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iot platforms and ar technologies will
eventually impact all parts of our personal and
professional lives Paul Haimes, PTC
33 May 2020 / www.theengineer.co.uk
AR technology and Microsoft’s HoloLens
to capture the crucial assembly steps
and processes involved in building
Rapidly Manufactured Ventilator
Systems (RMVS). This will be uploaded
and edited in PTC’s cloud based Vuforia
Editor technology, to create a virtual
assembly guide and relayed, through
wearable equipment or smart devices
such as phone or tablet, to the factories of
consortium partners that traditionally do
not make ventilators. Protecting workers
at Smiths Group, Penlon and all of the
consortium partners was essential and at
the heart of the project.
AH: Autodesk Research recently
collaborated with Briggs Automotive
Company (BAC) to apply generative
design methods to its design and
manufacturing process for its new
generation BAC Mono. The team focused
on how generative design could be
applied to the wheel. We learned about
the aesthetic requirements to build
this understanding into the generative
design setup. This new wheel design
was a natural evolution of the original
rather than a radical break in tradition.
The results produced a wheel that
was an impressive 35 per cent lighter,
weighing 2.2kg per wheel, that could be
manufactured traditionally on a CNC
mill. This was achieved in less time than
BAC had ever designed a wheel before.
What’s the key product for you currently
and how is it being applied?
BS: The key product for COMSOL is
COMSOL Compiler. This product
converts simulation applications into
standalone, executable applications in
just one click. These applications can
then be distributed to anyone, anywhere.
The people you distribute the apps to
can run them without needing to hold
a license for COMSOL Multiphysics or
COMSOL Server.
PH: Augmented reality, in the form of
Vuforia Expert Capture, as mentioned
above, and also Vuforia Chalk. PTC’s
remote assistance product, Vuforia
Chalk, leverages augmented reality to
enable off site and on-site employees
to collaborate in the operation,
maintenance, and repair of all kinds
of products. It’s like Facetime, with
augmented reality superpowers for
industrial se ings, and it’s as easy to set
up and use. To help during this crisis,
we’re making Chalk available for free. No
obligations.
AH: Powered by Autodesk Fusion 360,
generative design uses a combination
of artifi cial intelligence and cloudcomputing
to create design possibilities
which take into account performance
criteria and real-world manufacturability
requirements, allowing designers to
explore thousands of designs in less time
than they could deliver a single concept
using traditional processes.
Looking forward, what products or
technologies do you see changing your
sector?
BS: Cloud computing and additive
manufacturing are changing the CAD
and CAE landscape. Cloud computing
makes powerful computing resources
easily available, whether it is within
the domains of an organisation as a
private cloud or publicly available. More
computing power means more realistic
simulations with more accurately
represented multiphysics models.
Vendors are adapting their software
to accommodate more computing
power at the hands of users. Additive
manufacturing changes the way users
think about the CAD models that are
used as the basis for modelling and
simulation. More fl exible and complex
geometry analysis is needed with hybrid
solutions mixing traditional CAD with
mesh-based modelling. In addition,
additive manufacturing frequently
requires multiphysics analysis in
order to accurately make predictions
for the wide variety of manufacturing
processes.
PH: I feel the combination of IOT
platforms and AR technologies will
eventually impact all parts of our
personal and professional lives. Think
of this combination as converting bits
and bytes into sound and sights which
can be easily consumed by the human.
IOT platforms off er the potential to
bring together disparate data sources
and contextualise it in a form which
can then can be delivered easily as an
AR experience. Combine this with
complimentary capabilities such as Geo
Fencing driven AR technology and I can
see this evolving at an unprecedented
rate – once devices can enable it.
AH: In addition to improving and
off ering more generative design
capabilities within Fusion 360, such
as the added layer of unique
aesthetics for the designer using
it, we are extending this off ering to
the architecture, engineering and
construction (AEC) industry. We recently
announced Generative Design as a
feature in Autodesk Revit, allowing users
to explore, optimise and evaluate datadriven
design alternatives based
on project goals, constraints and inputs.
With the introduction of Generative
Design in Revit, industry professionals
can utilise this algorithmic problemsolving
technology to explore design
alternatives, identify improved outcomes
and make data-informed decisions faster
than ever before.
Bjorn Sjodin
VP of Product
Management at
COMSOL
Paul Haimes
VP Europe
Technical Sales
at PTC
Andy Harris
Senior Principal
Research Engineer,
Autodesk Research
vendors are adapting their
software to accommodate more
computing power Bjorn Sjodin, COMSOL
Image credit: Solver Technology for Acoustics
Image made using
COMSOL Multiphysics
® software and
provided courtesy
of COMSOL.
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