FEA Sofware Reccomendation
FEA Sofware Reccomendation
(OP)
Hello all.
I am a Mechanical Design Engineer with a company that manufacturers thermoforming equipment. We are currently looking at purchasing an FEA package to analyze several parts on our thermoforming equipment. Solidworks is our 3D design package. We plan on training for whatever package we choose.
The two packages we are looking at are COSMOS (can be purchased thru local Solidworks rep. and ALGOR.
A stripped down version of COSMOS is included with Solidworks.
Anyhow, are their any words of advise to assist us in choosing the correct software.
Knee-deep in 12" of rain over the past 7+ days.
savis
I am a Mechanical Design Engineer with a company that manufacturers thermoforming equipment. We are currently looking at purchasing an FEA package to analyze several parts on our thermoforming equipment. Solidworks is our 3D design package. We plan on training for whatever package we choose.
The two packages we are looking at are COSMOS (can be purchased thru local Solidworks rep. and ALGOR.
A stripped down version of COSMOS is included with Solidworks.
Anyhow, are their any words of advise to assist us in choosing the correct software.
Knee-deep in 12" of rain over the past 7+ days.
savis





RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
If you're looking for a recognized leader, with coupled-field capabilities, and a sound element library, I believe ANSYS is you best choice. The pre-processor is not very good but you've got that in Solidworks. The solver is good.
BatMan2
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
I am new to this particular field. The preprocessor capability in Solidworks refers to??
I will be getting training with the software purchase.
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
If you want to include the nonlinear material behavior, drop impact, or other more advanced applications you need to look at ABAQUS since they give you both a standard and explicit solver in one environment.
You will want a package that can read results from your mold filling simulation so that you can get the proper material orientations if you wish to do cooling and warp simulations.
Cosmos and Algor are fine starter packages for simple problems, but don't expect either one to have the depth of the mainstream packages.
Good luck with your decision.
Best regards,
KF9RI
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
it is based on swansea fe development team which is doing serious job.
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Looked at Cosmos also, beware that for more advanced analysis (can't remember details but I think nonlinear materials and dynamic response) you have to go into a different older command line environment.
Algor claims to be good at contact analysis and multibody physics, couldn't comment on performance here versus the big $$ guys.
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
If you are looking for a decent Multiphysics software, Algor has a decent package. Also, MSC's 4D is pretty good.
Just be careful about using the Multiphysics packs. They still do a stress analysis in a linear mode and as everyone knows kinematic stresses are non-linear by nature and definition.
John Petty
Sr. Mech. Designer/FEA Analyst
Clarke-Alto
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Doug
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
ANSYS, NASTRAN, COSMOS - I don't see a big difference in their capabilities- in terms of what a user can get out of them. They all are General purpose FEA packages. Linear analysis and run of the mill non-linear problems (including contact, small strain plasticity etc) COSMOS should do just fine. For the really advanced non-linear problems you might be better off going with a product like ABAQUS or LSDyna.
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
REZA
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
thanks, fsi
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Sorry for the delayed post, but I just joined this site. I am replying because I fear that one point may not yet have been made: a big part of choosing your FEA package comes from how much you plan to use it. As with everyone else, I can only comment accurately on packages that I have used recently (in my case, Algor and ANSYS).
If you will use FEA only once in a while for specific tasks, then get one that is easy to use, cost effective, and from a company that has decent tech support. If you've got an unlimited budget, you can go with ANSYS and use Designspace (which I have not used, but is included with the full version now and is supposed to be easy to use), but at a factor of 2x or 3x $$$, that really seems like a waste of money to me. Thus, in this case, I would recommend Algor -- the auto-transfer process works well, the mesher is decent, and it has a very short learning curve for this type of software.
If, however, you are going to be using FEA often, then you would be well advised to consider ANSYS because once you get up the rather substantial learning curve I doubt that there is a more flexible and powerful PC-based package out there.
FWIW, I fit more into the first category -- I will sometimes go months without needing to do much FEA, followed by several weekes of almost full-time modeling -- so I use mostly Algor.
Regards,
Greg
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Now back to savis: Code selection depends on who will be using it and how often. The classes you will take will teach you how to use the code, but not how to do analysis. If the code will be used occasionally by designers with little or no analysis background, you should stick with a simple easy to use code. You should avoid the high end codes unless the user(s) has the background to validate and verify an analysis with hand calculations and simplified sample problems while also knowing how to properly interpret the results.
