Motorcycle Crankshaft Modeling with SimLab at BMW Motorrad

BOTT stands for “Battle of the Twins,” a racing category for motorbikes with two-cylinder four stroke engines. Bottpower is a Spanish motorsport engineering company located in Valencia. They specialize in designing and building custom motorbikes for racing and street use. They design and build parts, systems, and prototypes for other companies. A project challenge at Bottpower was to design a lightweight stay bracket for their motorbike that could withstand the main and aerodynamic loads. The goal was finding the optimal weight and stiffness ratio to reduce weight while ensuring safety measures. All of this had to be done quickly in order to arrive on time at Addit3D, Spain's most important 3D-print fair, to showcase the bike. The optimal design for aerodynamic loads was found using Altair software.

Formula SAE is a collegiate design series run by Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which challenges students to design, build and compete with an open wheel style car across various events. The competition pitches various teams across different static events focusing on the teams engineering design decisions, cost planning, marketing strategies and vehicle inspections. The teams also have to compete under various dynamic events like acceleration, skid-pad, autocross and the endurance run where even the fuel economy is checked.

By automating the crankshaft modeling process using Altair SimLab, BMW Motorrad, the motorcycle division of BMW was able to significantly reduce their model creation time, and enable accuracy in budgetary forecasting and planning. As a result of making it an inhouse resource, they were able to gain flexibility and consistency in model quality, with a high-degree of efficiency with iterations.

Subros is the leading manufacturer of thermal products for automotive applications in India and operates in technical collaboration with Denso. Being a major supplier of AC units to the predominant automotive segments and all classes of vehicles produced by global players in the country, it is very important for Subros to honor deadlines of product delivery with agreed benchmarks of quality. The Subros team has used Altair solutions such HyperMesh for FE modeling, RADIOSS and OptiStruct for structural analysis, AcuSolve for flow analysis, and solidThinking Inspire for Modal Analysis

As Manufacturers of Automotive Components such as Chassis and Brakes, Mando Softtech India has to ensure that they maintain highest performance and quality standards of the products they develop. Implementation of Altair HyperWorks solutions has helped them considerably reduce their product development time and costs, while augmenting product quality. Their overall development time was reduced by up to 30 to 40%.

See how designers and engineers at Materialise worked with adidas to create a unique 3D-printed running shoe midsole which can be tailored to the cushioning needs of an individual’s foot.

Scherf Design; an innovative design company, created a 3D printed, metal high heel shoe model that was both highly distinctive and wearable with the help of Materialise 3-matic software.

See how 3-matic can transform scanned measurements to CAD files and develop volume meshes for FEM analysis.

Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Central R&D Labs Inc. wanted to produce a lightweight car seat prototype with a minimal volume and an optimal heat capacity. To assist them in creating the complex design, Toyota contacted Materialise’s engineering team.

The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the largest multidisciplinary research organization in Northern Europe, decided to explore the possibilities of 3D Printing to create the ideal hydraulic valve—lighter, with a better fluid flow and with minimal risk of leakage—for their customer Nurmi Cylinders. VTT relied on Materialise software 3-matic to enhance the design optimized with Altair software.

Not every component or product is suitable for 3D printing, depending on its size, form and design as well as the quantity needed. A valve block is very suitable for 3D printing and has a high potential for improvement in weight, performance, and design freedom when additively manufactured.

Carmakers the world over are investing heavily in the development of lighter vehicles and more economical engines that can go further on less fuel. Renault’s powertrain division wanted to further decrease the weight and increase the performance of existing and in-devolopment engines by redesigning key components to use a minimum amount of material. As an existing user of Altair’s simulation solutions, Renault approached Altair ProductDesign to assist in the development of the required optimization design methods and processes for use at component and sub-system levels.

The shift toward e-mobility is increasing pressure on the automotive industry as the world awaits more sustainable and affordable solutions. New players are entering the market with fresh ideas and groundbreaking technologies. EVR Motors Ltd. is one of these. The company designs and develops cost-effective radial flux Permanent Magnet (PM) electric machines for a range of power conversion applications. EVR, established in 2012, began developing patents for wind turbine generators. They then adjusted their roadmap to include e-mobility, and developed an innovative e-motor called TS – RFPM based on new, patented technology that provides superior power and torque density – all at lower production costs. When looking for a powerful and accurate electromagnetic and mechanical simulation tool, they chose the Altair simulation tools to simulate their motors before prototyping. Through simulation, EVR developed and tested its new patented motor, which is half the size than some of the industry’s best e-motors.