Autodesk Inc. took a
huge step towards helping its engineering customers address the challenges
associated with sustainable design via its announcement this week of a
strategic partnership with Granta Design
Ltd., a company recognized for its materials information technology.
Granta's software is currently used by engineering
enterprises to manage materials information; to help select, substitute and
optimize costs around materials choices; and to help design in the context of
environmental objectives and regulations. Autodesk's vision is to partner with
Granta to leverage its materials information database and technology to empower
better materials selection when it comes to sustainable design, according to
Sarah Krasley, Autodesk's industry manager, sustainability.
"There are a lot of issues users are coming up against in
terms of making better decisions earlier on in the design process," Krasley
says. "What a part is made up of can drastically change the environmental
footprint of a product. We want to empower engineers with better choices."
As a result of their partnership, Granta and Autodesk plan
to co-develop software that will add new sustainable design capabilities to the
Autodesk solution. The companies will work to integrate Granta's eco design
methods and materials database information into the Autodesk digital
prototyping suite, with the goal being to help designers estimate the
environmental impact of their products and make more informed design decisions
around sustainability, Krasley explains.
For example, an engineer who has routinely chosen a specific
material has no visibility into what the environmental impact of that material
is, she says. "They know that it has to adhere to certain performance criteria
and that it needs to work with the machines in the factory that have to produce
it," she says. "They haven't fully explored the materials aspect because that
don't have visibility into what other materials could work that wouldn't end up
in a landfill or that would deliver a better carbon footprint."
Design issues around sustainability are increasing in
importance, Krasley says, pointing to dozens of initiatives, including
Walmart's Sustainability Index and the EPEAT regulations for consumer
electronics. There is also the FTC "Green Guide," a
directive would require manufacturers marketing their products as made with
renewable materials to answer specific questions such as how much of the
product is made with those materials, how they are sourced and why they are
considered renewable.
There is no timeframe for delivery of a specific product
resulting from the Autodesk/Granta alliance. Rather, Krasley said the companies
will be collaborating and working with customers over the next few months to
explore possible options.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
1 
