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FROM THE VIRTUAL TRY-OUT SPACE<br />
TALK PAMNEWS<br />
product news<br />
Parallel processing<br />
with ProCAST 2005<br />
corporate<br />
FY2004 Sales up 19%<br />
<strong>to</strong> EUR 58,3M in line<br />
with expectations<br />
Special Report on Germany<br />
25 years dedicated<br />
<strong>to</strong> virtual engineering<br />
Success S<strong>to</strong>ry Courage Competition:<br />
an exemplary mastery of performance<br />
ISSUE<br />
28<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
SPRING 2005
IBM, <strong>the</strong> IBM logo, <strong>the</strong>“e”logo, eServer, <strong>the</strong> eServer logo, OpenPower and Power Architecture are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in <strong>the</strong> United States and/or o<strong>the</strong>r countries.<br />
Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in <strong>the</strong> United States, o<strong>the</strong>r countries, or both. O<strong>the</strong>r company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of o<strong>the</strong>rs. © 2004 IBM Corporation. All rights reserved.<br />
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And it’s an affordable way <strong>to</strong> adopt Power Architecture. Join <strong>the</strong><br />
movement at ibm.com /eserver/pumpup<br />
server
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7<br />
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19<br />
PAMTALK is issued quarterly<br />
by <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong><br />
Executive Edi<strong>to</strong>r: Vincent Chaillou<br />
Edi<strong>to</strong>r-in-Chief: Danièle Burdin-Dumont<br />
Stéphanie Austin<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> Marketing<br />
PARC D’AFFAIRES SILIC<br />
99 RUE DES SOLETS - BP 80112<br />
94513 Rungis Cedex - FRANCE<br />
Tel: +33 (0) 1 41 73 58 00<br />
Fax: +33 (0) 1 46 87 72 02<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
info@esi-group.com<br />
Design: Agence TETRAKTYS<br />
ISSN 1635-866X<br />
Impression : RIVET PRESSE EDITION - 24, rue Claude-Henri Gorceix<br />
87280 LIMOGES<br />
Dépôt légal : Avril 05<br />
contents<br />
SUCCESS STORY<br />
Courage Competition: an exemplary mastery of performance<br />
CORUS and <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> partnership<br />
PRODUCT NEWS<br />
Visual-Crash for PAM; <strong>the</strong> first brick of <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s new open<br />
integrated environment<br />
EASI-Process<br />
3 questions <strong>to</strong> Velayudham Ganesan, Business Development Manager<br />
SPECIAL REPORT<br />
25 years dedicated <strong>to</strong> virtual engineering<br />
PAM-STAMP 2G helps Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive<br />
design car modules ‘right first time”<br />
CASTING<br />
Parallel processing with ProCAST 2005<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST 2005 speeds up casting process evaluation<br />
Solidification course 2005<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s casting solutions gain ground in South America<br />
EVENTS<br />
Official inauguration of <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s Software<br />
Product Development Center in Bangalore, India<br />
CORPORATE<br />
New sales activities and distribution of EASi-CRASH<br />
products in Germany by <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH<br />
FY2004 Sales up 19% <strong>to</strong> EUR 58,3M<br />
in line with expectations.<br />
What’s new at www.esi-group.com?<br />
All PAM and SYS products are trademarks of <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>. All o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
products, names and companies referenced are trademarks or<br />
registered trademarks of <strong>the</strong>ir respective owners. All text and images<br />
included in <strong>the</strong> articles are <strong>the</strong> copyright of <strong>the</strong> companies presenting<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir applications and simulations tasks.<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong> credits: Corus, Courage Competition, Dana S.H Foundiciones,<br />
Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive, Montupet, Rims<strong>to</strong>ck, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>.<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
ISSUE<br />
28<br />
SPRING 2005<br />
e e<br />
Germany<br />
special projects<br />
As industry now embraces a new paradigm called<br />
Simulation-Based-Design, more favorable <strong>to</strong> innovation<br />
and overall more effective and less expensive than our<br />
traditional trial and error methodology, physical pro<strong>to</strong>types<br />
are now being progressively replaced, not only because<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are cost, time and energy consuming, but because<br />
<strong>the</strong>y cannot always be used, and in some situations, <strong>the</strong>y<br />
cannot even exist!<br />
The realistic account of <strong>the</strong> physics of materials and of <strong>the</strong><br />
fabrication processes which determine <strong>the</strong>m is a critical<br />
fac<strong>to</strong>r <strong>to</strong> ensuring <strong>the</strong> reliability of virtual simulation.<br />
A fine example of <strong>the</strong> extent of <strong>the</strong>se major changes is<br />
reflected in <strong>the</strong> activity our subsidiary in Germany, <strong>ESI</strong><br />
GmbH which celebrates <strong>the</strong> quarter century anniversary of<br />
its opening in 1979, moving from <strong>the</strong> inception of crash<br />
techniques with Volkswagen in <strong>the</strong> early eighties, <strong>to</strong> <strong>to</strong>day’s<br />
most advanced simulation technology such as FPM for<br />
OOP decision process for Airbag.<br />
di<strong>to</strong>rial<br />
More recently, <strong>the</strong> acquisition of VA, EASi, CFD and<br />
Casting technologies, has enabled our German team <strong>to</strong><br />
widen its skills and knowledge, through dedicated<br />
business units, like <strong>the</strong> new SPM team whose mission is <strong>to</strong><br />
serve <strong>the</strong> EASI cus<strong>to</strong>mer base and support <strong>the</strong> SPM/EASi<br />
Process solutions, and new technologies such as Casting<br />
for Virtual Manufacturing.<br />
Simulation-Based-Design is no longer a futuristic<br />
methodology for early adopters, but along with Virtual<br />
Manufacturing (VM), it is at <strong>the</strong> very core of our VTOS<br />
solutions, it means <strong>to</strong> predict product performance<br />
“as built” and not only “as designed” and this is <strong>the</strong><br />
perspective of our team in Germany for example <strong>to</strong> work<br />
with our cus<strong>to</strong>mers <strong>to</strong> reach new levels in productivity<br />
and innovation<br />
Vincent Chaillou<br />
President and Chief Operating Officer,<br />
Products<br />
edi<strong>to</strong>rial<br />
Operations, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong><br />
d i t o r i a l<br />
3
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
Courage C65 won 2004 LMES 1,000 kms championship with three vic<strong>to</strong>ries, category LMP2<br />
PAM-CRASH validation<br />
of <strong>the</strong> C60 frontal crash<br />
