums up, noting that the simulation tools — as well as support from Altair engineers — make a difference in global SharkNinja product development: “Simulation and Altair Hyperworks boost our capability to positively impact people’s lives every day in every home around the world.” To learn about HyperWorks and how simulations can benefit your designs, visit www.altair/sharkninja.

SharkNinja Works Hard at Being a Household Name SharkNinja’s roots date back more than a century. The company originated in Europe, then moved to Canada. Its headquarters are now outside of Boston. Previously known as Euro-Pro, the company made a name for itself through its Shark® and Ninja® products. In July 2015, Euro-Pro changed its company name to SharkNinja to establish one unified identity — and to capitalize on the awareness, consumer trust and success of each brand. The company prides itself on innovation, ease of use and competitive pricing. Its line of vacuum cleaners and household appliances are distributed through major big-box retailers, specialty stores and its websites. SharkNinja reports annual revenue of $1.6 billion dollars. Recent recognitions include being ranked the “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Upright Vacuums” by the J.D. Power 2015 Vacuum Satisfaction StudySM.

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The Art of Innovation

Massive Radio Telescope Project Opens Doors to the Universe By Beverly A. Beckert

Researchers and students at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa apply simulation tools to investigate the effects of electromagnetic interference on the design of antennas and radio frequency front-end systems. Photos: courtesy SKA South Africa

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The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) — a radio telescope that will have a total collecting area of approximately one square kilometer (one million square meters) — is a scientific and engineering project involving approximately 100 organizations from 20 countries. They are collaborating to construct a collection of instruments designed to improve our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics — as well as to monitor the sky in unprecedented detail and map it hundreds of times faster than any current facility.

It will be constructed in two phases: Phase 1 (SKA1) is estimated to be completed in 2023 and is being built in South Africa and Australia. Phase 2 (SKA2) will be started after SKA1. In Phase 1 of the project, currently under way, South Africa will host 200 parabolic antennas similar to, but much larger than, a standard domestic satellite dish. They will operate in a frequency range of 350 MHz to 14 GHz with a collecting area of 33,000 square meters. Australia will host more than 100,000 dipole antennas, which resemble TV aerials. Operating in a frequency range of 50 MHz to 350 MHz, they will have a collecting area of 0.4 square kilometers. What makes the SKA so powerful is its collecting area and the greater sensitivity to detect even very weak cosmic radio signals. The SKA Organization, Manchester, UK, points out that a collection of antennas spread over longer distances means that the images made will have finer resolution than is possible with a single antenna. The radio telescopes, however, are very sensitive instruments. They must be located as far away as possible from man-made electronics or machines that emit radio waves which can interfere with the faint radio signals coming from the Universe. The University of Stellenbosch, South Africa — one of five universities awarded research chairs relevant to the SKA project — is exploring electromagnetic (EM) systems and electromagnetic interference (EMI) under the auspices of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The chair, headed by Professor David Davidson, includes work by full-time academic staff and more than 20 post-graduate students and post-doctoral students. Dr. Gideon Wiid, a member of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, leads a team of students and

other researchers in investigating electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) metrology issues for the SKA. The team focuses on the analysis of both EM systems and the mitigation of radio frequency interference (RFI) between systems. The use of sophisticated simulation software enables them to provide RFI mitigation recommendations to SKA South Africa (SA). While the SKA is under construction, “precursor” and “pathfinder” telescopes are being incorporated into the project. In South Africa, for example, the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT), initially conceived to consist of 20 receptors, currently is comprised of seven receptors and is known as the KAT-7. When the South African government increased the budget to allow the building of 64 receptors, it was renamed “MeerKAT,” for “more of KAT.” MeerKAT is a precursor to the SKA telescope and will be integrated into the mid-frequency component of SKA Phase 1.