--kan
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Use product literature to eliminate any packages that do not meet your requirements. Next interview sales reps of short listed packages, don't be taken in by flashy demos; give then a simple analysis based on your requirements to solve. Also consider what the after sales service may be like.
Buying an underspeced system may mean extra expense, delays or even not being able to do what you need to.
Buying an overspeced system will mean extra software and training costs and possible inefficiency.
In summary be driven by your needs and then use the above recommendations to help you make a decision. The cost of getting the choice wrong can be great.
TERRY
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
I'd agree you need to:
know what the budget is
know the capabilities of the User
know the weightiness of the projects (FEA to be used 10% or 70% of the time)
From a thermal analysis perspective, I've had Algor for 2 years and have yet to get useful results from it. The meshing and overall learning curve have been very painful and disappointing, given the price tag. The software seems to solve slowly and, in meshing, seldom converges to a usable mesh.
This has sent us shopping for:
- $0-10,000 package
- something that can solve electronic package analyses in less than a day
- a reasonable learning curve for once-in-3-month simulations.
We're considering Flotherm, Cosmosworks, and Harvard Thermal. HT I don't care for much, since it doesn't have a direct 3d importing capability and has an interface like Algor's for building models.
Cosmos seems faster and more intuitive for use.
Am beginning the eval on Flotherm.
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
www.deform.com
I have used it. Pretty impressive.
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Am interested in your investigation. I have similar requirements for robust electronics packaging and am interested in your experience with Algor?
Am looking for a package that can do SS and transient heat transfer, static stress, and natural frequency.
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
We have completed our search and it looks like we are going with ANSYS. Mainly due to their local reps customer support (supported by Engineers who actually use the software - novel concept). They actually confirmed an analysis for us at no cost as a demo!!
Savis
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
FWIW the company I work for probably has the biggest userbase of IDEAS in the world and we do not use its FEA capabilities for anything but the simplest of jobs. I can't believe a Solidworks shop would buy an IDEAS seat just to run IDEAS FEA.
Can the original poster specify the sort of analysis he needs to do, whether he needs assemblies, is version control important, does he want an automesher, etc etc?
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Amen.
I have used most of the major FEA softwares, and have a fairly strong background with the MBD softwares. I have my favorites, but those are often out of the price range of smaller users.
To answer the original question: "What is the correct software?" is very user-, usage-, and budget-dependent. You are better off talking to people of a similar stripe/background than asking a bunch of anonymous people to spout off.
Sorry to vent, but these "what is the best" questions almost always devolve into dogma and personal biases, rather than a useful discussion.
Brad
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
First Tier (this is the only group where I list every member): Abaqus, Ansys, NASTRAN - these are the best commerically FEA tools available. I would not hesitate to use any one of these to solver any problem. That does not mean each is great at everything. Abaqus is THE tool of choice for any kind of non-linear problem. They can handle plasticity, non-linear elasticity, friction, huge deflection. NASTRAN has traditionally been the premier tool of choice for vibration problems. ANSYS is the one tool to buy if you can only buy one and must be able to solve every type of problem. I believe ANSYS is also the current revenue leader among FEA programs. (It's hard to tell since most of the others are sold by CAD companies, mixing the picture)
Second Tier (et.al.): I-DEAS, Mechanica - these tools are accurate for certain types of analysis. Mechanica provides excellent functionality for linear elastic problems. I-DEAS is an excellent pre/post processor and has a decent solver. Niether of these tools should be considered an equal of any of the three in the first group.
Third Tier (very large group): I won't name names but the tools in this list function (some even function well) but none can compete when you must have good results. Many on this list should only be used to design simple parts with simple loads, that have simple consequences if failure occurs. I dismiss many of of the programs on this list for their offensive sales practices alone. Think of any frequently advertised/editorialized/popularized FEA program and it probably belongs on this list. ANSYS, ABAQUS and NASTRAN don't have time to answer the phone to answer questions for a review article, because they're too busy figuring out better ways to solve hard problems (rather than spending time figuring out better ways to lure more butts into their seats.)
These are all just my humble opinions. Never buy a package until you have solved at least one of your problems to your satisfaction.
Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad. Frohliche Weinachten.
Doug
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Best of luck in your decisions.
jetmaker
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
RE: FEA Sofware Reccomendation
Doug