(<strong>to</strong>tal mass: 1,000 kg,<br />
initial speed: 14 m/s,<br />
difference between<br />
experiments and<br />
simulation: less<br />
than 5%)<br />
Alain de Rouvray<br />
congratulating<br />
Nicolas Perrin and<br />
Yves Courage<br />
Time is a drastic<br />
constraint for racing car<br />
builders who only have six<br />
months <strong>to</strong> produce a new<br />
model compared <strong>to</strong><br />
three years for standard<br />
vehicles. In addition,<br />
development cycles are<br />
punctuated by<br />
championships, which<br />
reduces available time<br />
and a race car is made<br />
up of 3,000 different<br />
parts often modified<br />
over a season. All this<br />
combined with<br />
compliance <strong>to</strong> severe regulations and<br />
extreme safety criteria, give an<br />
overview of how designing winning<br />
cars is a real challenge!<br />
The challenge<br />
of endurance racing<br />
To provide <strong>the</strong> highest levels of<br />
performance and technical reliability<br />
Courage Competition has <strong>to</strong><br />
concentrate its efforts on:<br />
■ minimizing time dedicated <strong>to</strong><br />
feasibility studies and tests on <strong>the</strong><br />
racing tracks,<br />
■ mastering all available<br />
CAD/CAM/CAE technologies<br />
adopted by <strong>the</strong> major racing teams,<br />
■ quickly evaluating <strong>the</strong> most<br />
profitable solutions applicable <strong>to</strong><br />
small series (pro<strong>to</strong>types<br />
manufacturing),<br />
■ deciding quickly on <strong>the</strong> right design<br />
in less than six months,<br />
■ taking in<strong>to</strong> account mechanical parts<br />
in-service lifetime and fatigue.<br />
Finally, new regulations in favor of<br />
engine power limitation impose<br />
Courage Competition <strong>to</strong> perform<br />
several design modifications of <strong>the</strong><br />
external shapes and <strong>the</strong> undertray until<br />
reaching <strong>the</strong> expected structural<br />
weight reduction. Consequently,<br />
Courage is making extensive use of<br />
composite materials and is relying<br />
more and more on virtual simulation.<br />
Courage<br />
Competition:<br />
an exemplary<br />
mastery of<br />
performance<br />
In <strong>the</strong> rush for ever-enhanced<br />
reliability and performance<br />
PAM-CRASH and SYSPLY help <strong>the</strong><br />
French racing team optimize design<br />
and safety while reducing lead-times<br />
Teaming for competitiveness<br />
Courage Competition has a permanent<br />
strategic objective <strong>to</strong> control <strong>the</strong><br />
car's development from initial design<br />
<strong>to</strong> production. The company<br />
manufactures half of <strong>the</strong> composite<br />
body parts in its Le Mans workshops.<br />
In this respect, <strong>the</strong> independent French<br />
car manufacturer has deployed <strong>the</strong><br />
most promising technologies <strong>to</strong> carry<br />
out development tasks while being<br />
ready <strong>to</strong> face new championship<br />
challenges.<br />
A few years ago, Courage Competition<br />
initiated <strong>the</strong> CATIA V5 CAD/CAM<br />
solution in partnership with HP. After<br />
implementing this solution, Courage<br />
Competition is now focusing on both<br />
crash-tests and composite material<br />
structure design. The company intends<br />
<strong>to</strong> reduce <strong>the</strong> number of expensive<br />
physical pro<strong>to</strong>type trials by using <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong>’s simulation solutions: PAM-<br />
CRASH for virtual crash test and<br />
SYSPLY for composite design<br />
simulation. In 2003, again in<br />
collaboration with HP, <strong>the</strong> first phase<br />
‘<br />
Up <strong>to</strong> now we have successfully validated with<br />
PAM-CRASH <strong>the</strong> results of a frontal crash on <strong>the</strong>‘<br />
car’s survival body as well as o<strong>the</strong>r homologating<br />
crash tests on composite materials structures ‘‘<br />
success s<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
4 www.esi-group.com<br />
Yves Courage, President and founder, Courage Competition
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
consisted of validating technical<br />
parameters by accurately reproducing<br />
real, measured data.<br />
“Up <strong>to</strong> now we have successfully<br />
validated with PAM-CRASH <strong>the</strong> results<br />
of a frontal crash on <strong>the</strong> survival body<br />
as well as o<strong>the</strong>r homologating crash<br />
tests on composite materials<br />
structures,” says Yves Courage.<br />
“Ano<strong>the</strong>r significant result concerns <strong>the</strong><br />
design of <strong>the</strong> C65 flat bot<strong>to</strong>m; using<br />
SYSPLY we achieved a composite<br />
materials structure 25% lighter and<br />
almost two times stiffer than <strong>the</strong><br />
previous one. The virtual simulation of<br />
crash-tests and composite part design<br />
are now fully integrated within <strong>the</strong><br />
development process of any new<br />
family of cars, in order <strong>to</strong> reduce <strong>the</strong><br />
number of pro<strong>to</strong>types by one third”<br />
adds <strong>the</strong> President and founder.<br />
SYSPLY analysis<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Courage C65 cockpit<br />
The Courage C65 body has undergone<br />
several endurance racing<br />
homologating tests as specified by<br />
ACO (Au<strong>to</strong>mobile Club de l’Ouest), <strong>the</strong><br />
leading au<strong>to</strong>mobile club in France,<br />
crea<strong>to</strong>r and organizer of <strong>the</strong> Le Mans<br />
24-hour race. The tests consist in<br />
complying <strong>to</strong> a series of criteria with a<br />
minimal weight. “The frontal crash and<br />
<strong>the</strong> analysis of loads and pressures on<br />
<strong>the</strong> roll bar have shown good<br />
agreement with experimental<br />
measurements,” explains Nicolas<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
Perrin, race engineer, responsible for<br />
Research & Development and FEM<br />
Analysis, Courage Competition.<br />
“SYSPLY allows <strong>to</strong> identify quickly <strong>the</strong><br />
areas where gains of weight or stiffness<br />
can be achieved and this is of decisive<br />
importance for <strong>the</strong> design of <strong>the</strong> future<br />
chassis,” states N. Perrin.<br />
SYSPLY also helps <strong>to</strong> determine <strong>the</strong><br />
shape, <strong>the</strong> alignment and <strong>the</strong> placing of<br />
carbon fabric which covers over 80%<br />
of a Courage model, mainly <strong>the</strong> body,<br />
<strong>the</strong> chassis, <strong>the</strong> aerofoil or <strong>the</strong><br />
undertray. A direct link with CAD<br />
enables several geometries <strong>to</strong> be<br />
imported from Catia for fur<strong>the</strong>r design<br />
analyses using SYSPLY. During <strong>the</strong><br />
designing sequence SYSPLY assists<br />
<strong>the</strong> user in choosing <strong>the</strong> necessary<br />
number of layers, <strong>the</strong> alignment of<br />
fibers and <strong>the</strong> draping sequences. All<br />
this implies considerable time and<br />
costs savings.<br />