Signal Sensitivity The MeerKAT telescope is an extremely sensitive instrument, explains Wiid. Everyday items such as cell phones, laptops and cameras are not allowed on the MeerKAT site because the RFI signals they emit can damage the front end of the receiver, rendering it useless as a scientific tool. Even construction activities — including welding, machinery operation and the use of certain lights — can emit RFI signals. Wiid and his team are currently investigating RFI monitoring and “direction finding” (locating the source of potentially harmful signals). Wiid says, “You need to be able to monitor what is happening in real time.” The antenna that is currently installed for RFI monitoring operates between 150 MHz to 4 GHz, a very wide band. A postdoctoral student on the team is working on a slightly smaller antenna that operates

Getting to the Right Design Danie Ludick, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, works on projects related to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s largest radio telescope destined to observe the Universe’s pulsars and black holes, test gravity and look for signatures of life. One of the challenges in designing the SKA is its size. The structure is massive in terms of the wavelength. In addition, the structure is required to operate at such specific levels that it is extremely sensitive. Make one mistake, and the structure will not work. To ensure optimum operation, Ludick iterates multiple simulations to ensure the right design. FEKO® software from Altair and its high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities are playing a significant role in assisting researchers so that they have confidence in their designs. Ludick explains that the simulations are run in an HPC environment. To accelerate these simulations, he uses other products from Altair HyperWorks®, such as PBS Professional®, a workload manager and job scheduler. Recently, Ludick has been getting more involved in the field of multiphysics. Because the SKA dish structures are standing in the desert, the operating conditions are extreme. In addition to employing FEKO, Ludick has access to other tools in the HyperWorks suite, including the mechanical analysis offered by OptiStruct®. “This guides us into what type of deformations we can expect,” he says.

SUMMER/FALL 2016 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | 9

The Art of Innovation beyond 4 GHz. Another student specializing in RFI direction finding is researching an alternative design to Wiid’s antenna. Using simulation tools, this student is getting a frequency range of 150 MHz to 15 GHz. “It’s pushing the limits of the bandwidth the antennas can cover,” says Wiid. “The only other areas where you get these types of designs is in ultra-wide band radars and high-power impulse testing. It’s not easy to develop an antenna with such a wide range, so we have come quite far in the design — and what we were aiming for.” The advantage of a larger bandwidth is a clearer signal of what is received in time. If the antenna is not good, the signal is warped. Then, it becomes difficult to distinguish if the signal is from a welder, cell phone or laptop. “If you get a clean signal in time,” says Wiid, “you can more easily distinguish it and start doing calculations with that data to determine the cause of the interference.”

Right-on-Target Research Wiid has spent the last couple of years conducting RFI mitigation research and shares the results of one of his projects. He explains that the proximity of adjacent antennas and other systems can result in unwanted inter-coupling, due to currents on cables. The inter-coupling needs to be minimized by first identifying the coupling mechanisms, either through simulations or measurements, and then applying approaches to improve isolation, for example shielding or rerouting the cables. However, on-site RF coupling investigations can only be done after installation. During the design, planning and installation stages, such characterization of the EM environment has to be done on scale models and through simulations. Wiid and his team did just that. For the actual MeerKAT telescope, on-site RFI measurements were collected using an emission reference source (ERS) that operates from 30 MHz to 1,000 MHz. The ERS was placed 30 meters from the dish to represent any possible RF coupling from a future nearby telescope. Researchers created a physical, simplified, 1/20th scale model of the initial MeerKAT dish design to test in an anechoic

Radio Telescope Components A radio telescope is made up of an antenna, receivers and a digital back-end (data recorder). The antenna is used to collect the incoming radio waves while the receiver and amplifier boost weak radio signals to measurable levels. The SKA will feature three main telescope types: dishes, low-frequency antennas and mid-frequency antennas. Dishes for the SKA are planned to be made from metal, with high accuracy in their shape, and will be capable of withstanding high winds and intense thermal and environmental stresses. Low- and medium-frequency telescopes have aperture arrays comprised of a large number of small radio wave receptors arranged on the ground. Radio signals are captured when they first hit the receptor on the ground. The signals from all the elements are then added together electronically, in phase, to synthesize antenna arrays. An aperture array is a large number of small, fixed antenna elements coupled to appropriate receiver systems, which can be arranged in a regular or random pattern on the ground. These aperture array antennas provide a large field of view and are capable of observing more than one part of the sky at once. As such, the system will be able to look at multiple regions of the sky simultaneously, greatly increasing the telescope survey speed.

chamber (one that absorbs reflection of sound and microwaves). In addition, the scaled design was imported from the mechanical design software into FEKO, the simulation software from Altair. FEKO is used in applications including antenna design and placement, scattering, radar cross section, and EM compatibility (EMC). The electrical size of the structure and the broad spectrum covered required significant computational resource requirements. FEKO’s state-of-the-art, parallel, “method of moments” solver was run on a supercomputer at the Centre for High

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Performance Computing (CHPC) in Cape Town in a matter of days. According to Wiid, the measured and simulated results of the transfer function — a measure of the coupling between the RF source and a receiver — agreed very well. This validated FEKO model was then used to perform rigorous RFI studies and make design, layout, shielding and bonding recommendations to mitigate the interference between these extremely sensitive telescopes. Wiid says, “FEKO modeling on the Cape Town CHPC has been pivotal in our

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A team of researchers and students from the University of Stellenbosch collects measurements on a scale model of the MeerKat antenna inside an anechoic chamber to study electromagnetic compatibility issues (top). Results from physical tests are then compared with FEKO simulations.

