Analysis is not just for experts anymore
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Design analysis provides the greatest benefits when implemented very early in the design cycle because that's when it is easiest and most cost-effective to make design changes. When analysis is performed in conjunction with solid modeling, design engineers can leverage analysis results to fix, improve, or optimize designs.
For many years, design analysis was the exclusive
domain of highly specialized analysts, who would
analyze models after a design engineer had finished
his or her work. This approach resulted in a lot of
wasted time related to the back-and-forth interaction
between designers and analysts, especially when
solid models had to be recreated in a separate
analysis package.
Using design analysis as part of conceptual design
But in recent years, the benefits of using design analysis as part of conceptual design have become apparent. When properly trained to use today's modern, integrated analysis systems, design engineers are better positioned than analysts to leverage analysis results to modify solid models as design iterations progress. The direct involvement of design engineers in analyzing their own designs allows for quick turnaround times and ensures that design modifications indicated by analysis results are promptly implemented in the design progress.
In many ways, design analysis technology is helping
to blur the lines of demarcation among traditional
engineering organizations. While drafting, designing,
and analyzing product designs were traditionally
separate tasks executed by different people, the
availability of powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable
CAD and design analysis software has fostered a
greater sense of collaboration among all engineering
functions.
Analysts continue to play an important role by conducting the more advanced and time-consuming types of analysis.