“Future work will be directed <strong>to</strong>wards<br />
simulation of lateral crash <strong>to</strong> ensure an<br />
increased protection of <strong>the</strong> driver,<br />
among o<strong>the</strong>r analyses, such as fracture<br />
and fatigue”, concludes Yves Courage.<br />
In 2004, Courage Competition was <strong>the</strong><br />
first and only competi<strong>to</strong>r <strong>to</strong> launch <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
C65 racing cars, meeting new<br />
regulation and security rules of LMP2<br />
pro<strong>to</strong>type category. The team is still<br />
looking <strong>to</strong> expand its technological<br />
leadership and innovation capacity<br />
through virtual simulation.<br />
The results obtained are quite significant<br />
Without SYSPLY With SYSPLY<br />
and allow Courage Competition <strong>to</strong><br />
consider a broadest cus<strong>to</strong>mer base in<br />
Europe and in <strong>the</strong> USA with <strong>the</strong> rapid<br />
acceptance of its commercial product in<br />
<strong>the</strong> LMP2 category and <strong>to</strong> enter again in<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>p endurance category, <strong>the</strong> LMP1<br />
pro<strong>to</strong>type, finally realizing <strong>the</strong> ultimate<br />
founder’s dream: win <strong>the</strong> Le Mans 24hour<br />
race!<br />
‘<br />
Using SYSPLY<br />
for <strong>the</strong> design of <strong>the</strong><br />
C65 flat bot<strong>to</strong>m, we<br />
achieved a structure ‘<br />
25% lighter and almost<br />
‘‘<br />
two times stiffer<br />
Yves Courage, President and founder,<br />
Courage Competition<br />
SYSPLY analysis of <strong>the</strong> C65 cockpit for<br />
<strong>the</strong> homologating test. Model with<br />
41801 elements <strong>to</strong> study displacements,<br />
materials orientation, loads and pressure<br />
on <strong>the</strong> roll bar.<br />
SYSPLY optimization of <strong>the</strong> C65 flat bot<strong>to</strong>m<br />
About Courage Competition<br />
Technical data<br />
Courage C65<br />
■ Configuration: two seater with<br />
open roof, central rear engine,<br />
propulsion<br />
■ Chassis: carbon fiber,<br />
honeycomb aluminum<br />
■ Body: carbon, kevlar,<br />
honeycomb with aeronautical<br />
fixations<br />
■ Suspension: double<br />
wishbones, dynamic springshock<br />
absorber<br />
■ Engine: AER 4 cyl., 2.0 L<br />
Turbo, 2.5 BAR<br />
■ Power: around 530hp, max<br />
speed at 7500 rpm<br />
■ Transmission: Hewland<br />
Courage TLS 6 speed<br />
sequential gearbox<br />
■ Wheels: BBS 18’’ rims<br />
■ Brakes: Brembo caliper,<br />
carbon discs and pads<br />
■ Tank capacity: 90 Liters<br />
■ Weight without driver: 750 Kg<br />
■ As founder, Yves Courage's first entry in<strong>to</strong> Le Mans dates back <strong>to</strong><br />
1977. But Courage Competition made its debut in endurance<br />
racing at <strong>the</strong> 24 Hours in 1982.<br />
■ For more than 20 years Courage pro<strong>to</strong>types have been competing<br />
with <strong>the</strong> biggest names in international car racing always obtaining<br />
excellent scores at <strong>the</strong> final ranking.<br />
success s<strong>to</strong>ry 5
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
CORUS and <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> partnership<br />
Integration of <strong>the</strong> Corus-Vegter model in<strong>to</strong> PAM-STAMP 2G software<br />
improves reliability and cost benefits<br />
About Corus<br />
Real-life product<br />
pressed without<br />
complications<br />
Corus, Europe’s third largest<br />
steel manufacturer, is<br />
achieving recognition in <strong>the</strong><br />
au<strong>to</strong>motive industry as an<br />
“intelligent supplier of<br />
material”. Corus provides<br />
innovative solutions <strong>to</strong><br />
construction, au<strong>to</strong>motive,<br />
packaging, mechanical<br />
engineering and o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
markets worldwide.<br />
Corus’ expertise is drawn<br />
from an intimate knowledge<br />
of contemporary vehicle<br />
performance requirements,<br />
manufacturing-feasible ideas,<br />
and material properties.<br />
Corus, <strong>the</strong> international<br />
metal’s producer, and <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong> have announced <strong>the</strong><br />
integration of <strong>the</strong> Corus-<br />
Vegter model, a new advanced material<br />
simulation model, in<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> PAM-STAMP<br />
2G software package. Through Corus<br />
and <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> expertise, au<strong>to</strong>motive<br />
Conventional material model<br />
predicts fracture incorrectly<br />
PAM-STAMP 2G<br />
simulation with Corus<br />
material model predicts<br />
feasible production<br />
designers and engineers will be able <strong>to</strong><br />
significantly improve accuracy of<br />
formability analysis predictions and<br />
press stamping evaluations.<br />
Formability analysis <strong>to</strong>ols are currently<br />
used <strong>to</strong> predict material behavior <strong>to</strong><br />
simulate what happens when sheet<br />
material is stamped in<strong>to</strong> a threedimensional<br />
part, such as a body panel.<br />
However, as carmakers increasingly<br />
use advanced high strength steels and<br />
aluminum alloys, existing material<br />
simulation <strong>to</strong>ols – largely based on data<br />
from mild strength steels and featuring<br />
relatively simple models- are becoming<br />
more and more inadequate for <strong>the</strong> latest<br />
simulation requirements, especially<br />
panel quality and <strong>to</strong>lerance control.<br />
Corus has developed <strong>the</strong> Corus-Vegter<br />
model, which consists of an improved<br />
yield locus description and an improved<br />
strain hardening description. It<br />
incorporates Corus’ advanced<br />
understanding of sheet metal behavior<br />
during deformation. This development<br />
is a response <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> need from <strong>the</strong><br />
global au<strong>to</strong>motive industry for a model<br />
that can accurately predict <strong>the</strong> behavior<br />
of more modern and widely used<br />
materials.<br />
Easy <strong>to</strong> use, <strong>the</strong> Vegter model features<br />
<strong>the</strong> latest data, including high strength<br />
steels and aluminum. Not only does it<br />
improve <strong>the</strong> performance of stamping<br />
operations but it also provides a<br />
powerful <strong>to</strong>ol <strong>to</strong> help manufacturers<br />
speed up <strong>the</strong> proving process, <strong>the</strong>refore<br />
reducing <strong>the</strong> costs of new product<br />
development. The ability <strong>to</strong> more<br />
accurately predict behavior will also<br />
lead <strong>to</strong> improved part reliability on new<br />
vehicle models.<br />
“New material grades present constant<br />
challenges <strong>to</strong> improve final part quality<br />
assessment and <strong>to</strong>lerance control.<br />
Through <strong>the</strong> cooperation with Corus,<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> has developed within PAM-<br />
STAMP 2G state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art material<br />
