Altair has announced a collaboration in the electronics industry that could accelerate the development of smartphones, tablets, home appliances and other consumer electronics while enabling engineers to create more durable designs.
Working together, Altair and Korea’s LG Electronics (LGE) have created a drop-test simulation automation system that enables LGE engineers to conduct smartphone drop-test simulations within 24 hours – a crucial procedure that normally requires one or two weeks for companies across the smartphone industry.
Employing Altair’s HyperWorks suite of computer-aided engineering tools, the Altair-LGE team automated many of the time-consuming manual tasks associated with FEA modelling , analysis set up and post-processing to carry out the drop-test simulation.
'Altair and LGE’s collaboration on this drop-test simulation automation system helps LGE to be even more competitive and bring a greater variety of robust products to market faster,' said Molly Heskitt, Altair’s senior director of global electronics and consumer goods. 'This automation system addresses major challenges of the electronics industry: time to market, innovation and cost. It shortens product development time, lowers development and warranty cost and leaves more time for design, all resulting in a better phone.'
Engineers can use the time freed up by the drop-test simulation automation system to explore more iterations of the device’s design to develop a more robust and innovative version. LGE has adopted the drop-test simulation automation system for ongoing smartphone designs and plans to use it on its all future smartphones, also employing Altair’s OptiStruct tool to optimise the designs of the phones for cost and reliability.
With the ability to access and test more impact scenarios quickly, LGE expects its warranty costs to be reduced, since its optimised smartphones will be more resistant to damage from dropping.
BLOB Meanwhile, Altair has agreed to purchase EMSS, along with its international distributor offices in the United States, Germany, and China. The agreement is expected to close early in 2014.
'This agreement reflects Altair’s resolve to continue to bring world-class technology to our customers, and demonstrates our long-term objective of organic growth, with strategic partnerships and acquisitions where it makes sense. We are very pleased to integrate EMSS into the Altair family given its cutting-edge technology and knowledge of the electromagnetic (EM) domain,' said James Scapa, chairman and chief executive officer of Altair.
“EMSS employees will join existing Altair technology development and local support organisations. Their expertise will help Altair to become a force in electromagnetic simulation,” added Uwe Schramm, chief technical officer, Altair, responsible for solvers and optimisation. 'Integration of the FEKO suite of electromagnetic solutions with Altair HyperWorks will give our customers access to additional smart multiphysics and design optimisation capabilities, for instance addressing coupled electromagnetic-thermal or electromagnetic-mechanical problems.'
