Do I Really Need Analysis Software?
Do I really need analysis software?
It’s a valid question, and one I hear from customers on occasion. Being a designer myself, I feel that I have a good head for figuring out if a design can be easily manufactured, and also if it’s strong enough. I suspect that most design engineers also have a good sense for these two keys to designing a product. So why would I need analysis tools when I already know if a design will work or not?
A related question I hear from customers is “how long does it take to validate a design?” I can understand what’s behind this question, as I remember how older validation/analysis tools took hours to produce results, and models had to be exported from your CAD tool into the analysis software for testing.
I’ll admit that when I started working here, I was initially hesitant to use SOLIDWORKS Simulation. I’m not a test engineer, and I’m not a structural or thermal analyst. I’m a designer. So I was surprised to find out how simple SOLIDWORKS Simulation is to use. I was also surprised to learn that when I used it on what I thought were good designs, I often learned that there were areas where they could be improved significantly. I was also able to see where I had over-designed in some situations, and could remove material to make things simpler and more elegant. If I was actually in a manufacturing environment, this could lead to huge savings in material and shipping costs.
After using it for a while, I honestly think that SOLIDWORKS Simulation must be the easiest tool available for validating your design, as you quickly set up your parameters (yes, I made a few mistakes the first time) and calculate the results. The best part is that this all happens within SOLIDWORKS. No exporting a model to STEP format and so forth. So, for a designer like me, it’s a great tool for producing high-quality and very quick results.
Yes, I know I work for SOLIDWORKS, but this is what I also hear from our customers who are using all levels of Simulation products (Flow Simulation, Plastics, etc.). It’s the best and quickest way to validate their designs, and we’re even seeing many customers replacing their old high-priced validation tools with ours.
So, if you’re looking for a quick way to validate your designs for FEA, CFD, fluid flow, injection molding, etc., I suggest you contact your local SOLIDWORKS reseller, as they all are experts in demonstrating the products and benefits.
If you have further questions, please leave a comment below, or contact your reseller.
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