RFI mitigation research at Stellenbosch University for the MeerKAT Telescope. We have successfully validated dish-scale models with measurement and continue to study EM induced current paths and provide RFI mitigation recommendations to SKA SA.â&#x20AC;?

Investing in the Future South Africa became involved in the SKA project in 2001, initially as an observer. Today, it is engaged in world-class scientific research and cutting-edge technology

development. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, the SKA project is fueling development of future scientists, engineers and technicians. For example, the SKA SA Project has provided more than 700 grants to postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate and undergraduate students working on science and engineering degrees. In addition, grants have been awarded to students training to be technicians. This effort has increased the number of highly skilled people available to the general economy in South Africa and the region. According to Wiid, part of the success â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and innovation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; surrounding the SKA project lies in the enthusiasm of these young professionals and their ability to think â&#x20AC;&#x153;outside of the box.â&#x20AC;? He says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;South Africa is young in the radio astronomy field, so there are a lot of young people who are enthusiastic for the project. You get new ideasâ&#x20AC;ŚThey face challenges and say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s do something about it.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? He points to the RFI monitoring antennas currently under design. One of the challenges the team faced was in constructing the large antennas. The cost to machine them was prohibitive. Wiid explains that the team decided to 3D print the antennas and use aluminum paint as conductive coating. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We now have antennas,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;that are extremely inexpensive to manufacture and that enable us to prove our principles. And, we have gotten excellent designs.â&#x20AC;? While a great deal has already been accomplished on the MeerKAT project, there is still much work to be done. SKA SA expects engineering verification on 32 receptors to be completed by the end of this year, with science commissioning scheduled for completion by the end of March 2017. By the end of next year, engineering verification and science commissioning should be finished on 64 antennas. Between 2018 and 2023, construction of SKA Phase 1 will take place. Construction of SKA Phase 2 will take place between 2023 and 2030. For more information on MeerKAT, visit http://ska.ac.za/index.php. Beverly A. Beckert is Editorial Director of Concept To Reality.

A Look at MeerKAT The MeerKAT telescope will be an array of 64 interlinked receptors (comprised of the complete antenna structure, with the main reflector, sub-reflector and all receivers, digitizers and other electronics installed). Each MeerKAT receptor consists of three main components: the antenna positioner, which is a steerable dish on a pedestal; a set of radio receivers; and a set of associated digitizers.

In July 2016, an observation using just 16 of the eventual 64 dishes produced a view of the sky (pictured above) revealing more than 1,300 galaxies in the distant Universe, compared to 70 known in the same location prior to MeerKAT. Professor Justin Jonas, SKA South Africa chief technologist, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Based on the results shown, we are confident that after all 64 dishes are in place, MeerKAT will be the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading telescope of its kind until the advent of SKA.â&#x20AC;? Dr. Rob Adam, project director of SKA South Africa, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through MeerKAT, South Africa is playing a key role in the design and development of technology for the SKA. The South African team of more than 200 young scientists, engineers and technicians, in collaboration with industry, local and foreign universities and institutions, has developed the technologies and systems for MeerKAT. These include cutting-edge telescope antennas and receivers, signal processing, timing, telescope management computing and data storage systems, and algorithms for data processing.â&#x20AC;?

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Process Automation

Maxion Wheels Puts a Different Spin on Product Development A global manufacturer of steel and aluminum wheels begins its simulation-driven product development process with optimization technology. Beverly A. Beckert

Maxion Wheels is the leading global supplier of steel and aluminum wheels for passenger cars, trucks, buses and agricultural equipment as well as military and off-highway vehicles. Its products set standards in weight optimization and finish and durability, which its customer base of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) demand. The company helps its worldwide customers deliver lower weight, safer and more fuel-efficient vehicles thanks, in part, to its product development process. Beginning in 2005, the company tested, and then adopted, a simulation-driven design process with optimization as the first step in the development cycle. Following optimization, engineers introduced into the process finite-element analysis (FEA) for performance verification as well as fatigue life analysis, testing and data acquisition. This emphasis on simulation technology coupled with a simultaneous engineering approach has enabled Maxion to shave months off product development time and weight off its wheels — while meeting all test requirements.

