Keep It Together—IronCAD Adds Tie/Glue for Simulation

FEA extension joins parts in assemblies, unlimited assembly size and more.

(Image courtesy of IronCAD.)

(Image courtesy of IronCAD.)

IronCAD LLC has announced the latest version of its finite element analysis (FEA) extension, Multiphysics for IronCAD (MPIC). The integrated extension includes several new features and improvements for IronCAD 2018, including a new automatic tie/glue feature for assemblies.

The new tie/glue feature addresses the requirement of traditional analysis that assemblies be perfectly matched. Now, engineers can perform FEA on models that include intentional gaps or overlaps to accommodate welding, or thermal expansion and shrinkage. This will ultimately save engineers time and provide easier analysis earlier in the prototyping cycle, according to IronCAD.

“Multiphysics for IronCAD 2018 takes a major leap in usability with the automatic tie/glue capabilities for CAD design, which was previously a time-consuming or often skipped step in the design cycle,” said IronCAD’s Cary O’Connor. “Designers can now quickly analyze assemblies early on to make critical changes when it is less costly—while maintaining a productive overall design process.”

Other additions to Multiphysics for IronCAD include:

  • No more size limitations on assemblies for analysis
  • A new hydrostatic pressure loading boundary condition
  • Fatigue analysis to predict the life cycle of parts
  • New two-way synchronization between the analysis and CAD models for easier back-and-forth between states
  • Enhanced multi-thread support

“For years, we have persistently refined our technologies to bring CAE democracy to more designers, and the MPIC 2018 update contains the largest push,” said Ted Lin, director at Advanced Multi-Physics Simulation Technologies Company, which provides the FEA technology used in Multiphysics for IronCAD.

Written by

Michael Alba

Michael is a senior editor at engineering.com. He covers computer hardware, design software, electronics, and more. Michael holds a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Alberta.