Score another interesting piece of technology made available to design tool tire-kickers on the Autodesk Labs Web site. A preview version of the Inventor 3-D CAD tool showcases the Inventor Plastic Features Technology, new capabilities designed to simplify the design of plastic products. The technology, designed to work in conjunction with Autodesk’s Moldflow injection molding simulation products and PlassoTech finite element analysis tool set acquired by Autodesk last year, allows designers and engineers to automatically create thin-walled plastic parts and features such as grills, rests, bosses, snaps, lips, grooves and fillets. Autodesk officials say the addition of the technology is key given the widespread use of plastics as an engineering material. You can check out the preview for free for a limited time on the Autodesk Labs Web site.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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