A Proof-of-Concept Project Carlos E. Lopes was responsible for Maxion Wheels’ Commercial Vehicles (CV) Steel Wheels Engineering group in 2005. At the time, the company’s team of engineers was seeking a new path for innovations in wheel design. Altair Brazil was engaged in conversations with Maxion regarding its goals and offered training as well as direct project assistance, along with introductory HyperWorks® software licensing. Lopes explains that the Altair team led engineers through a proof-of-concept project applying optimization technology. With the professional skepticism of the experienced technical staff on full alert, Maxion set a weight reduction target of 1.5 kg for a steel wheel, knowing full well that the maximum weight that could be removed to pass testing requirements was 0.3 kg.

12 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | SUMMER/FALL 2016

Maxion Wheels produces steel wheels for commercial vehicles (shown) and light vehicles as well as aluminum wheels. The company has adopted a simulation-driven design process with optimization as the first step.

Lopes says, “Our attitude was one of ‘why not?’ We felt that perhaps the mathematics of Altair’s OptiStruct® software might do something interesting, even though there was no reason to believe it would give results relevant to the real design requirements of steel wheels for heavy trucks.” The outcome of this endeavor was spectacular. It led to development of a product that broke all test performance records known at that time, with a low weight and high predictive accuracy of final test results that were never before conceived as possible. The initial success with OptiStruct aligned perfectly with the Maxion Wheels brand promise of providing highly customized products to different markets at the lowest possible weight with safe and technologically-robust designs. With the combination of optimization and other simulation tools, the company reduced the development time expectations from six months to reach 0.3 kg of weight reduction to 45 days for a 1.5 kg reduction while meeting all test requirements.

Opportunities in the Millions From 2005 till now, the optimization process has evolved and has been deployed to every single family of Maxion Wheels products and uncountable new single components, generating competitiveness for the brand, patents, safety for the products and savings beyond $20 million. One example of this high competitiveness was reached in 2007, when the Maxion CV engineering team was challenged to design a wheel that out-performed a major competitor while avoiding intellectual property related to the competitor’s design. “In a demonstration of how impactful optimization technology can be to a business,” explains Lopes, “we designed a unique wheel that met all performance targets while saving weight and costs. As a result, a new product was successfully launched, avoiding patent infringement, and our business in that sector was able to export to a new region, from a recently started new facility in China.” Another significant business opportunity arose in 2012, when the company was challenged to beat the toughest competitor in Europe after it had set a new market standard for a 9 x 22.5-in. tubeless steel wheel for a heavy truck, fully tested via Biaxial (ZWARP test) methods. Maxion assembled a global CV engineering team and benchmarked the best components and materials within the company. By combining the benchmarked best-in-category bill of materials with an intensive OptiStruct design effort for the disc, a new wheel made its debut. The result was that within two months, the team achieved a 0.6 kg savings over the competitor’s new target, including full product design, tooling design, manufacturing and 30 days of physical testing. What’s more, six months later, the company notched an additional 0.7 kg of savings. Today, the industry benchmark for the lightest 9 x 22.5-in. tubeless steel wheel for commercial vehicles is in the range of 33 kg, thanks to further development led by Maxion Wheels’ team in Germany.

America, for example, produce 2.2 million wheels per year, targeting one of the most challenging product performance markets in the world. Brazil has 213,000 km of paved roads and 1.3 million km of unpaved roads. With greater than a 6:1 ratio of unpaved versus paved roads — and a pervasive practice of overloading trucks on the uncontrolled highway infrastructure — Brazil represents a vast and difficult testbed for a manufacturer of wheels. Other regions present unique challenges of their own. For instance, certain areas of China and India are known to regularly overload to 50% over the allowable truck limit, exacerbating the wheel wear caused by poor road conditions. In contrast, the United States, with its 4.3 million km of paved roads, represents a dream market for achieving maximum efficiency with lightweight designs to reduce fuel consumption. Targeting sales to every OEM in the world requires Maxion to continuously search for innovations which will allow customized products for specific markets while achieving the lowest weight and highest safety for each application. The inherent characteristics of steel and aluminum wheels provide an excellent platform from which to help achieve lowered carbon dioxide emission goals through the positive impact that high-performing and lightweight products can offer. Lopes remarks, “All of the above was feasible due to the Maxion Wheels CV engineering team members, who proved to be great, synergic professionals. Different departments focused on a common goal, compiling data from optimization, FEA, data acquisition, manufacturing, testing and market performance. The success came from their strong willingness to collaborate and compete.”