technology modeling <strong>to</strong> meet <strong>the</strong><br />
demand for high quality material<br />
models”, said Dr Fouad El Khaldi,<br />
Product Operations Manager, <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong>.<br />
Validation using <strong>the</strong> Renault<br />
Modus inner read door<br />
Validated on standard test pieces as<br />
well as on an actual au<strong>to</strong>motive<br />
component, <strong>the</strong> model allows<br />
engineers and designers <strong>to</strong> predict yield<br />
behavior more accurately under<br />
complex stress states.<br />
To demonstrate <strong>the</strong> increased accuracy<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Corus-Vegter material model<br />
compared <strong>to</strong> standard models, Renault<br />
and Corus chose <strong>the</strong> rear inner door of<br />
<strong>the</strong> Renault Modus as a test case. The<br />
strains resulting from <strong>the</strong> first draw were<br />
measured using <strong>the</strong> PHAST<br />
measurement system. To build <strong>the</strong><br />
simulation, Corus used a laser scanner<br />
on-site at Renault <strong>to</strong> obtain <strong>the</strong> actual<br />
geometry of <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>ols used by Renault.<br />
The simulation was performed with<br />
three material models: <strong>the</strong> standard<br />
Hill’48 model, <strong>the</strong> Hill’90 model and <strong>the</strong><br />
Corus-Vegter model.<br />
The Corus-Vegter model correctly<br />
predicts <strong>the</strong> risk of rupture of <strong>the</strong> most<br />
critical area of <strong>the</strong> part.<br />
The thinning, strain distribution and<br />
blank edge movement (draw-in) as<br />
predicted by <strong>the</strong> Corus-Vegter model<br />
were closer <strong>to</strong> reality than <strong>the</strong><br />
predictions obtained from <strong>the</strong> Hill’48<br />
and Hill’90 model.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r advantage of this model is <strong>the</strong><br />
very little extra CPU time which is<br />
needed for this increase in accuracy.<br />
“The validation of <strong>the</strong> Corus-Vegter<br />
model in PAM-STAMP 2G on an<br />
industrial part shows how collaboration<br />
between Car Manufacturer, Steel<br />
Manufacturer and Software Supplier<br />
can contribute <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> continuous<br />
improvement of <strong>the</strong> quality of simulation<br />
results” said Mr. M. El Mouatassim,<br />
CAE and stamping feasibility team<br />
leader and BIW engineering, Renault.<br />
To conclude, we can say that <strong>the</strong> Vegter<br />
model is a good example of how Corus,<br />
in partnership with <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>, provides<br />
<strong>the</strong> engineering <strong>to</strong>ols that enable<br />
au<strong>to</strong>motive cus<strong>to</strong>mers <strong>to</strong> design more<br />
confidently and <strong>to</strong> optimize processes<br />
in advance of expensive pro<strong>to</strong>type or<br />
<strong>to</strong>oling build.<br />
success s<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
6 www.esi-group.com
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
Visual-Crash for PAM,<br />
<strong>the</strong> first brick of <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>'s<br />
new open integrated<br />
environment<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> integrates EASI’s renowned technology<br />
in<strong>to</strong> its state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art solvers<br />
Visual-Crash for PAM<br />
(VCP) marks a decisive step<br />
<strong>to</strong>wards <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>'s new<br />
open integrated environment,<br />
now available for PAM-CRASH solution.<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> leverages <strong>the</strong> acquisition of<br />
EASI by integrating <strong>the</strong> company's<br />
renowned technology in<strong>to</strong> its virtual<br />
engineering solution, known as <strong>the</strong><br />
Virtual Try-Out Space. This strategy<br />
paves <strong>the</strong> way <strong>to</strong> a unique open<br />
environment where competitive<br />
simulation software can be coupled<br />
with <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>'s state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art<br />
solvers. First delivered for PAM-CRASH<br />
users, this open environment allows<br />
<strong>the</strong>m <strong>to</strong> address any crash and safety<br />
related simulations as it effectively<br />
replaces <strong>the</strong> most competitive<br />
environment solutions.<br />
VCP combines PAM-CRASH former<br />
environment solution with EASi's<br />
technology. The embedded data model<br />
offers a very versatile environment<br />
where new applications and interfaces<br />
with tier solutions are easily<br />
implemented.<br />
“Visual-Crash for PAM allows PAM-<br />
CRASH users <strong>to</strong> focus and rely on high<br />
quality digital models, from start <strong>to</strong><br />
finish. As reliable simulation<br />
methodologies are emerging for multidisciplinary<br />
simulation, robust<br />
simulation-based design processes are<br />
now available, embedding proprietary<br />
Availability<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
'know-how' and 'best practice' “said<br />
Vincent Chaillou, President and COO,<br />
Product Operations, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>.<br />
From data input <strong>to</strong> visualization, VCP<br />
seamless environment provides PAM-<br />
CRASH users with fast iteration and<br />
rapid model revision process. The<br />
environment offers a quick model<br />
browsing, advanced meshing<br />
capabilities and rapid graphical<br />
assembly of system models. VCP<br />
allows graphical creation, modification<br />
and deletion of contacts, materials,<br />
constraint control cards and all crash<br />
entities.<br />
Visual-process associated <strong>to</strong> VCP<br />
brings a compelling advantage <strong>to</strong> PAM-<br />
CRASH users helping au<strong>to</strong>mate<br />
cumbersome and repetitive tasks, and<br />
easy coupling with third parties’<br />
applications. Using VCP's multiwindow,<br />
multi-models, multiapplication<br />
environment with visual<br />
verification, PAM-CRASH users easily<br />
address <strong>the</strong> coupling of finite element<br />
and rigid-body models, a requisite in<br />
safety simulation.<br />
Leveraging this state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art<br />
environment, a visualization and<br />
plotting solution helps analyze PAM-<br />
CRASH result data within a uniform<br />
interface. The viewer performs<br />
au<strong>to</strong>mated task and generates<br />
cus<strong>to</strong>mized reports <strong>the</strong>refore increasing<br />
engineer productivity.<br />
Visual-Crash for PAM Environment is available on PC platforms (Windows 2000, XP<br />
Professional), UNIX workstations (HP-UX, SunOS, SGI, IBM) and Linux-hardware<br />
vendors supported platforms.<br />
Porting open Virtual Try-Out<br />
Space on Microsoft 64-Bit<br />
Windows<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> demonstrated at EuroPAM’04 <strong>the</strong> powerful capabilities of its<br />
