What is CAE (Computer-aided Engineering)?
CAE (computer-aided engineering) refers to the application of advanced computer software to simulate, analyze, and predict the performance of a product or system throughout the engineering design process.
Working with powerful computational tools, CAE engineers are able to model real-world conditions and assess how a design will perform under various scenarios, such as stress, heat, fluid flow, or vibration. By integrating CAE into your digital engineering workflow, you can make data-driven decisions, optimize designs for performance and manufacturability, and ultimately deliver higher-quality products to market faster.
The role of computer-aided engineering
CAE enables engineers to predict and evaluate how a product will behave under real-world conditions. Through advanced simulation and analysis capabilities, CAE software provides valuable insights into factors such as structural integrity, thermal performance, fluid dynamics, and electromagnetic compatibility. This virtual testing environment allows for iterative design improvements, minimizing the need for costly physical prototypes and accelerating the overall development cycle.
By integrating CAE into your digital engineering workflow, you can make data-driven decisions, optimize designs for performance and manufacturability, and ultimately deliver higher-quality products to market faster.
What are the benefits of CAE?
CAE offers a wide range of benefits that enhance product development processes, improve collaboration, and ensure compliance with industry standards.
Reduce development costs
Minimize costs not only by eliminating extensive physical prototyping but also by reducing expenses related to late-stage design changes, warranty claims, and recalls. Early detection of design flaws through simulations prevents costly downstream issues.
Shorten time to market
Accelerate iteration cycles by enabling rapid virtual prototyping. This reduces reliance on physical testing and streamlines approval processes through data-backed insights. As a result, companies can bring products to market faster without compromising quality.
Improve product performance
Support multidisciplinary optimization across factors such as structural integrity, thermal performance, fluid dynamics, and more. This holistic approach results in robust products that excel under diverse operational conditions while meeting customer expectations for reliability and efficiency.
Ensure regulatory compliance
Advanced simulations can be tailored to meet specific industry standards across sectors like aerospace, automotive, and healthcare. For example, thermal analysis can be used to ensure aircraft components withstand extreme temperatures. Crash simulations can be used to validate automotive safety features. And biomechanical modeling can be used to ensure medical devices meet strict safety standards.
Enhance workflow efficiency
Enable seamless collaboration among engineering teams, even when geographically dispersed. Real-time access to simulations and designs allows team members to share insights, make data-driven decisions faster, and reduce delays in the development process.
Encourage innovation
Provide a virtual environment that empowers engineers to explore multiple design scenarios without the constraints of physical prototyping. This flexibility encourages creativity and allows for the discovery of unconventional solutions that might not be feasible using traditional methods.
Reduce environmental impact
Promote sustainable product development by optimizing designs to minimize material waste, energy consumption, and environmental impact. For example, simulations can identify opportunities to use lighter materials or improve energy efficiency, aligning with global sustainability goals.
Mitigate risks
Simulating real-world conditions early in the design phase helps identify potential risks before production begins. This reduces the likelihood of costly failures during manufacturing or operation, ensuring safer and more reliable products.
Integrate with key systems
CAE integrates seamlessly with CAD, PLM, and other core systems, creating a streamlined workflow between conceptual design and engineering analysis. This integration ensures that designs are both innovative and practical, while reducing the time spent transitioning between tools.
Improve quality assurance
Advanced CAE tools include CAQ (computer-aided quality assurance), which helps detect defects early in the development process. This ensures high manufacturing standards and reduces costs associated with rework or defective products reaching the market.
What's the best way to get started with CAE?
Getting started with CAE involves a structured approach that ensures effective implementation, maximizes its benefits, and integrates it seamlessly into your engineering processes.
Evaluate your product development requirements, identify areas where CAE can provide value, and determine the specific simulation and analysis capabilities needed.
Choose CAE tools that align with your industry, product types, and engineering workflows. Consult with experts to ensure the software meets your current and future needs.
Integrate CAE into your existing product development processes, establishing clear guidelines and best practices for virtual testing and analysis.
Provide comprehensive training to ensure your engineers can effectively utilize the CAE software and interpret simulation results accurately.
Regularly review and refine your CAE processes, incorporating feedback and lessons learned, to continuously improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Define clear objectives, roles, and responsibilities for CAE within your organization. Determine which stages of the product development cycle will incorporate CAE and how simulation data will inform decision-making.
Assemble a dedicated team of engineers with expertise in CAE software and simulation techniques. Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members.
Ensure seamless data exchange between CAE software and other digital engineering tools, such as computer-aided design (CAD) and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, to streamline workflows.
Establish processes for validating simulation results against physical testing data or real-world performance metrics to continuously improve the accuracy and reliability of CAE models.
Explore cloud-based CAE solutions to access scalable computing resources and enable collaboration among distributed teams, reducing hardware and infrastructure costs.
Essential software for CAE
For virtual testing, analyzing, and optimizing product performance.
Abaqus
For advanced engineering simulations and comprehensive analyses.
For complex engineering design and assembly modeling.
For design, engineering, simulation, manufacturing, and data management.
View our extensive range of software solutions
Need help with CAE computer-aided engineering?
Johan Kolfors and team are on-hand to provide tailored guidance and support with a deep knowledge of the full Dassault Systèmes portfolio. Reach out for a free consultation today.