Rolling with the Challenges Maxion Wheels’ products vary by region and customer. Its CV Wheels operations in South

SUMMER/FALL 2016 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | 13

Process Automation

A Global Force

OptiStruct from the Altair HyperWorks suite enables Maxion Wheel’s engineers to perform topology optimization (top) in addition to structural analysis (bottom).

Maxion Wheels is a division of Iochpe-Maxion, whose other businesses include Maxion Structural Components and AmstedMaxion. Maxion Wheels operates 23 manufacturing plants in 12 countries, producing more than 60 million wheels per year. • It produces steel wheels for light vehicles in Brazil, Mexico, the USA, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Turkey and India. • Aluminum wheels for light vehicles are produced in Brazil, Mexico, Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, Thailand and South Africa. • Steel wheels for commercial vehicles are made in Brazil, Mexico, the USA, Germany, Turkey, India and China. • The company sells 40% of its products in Europe, 28% in Brazil, 24% in North America and 8% in Asia.

Based on Maxion’s track record of success, optimization has become institutionalized as the first step in its simulation-driven product development cycle at CV engineering. Lopes says, “We credit Boeing with coining the phrase, ‘Have you OptiStructed this part?’ and turning optimization into a sine qua non condition for moving forward with the design development of a new part. The pressure for continuous weight reduction is constant in all markets. There are carbon dioxide low-emission programs all over the world — Euro VI in Europe, EPA 10 in the United States, Proconve 7 in Brazil and National 5 in China — and we need to continue pushing for weight reductions to increase fuel efficiency.” Lopes, who is now Global Advanced Engineering Director for Maxion Wheels, explains that one of his main roles is fostering the use of simulation and leading-edge technology across multiple applications throughout the enterprise. For example, in addition to its continued use of optimization, customer requirements for new design features have pushed the company toward other innovative approaches, including the use of design software from solidThinking ®, a wholly owned subsidiary of Altair. “With Altair’s support and the process flow throughout its software modules,” says Lopes, “we have implemented simulation of key design and manufacturing steps such as flow form, casting and thermal expansion among movable parts. With simulation-driven design, we are creating a deep understanding of our products and manufacturing processes. This deeper understanding inevitably leads to lighter, higher quality, safer and simply better products for Maxion’s customers.”

14 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | SUMMER/FALL 2016

Simulation also plays a critical role in the passenger car aluminum wheel market, where styling is a crucial differentiation. Lopes notes combining performance, low weight and differentiated styling is only possible by using simulation in concert with aesthetic development. “An upper-market brand recently posed a unique styling request,” says Lopes, “and via an innovative surfacing approach coupled with OptiStruct, we were able to develop a brandappropriate styling interpretation of a complex topology optimization.”

Full-Speed Ahead Lopes anticipates that Maxion’s product development process will rely more heavily on simulation technology in the coming years. The number of project updates and the OEMs’ demands to shorten product development time are already pushing the envelope of the virtual development and validation process. Maxion Wheels is proud of its innovative approach to product development — and the value it delivers to customers. Lopes says, “By using a simulation-driven design process and standing on our track record of having achieved significant product weight savings and quality improvements via optimization, Maxion’s customers perceive the value added to our products. “Combining our diligence in passing global safety test requirements with the ability to customize products for regional markets and brand-differentiated products,” he adds, “has positioned us as a team player to be counted on by our customers to help them win — on whatever regional and market sector playing field they are competing.” To learn about OptiStruct and how optimization can benefit your designs, visit www.altair/maxion. Beverly A. Beckert is Editorial Director of Concept To Reality.

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Smart Business

Why Lightweighting is a Game Changer in Automotive Design By Beverly A. Beckert

16 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | SUMMER/FALL 2016

Ford Motor Company, winner of the 2015 Altair Enlighten Award, discusses the importance of its lightweighting strategy in the redesign of the Ford F-150 truck.

