Latest version of FiberSIMIUG raises engineering productivity to new levels

Citation

(2001), "Latest version of FiberSIMIUG raises engineering productivity to new levels", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773bab.016

Latest version of FiberSIMIUG raises engineering productivity to new levels

Latest version of FiberSIMIUG raises engineering productivity to new levels

Keywords Composite Design Technologies, Software, Composites, CAD, Design

Composite Design Technologies, Inc. (CDT) reports the release of Version 3.3 of FiberSIMIUG software for composite design and manufacturing on the Unigraphics CAD system from Unigraphics Solutions. The new version includes a number of significant enhancements that CDT believes will enable companies using Unigraphics to design composite components with the opportunity to substantially increase engineering productivity. "Version 3.3 enhances previous FiberSIM capability, allowing engineers to accomplish more in less time", said John O'Connor, CDT technical consultant, FiberSIM/UG Product Line. "Users will discover a wide range of improvements that simplify and streamline the operation of the program, making it possible to focus their attention more fully on the design process".

One major improvement claimed enables users to import stored ply definitions into the FiberSIM Composite Engineering Environment, including material name, fiber spacing factor, simulation type as well as additional geometric data such as holes and markers. This feature is said to save time by eliminating the need to re-enter information when opening a previously created Unigraphics model.

According to CDT the new version also speeds the interactive definition of ply boundaries and holes by automatically chaining curves to define a closed, contiguous boundary. This is also considered to eliminate the need to define the ply as a single joined curve and greatly reduces the amount of geometry creation that is required to define a composite part. Additional time is reportedly saved by allowing curves to be used in multiple ply boundaries. Version 3.3 is also said to provide substantially improved batch processing capabilities, generating further gains in productivity. Producibility analysis can now be generated for predefined plies in batch mode, making it possible to quickly evaluate large groups of plies without the need to interactively generate producibility results. Producibility analysis determines areas where manufacturing problems such as wrinkling, budging and material width limitations might occur, reportedly eliminating the need for trial and error on the shop floor.

FiberSIM/UG 3.3 is also thought to provide the ability to accurately simulate complex curvature parts using liquid composite molding manufacturing techniques through a link to LCMFLOT, mold filling analysis software from Liquid Process Performance Prediction, Inc. (L3P). This makes it possible for companies investigating this fast growing composite manufacturing method to more accurately simulate the flow of resin through a mold without the expense and time involved in building and testing a prototype mold. Additional enhancements in the data interface area include the ability to export flat patterns in the popular DXF file format and to generate laser projection data far more quickly than in the previous version.

FiberSIM/UG 3.3 is now available on HP (HP-UX), SGI (IRIX), and Windows NT. Additional platforms will be supported in the future. Please call for availability.

Further details are available from Composite Design Technologies, Inc. Tel: +1 781 290 0506; E-mail: michelle.thibodeau@cdt.com