Open Virtual Try-Out Space Solution (VTOS), a proven engineering<br />
simulation environment, on Microsoft's new 64-bit Windows operating<br />
system. PAM-CRASH is <strong>the</strong> first crash simulation solution on <strong>the</strong> market<br />
<strong>to</strong> be ported <strong>to</strong> 64-bit Windows 64, before <strong>the</strong> future release of o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
major CAE software from <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>.<br />
The Open VTOS pro<strong>to</strong>type demonstration at EuroPAM 2004 includes<br />
several pre-ported product components such as PAM-CRASH solvers in<br />
SMP and DMP modes, as well as <strong>the</strong> new graphical framework for both<br />
Windows 64-bit Itanium Processor Family (IPF) and 64-bit Extended<br />
Systems (Intel Xeon with Extended Memory 64-bit technology).<br />
“<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> believes that Windows 64-bit will become one of <strong>the</strong> major<br />
operating systems for CAE applications as it delivers a highly competitive<br />
price/performance ratio within a consistent global simulation chain,” says<br />
Vincent Chaillou, President and COO, Product Operations, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>.<br />
Microsoft's 64-bit operating system offers a cost-effective approach <strong>to</strong><br />
running typical CAE applications, which usually require large memory<br />
resources, in excess of 2-Gbytes. The new 64-bit systems running<br />
Windows XP professional x64 Edition allow, through a dual 32/64-bit<br />
offer, for mass market applications and continuous PLM engineering.<br />
Microsoft plans <strong>to</strong> introduce Windows XP professional x64 Edition and<br />
Windows Server 2003 x64 during <strong>the</strong> first half of 2005. Both operating<br />
systems are currently available in beta versions.<br />
product news 7
8<br />
SUCCESS STORY SPECIAL REPORT PRODUCT NEWS CASTING<br />
EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
EASi-Process<br />
An unmatched software for creating,<br />
au<strong>to</strong>mating, and cus<strong>to</strong>mizing<br />
CAE processes in CAE model building<br />
and analysis.<br />
Today’s vehicle systems<br />
and subsystems are<br />
engineered using established<br />
CAE processes <strong>to</strong> optimize<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir design for Stiffness and<br />
durability, Noise and vibration, Crash<br />
worthiness and Occupant safety,<br />
Sealing etc. European or US Federal<br />
standards, such as FMVSS 201 (Head<br />
impact), 208 (Frontal Crash), are very<br />
frequently carried out in engineering<br />
simulations using various preprocessors<br />
and post-processors.<br />
These generally include creation of<br />
baseline CAD data, preparation of FE<br />
models, formulation of <strong>the</strong> analysis<br />
problem in <strong>the</strong> appropriate solver<br />
language, submission <strong>to</strong> solver<br />
program <strong>to</strong> obtain analysis solution,<br />
post-processing of <strong>the</strong> results and<br />
finally writing a report. Each of <strong>the</strong>se<br />
processes itself could comprise of<br />
complex sub-processes and may<br />
even include exchanging data<br />
between different solvers. The time<br />
consuming tasks, from simulation<br />
model preparation <strong>to</strong> report<br />
generation, can be carried out in an<br />
au<strong>to</strong>mated environment resulting in<br />
productivity and enterprise benefits.<br />
product news<br />
The key aspect of building an EASi-<br />
Process template is <strong>to</strong> first understand<br />
<strong>the</strong> CAE process itself. The process<br />
flow template must be derived from<br />
<strong>the</strong> experienced user’s best and<br />
standardized practice <strong>to</strong> distinguish all<br />
inputs and outputs and recognize <strong>the</strong><br />
function of each task including<br />
breaking up complex process tasks<br />
in<strong>to</strong> simpler sub-processes.<br />
EASi-Process is a software<br />
environment that enables au<strong>to</strong>mation<br />
of CAE process simulation. It is<br />
developed as a complete solution <strong>to</strong><br />
this problem and is <strong>the</strong> first integrated<br />
environment for creating, au<strong>to</strong>mating<br />
and standardizing CAE processes.<br />
EASi-CRASH DYNA is a premier pre<br />
and post-processor for LS-DYNA<br />
within which <strong>the</strong> EASi-Process can be<br />
integrated <strong>to</strong> select and run <strong>the</strong><br />
predefined templates of <strong>the</strong> CAE<br />
process. This can also be performed<br />
by EASi-CRASH MADYMO, EASi-<br />
CRASH RADIOSS as well as in <strong>the</strong><br />
NVH and durability domain.<br />
Buildtime Environment<br />
“Process Builder” is a graphical<br />
interface developed within <strong>the</strong> EASi-<br />
VISTA architecture and dedicated <strong>to</strong><br />
experienced cus<strong>to</strong>mers that desire <strong>to</strong><br />
develop and maintain by <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir libraries of process templates.<br />
“Process Builder” contains a set of<br />
software modules and object libraries<br />
for various CAE tasks, which <strong>the</strong> user<br />
can add <strong>to</strong>. Each task is represented<br />
by a process block. Each block is<br />
provided with a knowledge advisory<br />
that captures <strong>the</strong> expertise of<br />
experienced users. The desired report<br />
layout format is envisaged and<br />
implemented in <strong>the</strong> “Generate Report”<br />
task block.<br />
Runtime Application<br />
A user friendly and intuitive graphical<br />
interface (mainly called as EASi-<br />
Process) is used <strong>to</strong> execute <strong>the</strong><br />
process templates. It is dedicated <strong>to</strong><br />
CAE users that perform day <strong>to</strong> day<br />
tasks which have been au<strong>to</strong>mated<br />
through a process template.<br />
The process execu<strong>to</strong>r can be<br />
integrated within <strong>the</strong> EASi-CRASH<br />
DYNA environment for quick<br />
interaction and model setup.<br />
This process au<strong>to</strong>mation, based on<br />
EASi-Process, provides intuitive<br />
environment, ideal for new users and<br />
non-specialists. It allows <strong>to</strong> shorten<br />
time per design iteration and decrease<br />
expertise requirement <strong>to</strong> prepare<br />
models and process results,<br />
The landmark technology of EASi-<br />
Process integrated with EASi-CRASH<br />
DYNA allows analysis processes <strong>to</strong> be<br />
implemented with au<strong>to</strong>mation<br />
techniques in a company <strong>to</strong>wards<br />
enterprise wide standardization. It<br />
alleviates CAE engineers from<br />
drudgery involved in conducting<br />
repetitive processes and frees <strong>the</strong>m <strong>to</strong><br />
truly spend <strong>the</strong>ir time in value added<br />
engineering for product development.<br />
Accuracy and consistency of reports<br />
are assured and <strong>the</strong> immediate benefit<br />
realized is extreme productivity.<br />
www.esi-group.com
SUCCESS STORY SPECIAL REPORT PRODUCT NEWS CASTING<br />
EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
PAMTALK:<br />
Can you tell me about<br />
EASi-PROCESS ?<br />
Velayudham Ganesan: EASi-PROCESS<br />
is an advanced CAE environment <strong>to</strong><br />
capture and standardize <strong>the</strong> corporate<br />
best practices.<br />
This solution not only<br />
au<strong>to</strong>mates regula<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
test simulation<br />
procedures such as<br />
FMVSS, IIHS, ECE-R<br />
for crash and safety,<br />
but also structural<br />
assessment such as NVH<br />
and durability.<br />
Process templates are provided in<br />
EASi-CRASH environment or Visual<br />
Environment <strong>to</strong> accelerate model<br />
building and simulation tasks. Typical<br />
gains lead users <strong>to</strong> spend a few<br />
minutes in setting up a model when<br />
<strong>the</strong>y spend several days with<br />
traditional methods.<br />
The engineers <strong>get</strong> huge benefits in<br />
terms of productivity, standardization;<br />
can spend more time on engineering<br />
while modeling and simulation is done<br />
in a fast-methodology using EASi-<br />
PROCESS.<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
3<br />
questions <strong>to</strong>...<br />
1 2<br />
Velayudham Ganesan,<br />
Business Development Manager<br />
North America and Asia<br />
PAMTALK:<br />
For which application<br />
is EASi-PROCESS<br />
<strong>the</strong> best solution?<br />
Velayudham Ganesan: Au<strong>to</strong>motive<br />
crash & safety analyses with LS-<br />
DYNA, PAM-CRASH, MADYMO,<br />
RADIOSS, NVH and durability<br />
analyses with NASTRAN are currently<br />
supported best in EASi-PROCESS.<br />
Pre-defined templates FMVSS201,<br />
581, 208, ECE-R21, EPVS-<br />
Body Static Analysis, are<br />
available <strong>to</strong> name a<br />
few.<br />
EASi-PROCESS for<br />
CAE au<strong>to</strong>mation is<br />
also suitable for<br />
certain simulation<br />
procedures in Aero<br />
industries.<br />
PAMTALK:<br />
What are <strong>the</strong> specific<br />
requirements of <strong>the</strong>se<br />
industries?<br />
Velayudham Ganesan: These<br />
industries need standardized<br />
processes <strong>to</strong> execute <strong>the</strong> CAE<br />
simulation and analysis for repetitive<br />
tasks with consistency, accuracy and<br />
productivity.<br />
Our au<strong>to</strong>mated procedure enables <strong>to</strong><br />
execute <strong>the</strong> standardized process<br />
resulting in an increase in<br />
productivity. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, models are<br />
insured <strong>to</strong> be built using corporate<br />
methodology while eliminating users’<br />
errors.<br />
New users and<br />
non-specialists<br />
long for an easy<br />
<strong>to</strong> use, intuitive<br />
environment,<br />
which needs<br />
less training<br />
effort.<br />
3<br />
Also, <strong>the</strong>re is a decrease in expertise<br />
requirements <strong>to</strong> prepare models and<br />
process results having standard<br />
procedures implemented in<br />
environment.<br />
This also enables corporate knowhow<br />
protection when subcontracting<br />
has <strong>to</strong> be performed.<br />
product news 9
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
Special report<br />
on Germany<br />
PAMTALK: <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH<br />
celebrated its 25th<br />
anniversary this year,<br />
what were <strong>the</strong> key steps<br />
and major achievements?<br />
Stefan Rudolph: <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH was<br />
founded in 1979 as <strong>the</strong> first <strong>ESI</strong><br />
subsidiary. Initially <strong>the</strong> office was<br />
established <strong>to</strong> undertake consultancy<br />
studies mainly for <strong>the</strong> nuclear power<br />
industry in Germany, as well as for <strong>the</strong><br />
civil and military fields. With <strong>the</strong> decline<br />
of <strong>the</strong> nuclear industry a great effort was<br />
made <strong>to</strong> enter <strong>the</strong> important German<br />
car market in <strong>the</strong> mid 1980's. In this<br />
purpose, we under<strong>to</strong>ok specific<br />
developments in both metal stamping<br />
and crash analysis fields in close<br />
collaboration with industrial partners.<br />
Consequently, from about 1985 <strong>ESI</strong><br />
GmbH played a major role in<br />
industrializing crashworthiness<br />
simulation and helping <strong>to</strong> establish new<br />
products and markets in Japan, <strong>the</strong><br />
USA and elsewhere.<br />
“25 years dedicated<br />
<strong>to</strong> virtual engineering”<br />
Interview with Stefan Rudolph<br />
Managing Direc<strong>to</strong>r, <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> GmbH<br />
headquarters<br />
in Eschborn, near<br />
Frankfurt/Main<br />
PAMTALK: Is <strong>the</strong><br />
predominance of <strong>the</strong><br />
au<strong>to</strong>motive industry still<br />
influencing your current<br />
activities?<br />
Stefan Rudolph: <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH is largely<br />
focused on <strong>the</strong> au<strong>to</strong>motive industry but<br />
is also supporting its cus<strong>to</strong>mers in <strong>the</strong><br />
aerospace, chemistry, foundry, or heavy<br />
industries. We are partnering with<br />
research centers, Fraunhoffer Institutes<br />
and most of universities in Germany.<br />
Today <strong>the</strong> office is heavily involved in<br />
research work at both European and<br />
German levels. Most of this work<br />
concerns improved material failure<br />
modeling, welding, sheet metal and<br />
composites forming, composites failure<br />
analysis and dummy developments.<br />
Finally, <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH is actively developing<br />
specific new options in collaboration<br />
with <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>. For example, in<br />
addition <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> joint work on <strong>the</strong> H-<br />
Model, BMW <strong>Group</strong> has recently<br />
ordered a “virtual seat comfort testing”<br />
joint study devoted <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> assessment<br />
and adaptation <strong>to</strong> its requirements. Our<br />
research work in advanced composites<br />
and plastics processes has also<br />
opened new areas in food industry,<br />
consumer appliances, carpet<br />
<strong>the</strong>rmoforming, etc.<br />
PAMTALK: Could you<br />
tell us more about your<br />
projects for <strong>the</strong> coming<br />
years?<br />
Stefan Rudolph: In <strong>the</strong> current context<br />
of global economy, our cus<strong>to</strong>mers are<br />
under pressure <strong>to</strong> reduce costs and<br />
time-<strong>to</strong>-market, while increasing<br />
productivity. <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH has a vital role<br />
<strong>to</strong> play by offering reliable and fast<br />
solutions, able not only <strong>to</strong> fulfill<br />
regulations but <strong>to</strong> help improve<br />
performances, comfort, aeroacoustics,<br />
and enhance <strong>the</strong> product quality. We<br />
are thus promoting 2G and 3G solutions<br />
in response <strong>to</strong> manufacturers’ needs <strong>to</strong><br />