Last year, the Ford Motor Company entered the 3rd annual Altair Enlighten Award competition, which honors the greatest achievements in product weight savings each year. Little did the engineering team know that their efforts to take 700 lbs (318 kg) off of the Ford F-150 — while improving its performance, safety and efficiency — would result in winning the award. Concept To Reality reached out to John Viera, Ford Global Director, Sustainability and Vehicle Environment Matters, and Peter Friedman, Global Manager, Structures and Stamping, Research and Advanced Engineering, to ask them about Ford’s strategy to incorporate lightweighting initiatives into their product design process. Here is what they had to say.

C2R: Why should automotive companies focus on reducing weight in their vehicles? Viera: When we think about the carbon footprint vehicles actually produce, the largest part of the carbon footprint is the carbon dioxide coming from our tailpipes, so we want to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide. The best way to do that is to improve the fuel economy. There is no better way of improving fuel economy than by taking weight out of the vehicle. If you’re driving a vehicle that runs on gas, or electric or hydrogen or natural gas — it doesn’t matter what fuel the vehicle is using — it has less weight, and it takes less energy to move it, and it’s the best way to improve fuel economy. In 2011, when we looked at our product carbon dioxide reduction plan, we stated that we would take out 250-750 lbs in every one of our vehicles. The 250 lbs would be more on our smaller vehicles while the 750 lbs would be on the larger vehicles. We knew that the 750 lbs was going to be very aggressive, but that was the target. Since 2011, I would say that Ford made a big bet

on our biggest vehicle, our crown jewel, the F-150; we said that if we’re going to be serious about weight reduction, improving fuel economy and reducing carbon dioxide from our tailpipe, we’re going to do it on our highest volume, best-selling vehicle. We did it on the F-150 and actually saved 700 lbs in the process. C2R: Could you explain Ford’s strategy for lightweighting? Friedman: When we started (to redesign) the vehicle, we quickly decided on a lightweighting strategy being the best for the customer, to offer both the attributes and the efficiency. We looked at the most mature technology. What we ended up with was a high-strength steel frame, which takes up to 60 lbs off the vehicle, coupled with a high-strength aluminum panel for the front end cab and box for maximum weight savings. By making those assumptions early on and getting the platform right, we then could size everything correctly to max the attributes, or, in the case of this truck, beat the attributes of the outgoing model. And

“There is no better way of improving fuel economy than by taking weight out of the vehicle. If you’re driving a vehicle that runs on gas, or electric or hydrogen or natural gas — it doesn’t matter what fuel the vehicle is using — it has less weight, and it takes less energy to move it, and it’s the best way to improve fuel economy.” — John Viera, Ford Global Director, Sustainability and Vehicle Environment Matters

SUMMER/FALL 2016 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | 17

Smart Business “As we move to lightweighting, [simulation] has become more important because we have less experience with these materials. And that’s really key. Where we may have 100 years of experience stamping complex steel body panels, we have less in aluminum.” — Peter Friedman, Global Manager, Structures and Stamping, Research and Advanced Engineering

when I say beat the attributes, it’s in terms of tooling and hauling as well as dent resistance, outer body panels and box floor’s ability to withstand permanent set or denting, which is really important to pickup truck owners.

Leveraging a Lightweighting Strategy on the Ford F-150 Owners of Ford trucks expect their vehicles to deliver top performance, safety, efficiency and the ability to handle tough jobs. That’s why Ford engineers took great pains when it came to redesigning the F-150 trucks. In fact, the Ford team established a new standard for full-size pickups by bringing together improved capability and efficiency, along with cutting-edge smart vehicle technology. The team employed lightweighting strategies in their design initiatives and new manufacturing processes. The combination resulted in Ford F-150 models that were 700 lbs (318 kg) lighter than previous models.

C2R: Why did you choose aluminum as a key material? Viera: Aluminum is a great lightweighting strategy. In addition to reducing the weight — which improves the fuel economy, which reduces the carbon dioxide footprint

that we have — the other element is that aluminum is very recyclable. We have a closed-loop system right out here in the Dearborn Truck Plant. All of the scrap aluminum that comes out of manufacturing

A Material Advantage: High-strength, military-grade aluminum alloys were used throughout the F-150 body for the first time. The overall weight savings enable the 2015 Ford F-150 to tow more, haul more, accelerate quicker and stop shorter — all contributing to efficiency. In addition, Ford increased the amount of high-strength steel from 23 percent to 78 percent. By doing so, it improved the stiffness of the frame while reducing weight by as much as 60 pounds. The high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy body is approximately 400 lbs of weight savings over the outgoing steel body. Although it is more expensive than steel on a pound-for-pound basis, it allows Ford to maintain its truck leadership with more capability and durability improvements across the entire lineup.

