Concurrent Engineering with Computer Simulation Reaps Large ROI Rewards

摘要

In the current competitive environment, quality and innovation, shorter development time and optimum productivity is the mantra for any successful foundry. Since its inception twenty years ago, computer modeling has come a long way in helping the foundry engineer achieve these lofty goals. Initially, casting simulation software was seen as an expensive investment due to prohibitive startup cost associated with successfully implementing this technology at the foundry level. But over the last few years, the cost of integrating numerical modeling into the design and manufacturing cycle has significantly reduced due to decrease in hardware and software pricing. Software companies are now teaming up with foundries to offer effective solutions which eliminate the need to make costly prototypes before putting a new casting design into production. By examining some industrial case studies which are indicative of typical casting issues, this paper will demonstrate that return on investment (ROI) for implementing computer aided engineering at the foundry can far outweigh the startup cost. The costs associated with correcting defects, re-work time and other labor-intensive costs can easily exceed the cost of performing a simulation. Reduced defects, material savings with improved yield and high customer satisfaction quickly turn the cost of computer analysis into company-wide savings, both in the short and long term.