OPTIMIZATION

Finding the "Optimum" design is a complex task. The design of any part is an iterative process that involves changing many variables at the same time. For optimization, all variables are continuously modified until they meet the criteria and conditions preset by the engineer or designer. To obtain an optimized solution depends on the engineer’s experience and ability to choose the right variable or variables to change.


Today, this process can be done by Optimum Solutions, who have the appropriate expertise and experience to use current finite element tools to ensure optimum results to meet your design criteria. The benefits of optimization are numerous and are significant in differentiating your company’s product from the competition.


Some of these benefits are:
  • Reduce Excess material.
  • Reduce Vibration.
  • Reduce large deflections (Increase Stiffness).
  • Reduce high reactions.
  • Reduce cost.
  • Improve Manufacturing Process.
  • Increase Fatigue Life
  • Reduce weight.

Optimum Solutions provides advanced optimization features in different environments obtaining highly accurate results with less resources.

The following set of pictures show the entire process of optimization:

Photo 1 shows the original design of a plastic support bracket already meshed.
Photo 2 shows an animation of Von Mises stress distribution.

Optimum Solutionsengineers performed a global sensitivity analysis in order to calculate the changes in the model's mass while changing the internal web thickness over a specified range.
Photo 3 shows the variation of Total mass as a function of internal web thickness.
Photo 4 shows the variation of Von Mises Stress as a function of internal web thickness.
Note how dramatically the mass decreases with decreases in internal web thickness; indicating that the mass of the part is very sensitive to changes in this dimension. Likewise, the stress level is sensitive to changes to this dimension too. It increases by almost a factor of two. There is a point where the stress rises up significantly while the mass only changes 11%. From this global sensitivity analysis, Optimum Solutions engineers were able to determine the variation range of the internal web thickness without compromising the part's performance. An optimization study was run to determine the “optimum” dimension that will minimize the weight of the part and maintain the stress below the material yield for all the load cases considered. 
Photo 5 shows the final part after optimization.
The original weight was 0.230 Pounds. Now after the optimization its final weight is 0.107 Pounds. Hence over 115% of material can be eliminated and the part will remain as strong as it was before optimization. If you have to build 300.000 Parts/Year, now imagine how much money you can save.