Innovative Design: The Ford team took a holistic approach to weight reduction. It incorporated advanced materials not only in the frame and body but also in the powertrain, battery and interior features, such as seats. Ford added thickness to the high-strength aluminum alloy used in the 2015 F-150 and added structural reinforcements to achieve strength comparable or superior to the previous-generation F-150. As a result, the new truck’s doors and cargo box are more resistant to dents and dings. What’s more, the alloy in the new F-150 does not produce red rust, like steel. Ford notes that it has gone to great lengths to develop coatings that will inhibit corrosion. In the design phase of the project, Ford used a novel process. Its research team, which had the most experience working with advanced materials, remained engaged with the vehicle engineering team from the beginning of the project through the final delivery of the vehicle.

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the vehicle gets shipped back to our aluminum suppliers and gets reused. So, it’s fantastic from a carbon footprint standpoint because of better fuel economy, and we are reusing all the scrap material from our process, putting it back into our new products as we produce them. C2R: What challenges did you encounter in the process? Friedman: The use of new materials in body construction, especially the high-volume body vehicle. The first challenge starts with the supply base and getting those materials at the quality you want and the volume you need. Obviously, the F-150 is a very high-selling vehicle, so we need a lot of that high-strength steel and the high-strength aluminum that goes into the body. So, making a decision early to get our supply base prepared to supply to those volumes is the first part. The second part is our ability to fabricate the parts we need. In the case of aluminum sheet, it’s can we stamp and form with the accuracy we need to get a robust build. Then, obviously, it’s the joining process — what does it do to our bill of process, or the sequence of how we build the vehicle, as well as the joining technology that we need.

C2R: Where do you see lightweighting practices heading? Viera: I think there is a lot of room to grow and to move on lightweighting, so that needs to be a continual focus. Beyond lightweighting, I think there is going to be continual development in the different types of powertrains that our vehicles are actually going to be using — if they’re electric, hydrogen, or much more improved gasoline or diesel engine vehicles. That’s going to happen. And the other area that is of big interest is what we call sustainable material. Aluminum is a sustainable material because we can recycle it. A lot of our plastic materials are going to come from plant-based sources as opposed to petroleum-based sources, so they will be lightweight and more sustainable because we’re going to grow the material that goes into the parts that go into our vehicles. C2R: How does simulation play a role in the process? Friedman: Simulation is a key part of body construction and manufacturing the vehicles, in general. As we move to lightweighting, it’s become more important because we have less experience with these

materials. And that’s really key. Where we may have 100 years of experience stamping complex steel body panels, we have less in aluminum. And that’s where we rely more on CAE to predict the manufacturability and the accuracy of our processes. We also use CAE to reduce the amount of prototyping we need to do on the design side by predicting how the vehicle will do in service, durability and safety. We can then go into our prototype build with more confidence and have fewer iterations. It’s about speed to market; it’s about accuracy; and it’s about optimizing the whole system. I think winning the Enlighten Award is a great honor. Being recognized as an innovator in lightweighting on this vehicle is a great success story. The vehicle is a remarkable statement in the industry, and to do it at such high volume and to be recognized as a game-changer is very important for us. For more information on how Altair can help you achieve light weight designs, visit http://www.altairpd.com/. Beverly A. Beckert is Editorial Director of Concept To Reality.

