Integrated Design and Engineering Environment

February 22nd, 2011 by

The auto industry faces major challenges. New models are entering the market at ever shorter intervals, products are becoming more complex, and the trend towards electric cars requires modified vehicle structures. European production sites are coming under increasing cost pressure from low-wage countries. Cost reductions, shorter production times, new materials and innovative assembly techniques are needed if companies are to remain competitive. To achieve these goals, 23 business and research organizations are participating in the EU’s Pegasus project. The project partners have jointly developed a software platform to reduce development times and costs. The Integrated Design and Engineering Environment (IDEE) is a CAD/CAE/CAM software system which is connected to an intelligent database. It analyzes the functional requirements of a product and identifies appropriate materials at an early stage of the development process. If, for example, a car roof is to be made in a different material than before, it is not necessary to conduct a new development process. Instead, the design engineers enter the component data into the software system, which assesses the information and then selects suitable materials and manufacturing processes. The platform also provides engineering guidelines for designing the tools that will be used to produce the component. IDEE is still under development, but it can already be used to produce simple components. The software should be ready and available to the auto industry in about a year’s time. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/f-gco021511.phpwww.eurekalert.org

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