Tools for efficient, digital product development

The product development of the future is fast, efficient, flexible and digital. In addition, there are increasing requirements for sustainability and resource efficiency as well as a higher functional complexity of systems in different operating and usage scenarios. We develop innovative modeling and simulation solutions from product creation through use to the "end of life". By supplementing and purposefully replacing experimental analyses and using numerical methods and validation processes, increasingly scarce development capacities can be efficiently utilized.

 

 

Use resources wisely for secure, stable and efficient processes.

Industrial value creation is characterized by ever shorter product life cycles and, at the same time, increasing product diversity – sometimes with individually tailored properties – as well as the distributed development, realization and use of products. In addition, there are increasing requirements for sustainability and resource efficiency, as well as increased functional complexity of systems in different operating and usage scenarios. Against this background, product development processes are coming under increasing pressure in terms of efficiency, costs and flexibility, e.g. due to the reduction of available prototype systems or the increasing need for early decision-making and safeguarding processes to accompany development. Alternative development tools and realistic digital models are therefore needed to ensure that the requirements for quality, safety and reliability of the products can still be met. The aim here is to increase the predictive quality of the actual component and system behavior through suitable modeling in such a way that, among other things, the number of prototype systems can be reduced and physical validations can be supplemented and optimized by virtual analyses. In the

Digital Engineering area of expertise, researchers are developing new methods and, where necessary, customized tools that aim to virtually map development, safeguarding and validation processes. For instance, innovative modeling and simulation solutions allow for extended functional properties in plastic components and in mechanical systems to be considered as early on as the early design and realization process. At the same time, usage data from practice, production and operation are integrated for validated modeling and simulation. This allows influences, stresses or damage at the material, component and overall system level to be realistically digitally reproduced. In this way, the number of possible variants for the later realization of a product can be reduced to a minimum at an early stage of the design and development process. In conjunction with new cyber-physical methods and tools, it is also possible to implement end-to-end validation of products and product functions at the component level throughout the development process. Increasingly scarce development capacities can be utilized efficient by supplementing and replacing specific experimental analyses, as well as through numerical methods and validation processes.