HyperWorks at Wagon Automotive: Accelerating Product Development and Reducing Prototype Costs
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
- Equipment & Machinery
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
- Virtual Reality
Services
- Hardware Design & Engineering Services
- Testing & Certification
About The Customer
Wagon Automotive is a Germany-based system and module supplier of components to major car builders. The company develops and builds systems and modules — doors, structural members, window systems, and other essential pieces — for an impressive list of customers that includes VW, Audi, GM, Toyota, Mercedes, Honda, Volvo, Ford, Jaguar, and Porsche. At development and production sites in Europe, Asia, and North America, 7,600 Wagon Automotive employees are busy with the design, testing, and manufacture of components that must arrive at assembly plants to meet precise production deadlines. Products must be tailored to customers' needs. The rapidly changing nature of a global industry demands ever-shorter product development cycles from Wagon Automotive engineers.
The Challenge
Wagon Automotive, a Germany-based system and module supplier of components to major car builders, was facing the challenge of accelerating product development and reducing prototyping costs while maintaining high quality. The company operates in a demanding, time-sensitive market, supplying components to an impressive list of customers that includes VW, Audi, GM, Toyota, Mercedes, Honda, Volvo, Ford, Jaguar, and Porsche. With development and production sites in Europe, Asia, and North America, 7,600 Wagon Automotive employees are engaged in the design, testing, and manufacture of components that must meet precise production deadlines. The rapidly changing nature of the global industry demands ever-shorter product development cycles from Wagon Automotive engineers. To sustain its strong competitive position and keep its customers satisfied, Wagon Automotive was seeking ways to speed up product development and reduce the growing costs of prototyping.
The Solution
Wagon Automotive found the solution in Altair HyperWorks, a suite of advanced CAE tools. The company acquired 50 HyperWorks license units in 2000, after an intensive three-month benchmarking of various CAE software packages. Today, all CAE processes at Wagon Automotive GmbH, from modeling to optimization, are done using HyperWorks tools: HyperView, HyperStudy, HyperMesh, OptiStruct, and HyperForm. These advanced tools carry the pre- and post-processing and the simulation load, particularly for linear statics calculations, crash analysis, and structural optimization. Wagon Automotive uses HyperWorks for creating simulation models of doors and carrier modules like IP-cross members as well as for vibration and dimensioning calculations. The engineers also design front- and rear-crash management systems for repair load cases and high-speed conditions. Most models are small, but they may be recalculated many times during a single day.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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