Manufacturing Updates: In order to move forward with manufacturing the newly redesigned trucks, Ford had to upgrade its Dearborn Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant. The company did so in 13 weeks, a record for Ford and the industry. During that time, Ford overcame the challenge of shifting from traditional steel body production to advanced aluminum alloy production, including new ways to receive and handle aluminum alloys and reduce aluminum manufacturing waste. For example, at the Dearborn Truck Plant, new press lines were added to help stamp four different types of high-strength aluminum alloys. New hydroforming lines that used pressurized oil enabled manufacturers to form metal tubes into strong support rails for structural soundness. According to Ford, a new chemical coating system that prepares the aluminum for high-strength adhesives and a new heat treat bake area that hardens the alloys were also added. Most welding equipment was replaced with advanced riveting and bonding hardware. In the Kansas City Assembly Plant, Ford rolled out an all-new body shop with more than 500 new robots leveraged for state-of-the-art joining technology, installing roof and door panels, and transferring the light-weighted trucks to final assembly. Camera-equipped robots also were used to scan truck bodies to ensure the highest quality standards were met. The paint shop was also updated with dirt detection technology, and the use of robotic paint automation was increased for a durable, best-in-class exterior appearance. Innovative production processes were added to support the installation of new truck features, including a 360-degree camera with split-view display. To replicate extreme, real-life road conditions, a rough-road test course was installed to ensure delivery of a quiet, more durable truck.

SUMMER/FALL 2016 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | 19

In the News

And the Winners Are… GM’s Cadillac and ContiTech Altair and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) recently announced the winners of the 4th annual Altair Enlighten Award during the 2016 CAR Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) in Traverse City, Michigan. The Enlighten Award is the automotive industry’s only award program created specifically to acknowledge innovation in vehicle weight reduction. The winner in the OEM Full-Vehicle category was GM for the 2016 Cadillac CT6, a vehicle 218 pounds (99 kg) lighter than a comparable vehicle

using predominantly high-strength steel. Cadillac’s entry was one of 21 finalists, winning its category for its strategic approach to weight reduction. In the Module category, which focuses on the achievements from within the automotive supplier base, the winner was ContiTech for its unique polyamide rear cross beam for the 2016 Mercedes S-Class. It achieved a 30% savings compared to the previous aluminum component. For more information on the Altair Englighten Award, visit www.altairenlighten.com/.

solidThinking Introduces Multi-Disciplinary Design and Engineering Suite solidThinking, Inc. has released a new math and system design software suite for multi-disciplinary design and engineering. This model-based development technology suite combines math, signal-based, physical and 3D modeling technologies for concept studies, control design, system performance optimization and controller implementation and testing. The offerings include three products: • Compose™ provides engineers, scientists and product creators with a high-level, matrix-based language and a modern programming environment for all types of math operations including matrix analysis, differential equations, signal analysis and control design. • Activate™ enables product creators, system simulation and control engineers with a block diagram environment to model, simulate and optimize multidisciplinary systems. • Embed™ allows control engineers and embedded developers to rapidly implement multi-rate control systems on target microprocessors through its powerful diagram-to-code capability. In addition, following Altair’s strategic partnership with Maplesoft, the MapleSim Modelica® Engine will be embedded in the software to support the model-based system development strategy and to focus on multi-physics simulation solutions. For more information on Compose, Activate and Embed, visit www.solidThinking.com.

Users Leverage Simulation-Driven and Generative Design Solutions Version 14.0 of Altair HyperWorks® software includes several new products, feature enhancements, updated functionalities and licensing methods to help users design and optimize products. Key highlights include expanded optimization and nonlinear solver capabilities, accelerated meshing, assembly and graphics, and addition of new tools in the Altair Partner Alliance. Also, the recently released solidThinking Inspire® 2016 features groundbreaking functionality that allows users to create geometry from optimized results much faster than traditional CAD modeling and to accelerate the path to cost-effective manufacturing.

For more information on HyperWorks, visit www.altairhyperworks.com/hw14. Visit www.solidThinking.com/Inspire to see Inspire 2016 in action. 20 | CONCEPT TO REALITY | SUMMER/FALL 2016

DATA VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS THE CLOUD BUSINESS MODEL AND USER EXPERIENCE Altair’s wholly owned subsidiary solidThinking released Envision™, a modern, cloud-based business intelligence (BI) platform for hosted and on-premise environments. It enables users to connect their data to quickly create and publish charts and dashboards in an environment that is intuitive, collaborative and secure. Architected for an optimized self-service user experience, Envision speeds up data visualization, exploration and discovery. With Envision, collaboration and access control can be managed down to the dimension level on a per-report basis. Beyond its data-todashboard speed, Envision sets itself apart in the rapidly growing BI market space through its unique ability to be accessed as a subscription-based public cloud platform and as a private cloud BI solution. It is also accessible through the HyperWorks unit-based licensing system.

For more information and a free trial, visit http://EnvisionBI.com.

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