achieve synergies between <strong>the</strong> various<br />
types of tests involved in product<br />
design and manufacturing. Through<br />
multi-trade value chains such as PAM-<br />
CRASH / PAM-STAMP coupling or<br />
PAM-STAMP / SYSWELD chaining,<br />
German industry leaders will benefit<br />
from powerful, yet easy-<strong>to</strong>-use<br />
solutions enabling <strong>to</strong> solve even bigger<br />
problems. Simulation-Based.Design is<br />
<strong>the</strong> major challenge for <strong>the</strong> German<br />
industry <strong>to</strong>o!<br />
Starting from 1988 <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH was also<br />
actively involved in safety and restraint<br />
systems’ extensive testing and<br />
validation studies with German industry.<br />
We carried out <strong>the</strong> first dummy specific<br />
developments up <strong>to</strong> new EuroSID<br />
dummies appeared in <strong>the</strong> early nineties.<br />
We have also been working on a new,<br />
more detailed model, in collaboration<br />
with FAT (Forschungsvereinigung<br />
Au<strong>to</strong>mobiltechnik) working group, a<br />
consortium supported by <strong>the</strong> German<br />
car manufacturers.<br />
special report<br />
10 www.esi-group.com
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
PAM-STAMP 2G helps<br />
Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive design<br />
car modules ‘right first time’<br />
Through PAM-STAMP 2G simulation of <strong>the</strong> entire stamping process,<br />
Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive achieves its objectives for productivity and high quality.<br />
Because of ever shorter<br />
development times, Kirchhoff<br />
Au<strong>to</strong>motive has <strong>to</strong> do a solid<br />
planning of its production<br />
processes. For more than 100 years<br />
<strong>the</strong> company has been developing,<br />
manufacturing and supplying metal<br />
structures for <strong>the</strong> au<strong>to</strong>motive industry<br />
and has grown <strong>to</strong> an international<br />
supplier providing complete car<br />
modules. “For an exact implementation<br />
of <strong>to</strong>ol planning we rely on PAM-<br />
STAMP 2G and PAM-AUTOSTAMP's<br />
highly effective system <strong>to</strong> perform<br />
accurate deep drawing simulations,”<br />
says Mr. Raimund Teipel, simulations<br />
manager, Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive.<br />
PAM-AUTOSTAMP deep<br />
drawing process assessment<br />
Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive produces chassis<br />
and structural parts for cars and trucks<br />
as well as a wide variety of deep drawn<br />
pressed panels for cars. Deep drawing<br />
consists of stretching sheet metal<br />
blanks around a punch, which are<br />
drawn in<strong>to</strong> a die cavity <strong>to</strong> achieve <strong>the</strong><br />
desired final shape.<br />
Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive makes extensive<br />
use of PAM-AUTOSTAMP, a 'physics<br />
based' software for <strong>the</strong> accurate<br />
prediction of deep drawing processes.<br />
PAM-AUTOSTAMP's ease-of-use<br />
simplifies <strong>the</strong> modeling process<br />
allowing <strong>the</strong> simulation of each stage,<br />
from <strong>the</strong> effects of gravity on <strong>the</strong> blank<br />
<strong>to</strong> trimming and flanging.<br />
Checking wrinkles at each stage of <strong>the</strong><br />
stamping process is very important <strong>to</strong><br />
ensure part quality and safety, which<br />
are major requirements from Kirchhoff.<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
Using PAM-AUTOSTAMP Kirchhoff can<br />
thus evaluate and predict stresses,<br />
strains, fractures and geometrical<br />
imperfections that may occur during<br />
<strong>the</strong> deep drawing operation. The user<br />
is guided through <strong>the</strong> final validation of<br />
<strong>the</strong> forming process, <strong>to</strong>lerances and<br />
overall quality control, helping <strong>to</strong> avoid<br />
costly and time-consuming<br />
downstream problems.<br />
On-line decision-making<br />
on formability issues<br />
Kirchhoff takes advantage of PAM-<br />
AUTOSTAMP’s detailed results for<br />
validating formability issues and<br />
predicting subtle issues such as sliplines<br />
and cosmetic surface defects.<br />
Kirchoff also models drawbeads very<br />
accurately, even considering <strong>the</strong><br />
opening effect <strong>the</strong>y have on a<br />
blankholder, delivering better<br />
prediction of required press forces.<br />
PAM-STAMP 2G<br />
thinning and rupture<br />
risk prediction<br />
PAM-STAMP 2G contains<br />
a wide range of material<br />
models. These models<br />
are supported by a<br />
comprehensive material<br />
database, which includes many<br />
aluminum alloys and high strength<br />
steels, becoming increasingly common<br />
in au<strong>to</strong>motive component<br />
manufacturing.<br />
In this way, Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive is<br />
able <strong>to</strong> design <strong>the</strong> 'right first time'<br />
<strong>to</strong>oling and <strong>to</strong> optimize <strong>the</strong> process.<br />
“Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore we use PAM-STAMP 2G<br />
in early development phases of a car<br />
from design <strong>to</strong> production of<br />
assemblies. This procedure generates<br />
significant cost and time reductions,”<br />
adds Mr. Raimund Teipel, simulations<br />
manager, Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive.<br />
For <strong>the</strong> future, Kirchhoff Au<strong>to</strong>motive<br />
plans <strong>to</strong> expand its development<br />
department and <strong>to</strong> increase its<br />
structural analysis and crash simulation<br />
activities. The company is now<br />
considering <strong>the</strong> benefit of using PAM-<br />
CRASH in addition <strong>to</strong> PAM-STAMP <strong>to</strong><br />
have an easy way <strong>to</strong> map <strong>the</strong> results of<br />
production analysis <strong>to</strong> crash analysis.<br />
About Kirchhoff <strong>Group</strong><br />
Deep drawn metal<br />
structures meeting<br />
Kirchhoff’s quality<br />
and safety<br />
standards<br />
The Kirchhoff <strong>Group</strong> is a global player in <strong>the</strong> au<strong>to</strong>motive components industry<br />
and is also a producer of high performance <strong>to</strong>ols and waste management<br />
vehicles. The <strong>Group</strong>, established in 1785, is owned and managed by <strong>the</strong><br />
Kirchhoff family.<br />
With more than 2,000 employees and a turnover about 250 Million €<br />
Kirchhoff operates manufacturing facilities around <strong>the</strong> world - five in Germany<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>rs in Ireland, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Mexico and Brazil. Its<br />
cus<strong>to</strong>mers include <strong>the</strong> major au<strong>to</strong>motive companies and it is an accredited<br />
Tier 1 supplier <strong>to</strong> Ford, GM, VW/Audi and Daimler Chrysler.<br />
special report<br />
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SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING<br />
EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
