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Autodesk® Nastran® In-CAD

Hagerman & Company

Autodesk® Nastran® In-CAD, finite element analysis (FEA) software, uses the Autodesk® Nastran® solver and integrates with Autodesk® Inventor® to simulate real-world behavior.

Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions? Will my part fail? When will it fail? How will failure occur? What happens if I drop it? If you have, then you should probably consider simulation software. Autodesk® Nastran® In-CAD will allow you to rapidly explore multiple design ideas and visualize projects. You will be able to analyze and test designs, digitally, to predict real-world performance at a fraction of the cost of physical prototypes.

What is Autodesk® Nastran® In-CAD?
Nastran® started as a project within NASA. This project -- NASA STRuctural ANalysis -- was released to the public in the late 1960’s. The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (MSC) was one of the principal and original developers of the public domain Nastran® code. Nastran® source code has been integrated into a number of different software packages since the 1970’s. NEi Software, utilized this source code and targeted the PC market in 1990. Autodesk® recently purchased NEi Software with the intentions of integrating the Nastran® code directly into their Inventor® CAD environment. This purchase gives Autodesk® Inventor® users the full power of Nastran® including non-linear solutions, right inside their CAD environment.

Why is it important to have simulation within your CAD environment?
If you take a look at the design and simulation process you will recognize this general procedure: You start a design by creating geometry. Once the geometry is created, you are ready for the simulation. To simulate a design, first assign material properties, then create and refine mesh to fit the design. The next step is to apply known loads and constraints. After the setup process is complete, run the analysis and review the results. Based on these initial findings, you will want to revise or refine the design and then re-examine the simulation. If you are using a secondary program, or a program outside of your CAD environment, you will have to re-assign materials, re-mesh, and re-apply all of the known loads and constraints. If this is done within the CAD environment, you are running the revised model under the exact same conditions and setup as the previous analysis. You can also keep and compare the analysis results directly within the CAD environment.

What does all this mean to you?
You now have the trusted and accurate Nastran® platform, already recognized in the aerospace industry as the “standard”, built right into the CAD environment. You have the familiar interface and workflow, for ease of use, combined with true geometry associativity with your simulation tools. Why learn another environment when you are already comfortable with the one currently used.

If you would like more information about Autodesk® Nastran® In-CAD, open a conversation with your local Hagerman & Company representative.

Submitted by Clayton Pepmiller, Manufacturing Solutions Engineer, Hagerman & Company, Inc.

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