Startup sees the market need for task specific simulation apps for induction heating and antenna design.
If there was an award for the simulation trend flying under most people’s radar, in my opinion, it would go to the push towards industry and task specific simulation applications (a.k.a. simulation apps or engineering apps). Traditional, mainstream simulation software tends to toss its user base into the deep end. They offer users the ability to simulate vast numbers of real-world scenarios, but to get there you need to know what you’re doing.
As a result, simulation remains an ivory tower for many small- to medium-enterprises (SME) that have no simulation experts. These organizations need something that can easily walk an industry expert—not a simulation expert—though a simulation and repeat that process a hundred, maybe a thousand, times a month. The market doesn’t tend to offer this.
Though simulation industry leaders boast about democratization, this is usually though the lens of UI and cloud-enabled upgrades. Few have addressed the overwhelming feeling non-simulation experts get when they open the software to a blank slate of geometry and a sea of physics possibilities.
“[Some] believe that cloud will solve all. That it will drive democratization,” said Mihails Scepanskis, CEO and co-founder of CENOS. “Cloud itself doesn’t solve the real pain point which is simplicity … Those midsized customers that try to use [generic simulation software] we win that competition pretty easily. I have a track record for that.”
Scepanskis is talking about two task specific simulation apps produced by CENOS, one for induction heating and the other for radiofrequency and antenna design. He argues that mainstream simulation software doesn’t target SMEs because the tools they offer are far too complex.
He said, “I personally believe that every engineer should use simulation because it saves a lot of time and costs. We see that a major part of the potential market is still in the dark zone for existing simulation software solutions. The philosophy behind this software is that we don’t want to cover everything. I believe that covering everything means [covering] nothing [in] particular. We actually decided to build highly focused applications.”
A Quick Overview of Current CENOS Technology
Personally, I’ve been on the simulation app soap box for many years, culminating into an 2017 overview of the concept (which can be read here). Meanwhile, that same year, Scepanskis was forming CENOS. He went to a conference with a prototype and started to turn some heads. He then worked with early adopters in the automotive parts industry to launch the induction heating app in 2019.
The user base of the resultant app primary includes induction heating equipment manufacturers and induction heating equipment end-users.
“We’ve noticed that there is a synergy between induction heating equipment manufacturers and end-users,” said Scepanskis. “Our software is being recommended by manufacturers to their customers. We’re starting to see signs of mass adoption of the simulation. Also, I expect that the additive manufacturing adoption will double the use of simulation in the next few years.”
CENOS recently released version 3 of the induction heating simulation app with new features including:
- Industry-standard multi-CPU acceleration.
- Improved workflows for the scanning application.
- Instant live chat and support built into the software.
The newest application CENOS came out with, in 2021, focuses on radiofrequency antenna design. Naturally, the app features a workflow that is tailored specifically for that single task.
As CENOS stands for “connecting engineering open-source,” it shouldn’t be a surprise where the backbone of its technologies come from. Scepanskis explained, “CENOS is born as a platform that connects various open-source tools to create a seamless workflow between them. CENOS is the platform; under that, there are plenty of third-party tools. We put a UI on top which helps users utilize all the tools in a user-friendly way.”
How CENOS Aims to Democratize Simulation
Scepanskis notes how over the last year, COVID-19 produced a trend towards more SMEs taking the digital transformation plunge. The problem is that these users were not finding industry specific simulation tools to meet them halfway.
These new users are “an absolutely different user persona; they are typically engineers with little to no experience with simulation. But they know the process and their approach is more practical. This is a challenge for them. Overall, transition to computer-aided engineering (CAE) in small and medium sized company segments is well pronounced, but I don’t see much reflection in the market for this demand.”
CENOS looks to fill this niche with its series of simulation apps. But it also wants to make CAE technology available in other ways. As a result, there are two different versions with different pricing plans—one version for professionals and one for beginners (the latter is also available, for free, to academics and hobbyists).
The differences between the two software options include the option to use multi-thread computations, one-button PDF report creation, live customer support and native CAD integration. However, the basic version can produce all the simulations that the professional version is able to produce.
Simulation experts might be wondering how the CENOS simulation app approach differs from that of COMSOL, who is also making a push in this area.
By Scepanskis’ definition, COMSOL is a generic simulation software that gives its customers the ability to build their own apps for end users. In other words, the platform then enables engineers to package simulations, and sell them, as a simulation app with a customizable UI. However, the technology behind these apps is made by COMSOL.
CENOS, on the other hand, is offering the simulation apps, not the ability to produce them, with a simplified UI that utilizes open-source CAE under-the-hood. Scepanskis said, “I don’t see anyone else except COMSOL doing this. But we don’t want to build calculators. We want to build focused simulation application software.”
CENOS Will Expand Its Business Through New Apps, Not by Compilating Current Workflows
The ambitions of CENOS don’t end with its two apps. As previously mentioned, the company has built its software within a platform. The plan is to produce more applications utilizing that platform. This platform isn’t something to be released as a generic simulation software.
“I believe, especially for those in small companies, that engineers who work with particular problems only need what they need and nothing more. So that’s why we build industry specific focused applications that can do only what engineers need. There is no other noise, and that’s why it’s super easy to use,” said Scepanskis.
CENOS is quiet about its full go-to-market strategy and the apps it will cover. However, it mentioned that it plans to initially follow up with more electromagnetic related apps. It will also be adding some passive components into its antenna design technologies.
“We are looking for [subroutines] which complement our basic technology stack. That was the reason we moved from low frequency induction heating to radio frequency.”
Additionally, if there is a gap within the software applications CENOS has created, it won’t necessarily fill that gap by expanding on the stand-alone apps it has created. It is more likely to produce new apps to fill in those gaps.
“There are some niche applications which are underserved by huge companies.” CENOS isn’t looking to fill in the “sexiest areas” in the simulation world, as Scepanskis put it. The company is looking to produce apps to those trapped in the workshop solving a problem with trial-and-error because the simulation software to solve that problem doesn’t exist or is too complex.
The CENOS Philosophy to Simulation Software
“In 2011 I was looking for the answer as to what holds back the market from mass adoption of engineering software,” said Scepanskis. “I found a survey where this question was asked. If I can sum up the two most common answers, first was that simulation software was too expensive and second, it was too complex to use.”
Curious about what happened between 2011 and now, CENOS conducted its own survey. It found that the same two reasons were still at the top of the list, but in a different order. Now software complexity was the biggest limiting factor to the adoption of simulation.
Scepanskis notes that there is still a place for generic simulation software, but it is not at every engineer’s desk. He said, “If you have to do different types of simulations, like multiphysics and so on, then enterprise software is your choice, no doubt. But if you deal with one problem daily, let’s say you’re an antenna design engineer, it does not make sense. You want to deal with an easy-to-use software. Generic software is not the best solution for that as you have to invest time to build something specific from something generic.”
He added, “They want to cover all the different aspects of simulation; if you want to simulate anything, they can do that.” Scepanskis argues that this might work for R&D centers and the enterprise segment, but not for the little guys. “I’m working with democratization; we’re trying to get this technology down [to more users] and it’s clearly an opposite trend there.”
For more on the benefits of task specific simulation apps, read: Dead Simple Flow Simulation Gets New Optimization Features.