Parallel processing<br />
with ProCAST 2005<br />
The new version of <strong>the</strong> ProCAST solution features parallel<br />
processing in order <strong>to</strong> drastically reduce turn around times.<br />
Cutting costs and<br />
reducing time <strong>to</strong> market are<br />
two of <strong>the</strong> most pressing<br />
issues in <strong>the</strong> foundry<br />
industry <strong>to</strong>day. Casting process<br />
simulation helps achieve <strong>the</strong>se goals<br />
and is now widely used throughout <strong>the</strong><br />
industry for process design, improved<br />
yield and better casting quality. While<br />
simplified solutions can be efficiently<br />
used <strong>to</strong> quickly evaluate mold filling and<br />
solidification, <strong>the</strong> accurate prediction of<br />
complex flows and metallurgical<br />
phenomena still requires significant<br />
computation times. To tackle this issue<br />
and drastically reduce turn around<br />
times without any loss of accuracy and<br />
functionality, parallel processing was<br />
introduced in <strong>the</strong> ProCAST 2005<br />
release.<br />
DMP vs. SMP<br />
Different technologies are currently<br />
available for parallel processing.<br />
Symmetric Multi Processing (often<br />
referred <strong>to</strong> as Shared Memory Parallel<br />
casting<br />
processing) is one of <strong>the</strong>m. With SMP,<br />
specific programming directives are<br />
added in <strong>the</strong> software <strong>to</strong> allow<br />
computations <strong>to</strong> be distributed on<br />
several processors, all processors<br />
sharing <strong>the</strong> same memory addresses.<br />
SMP technology is only available on<br />
specific hardware platforms and limited<br />
in terms of <strong>the</strong> maximum number of<br />
processors. In practice, it does not<br />
provide significant speed ups beyond 8<br />
processors.<br />
Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP)<br />
processing is an alternative in which<br />
each processor accesses its own<br />
memory. A Message Passing Interface<br />
(MPI) is however required <strong>to</strong> distribute<br />
and share data between <strong>the</strong> different<br />
processors. With DMP, it is possible <strong>to</strong><br />
design parallel applications that scale<br />
<strong>to</strong> a greater number of processors at<br />
<strong>the</strong> expense of substantial<br />
programming efforts. Because of its<br />
versatility and potential for very high<br />
performance, <strong>the</strong> DMP technology was<br />
implemented in <strong>the</strong> ProCAST solvers.<br />
Schematic representation<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Distributed<br />
Memory Parallel<br />
processing principle<br />
Example of domain partitioning<br />
for a 8 processors <strong>the</strong>rmal simulation<br />
Model courtesy<br />
of Rims<strong>to</strong>ck<br />
Domain decomposition<br />
To distribute <strong>the</strong> work on <strong>the</strong> different<br />
processors, <strong>the</strong> Finite Element mesh<br />
needs <strong>to</strong> be partitioned in as many<br />
sub-domains as <strong>the</strong>re are processors.<br />
This functionality is au<strong>to</strong>matically<br />
activated in ProCAST and called<br />
domain decomposition. To be<br />
efficient, <strong>the</strong> decomposition needs <strong>to</strong><br />
provide a balanced repartition of <strong>the</strong><br />
workload (load balancing) and a<br />
minimal interface between <strong>the</strong><br />
different partitions so as <strong>to</strong> minimize<br />
<strong>the</strong> necessary exchange of data<br />
between <strong>the</strong> different processors.<br />
www.esi-group.com
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
Inter-operability<br />
and repeatability<br />
Full inter-operability is provided with<br />
ProCAST 2005: computations can be<br />
restarted on a different number of<br />
processors than what was initially<br />
used. The repeatability (ability <strong>to</strong><br />
reproduce identical results<br />
irrespective of <strong>the</strong> number of<br />
processors) has also been carefully<br />
checked. It should however be noted<br />
that, because floating point operations<br />
are performed in a different order<br />
depending on <strong>the</strong> number of<br />
processors, <strong>the</strong> accumulation of<br />
rounding off errors can lead <strong>to</strong> small<br />
result discrepancies.<br />
Scalability<br />
The performance of <strong>the</strong> parallel solver<br />
depends not only on <strong>the</strong> size of <strong>the</strong><br />
model and type of application but is<br />
also very much dependent on <strong>the</strong><br />
hardware configuration. In particular,<br />
significant differences have been<br />
noted between Gigabit E<strong>the</strong>rnet and<br />
Myrinet interconnect.<br />
Scalability results reported here were<br />
obtained on a Linux cluster with<br />
Gigabit E<strong>the</strong>rnet interconnect and<br />
show that speed-ups ranging from 5<br />
<strong>to</strong> 6 can be obtained for both filling<br />
and solidification on 8 processors<br />
platforms. Much better scalability has<br />
been recently obtained with Myrinet<br />
interconnect for up <strong>to</strong> 16 processors.<br />
Continuous efforts are being devoted<br />
<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> fine tuning of <strong>the</strong> software <strong>to</strong><br />
improve <strong>the</strong> scalability and<br />
performance.<br />
Future outlook<br />
and product roadmap<br />
The ProCAST 2005 parallel version<br />
currently includes <strong>the</strong> main software<br />
functionalities <strong>to</strong> simulate mold filling<br />
and solidification with radiation. O<strong>the</strong>r<br />
specific software features such as lost<br />
foam, non-New<strong>to</strong>nian flows and<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
advanced solidification modules<br />
including micro-porosity and CAFE<br />
modules are however not available for<br />
parallel processing at this stage.<br />
The stress solver is currently being<br />
finalized and will be released later<br />
during 2005 <strong>to</strong> allow for parallel fully<br />
coupled <strong>the</strong>rmo-mechanical<br />
simulations.<br />
ProCAST 2005 DMP – Scalability for filling simulation<br />
Speed up fac<strong>to</strong>r relative <strong>to</strong> a single processor run<br />
ProCAST 2005 DMP – Scalability for a <strong>the</strong>rmal only simulation<br />
Speed up fac<strong>to</strong>r relative <strong>to</strong> a single processor run<br />
Model courtesy of Rims<strong>to</strong>ck<br />
AVAILABILITY<br />
The ProCAST 2005 parallel version is<br />
currently available on Linux clusters<br />
(Redhat 7.3 and Entreprise server),<br />
as well as UNIX multi-processor<br />
platforms from IBM and SGI.<br />
casting 13
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SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING<br />
EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST 2005 speeds up<br />
casting process evaluation<br />
PAM-CAST has evolved<br />
<strong>to</strong> a new solution for casting<br />
process evaluation. PAM-<br />
QUIKCAST 2005, <strong>the</strong> new<br />
Finite Difference casting software<br />
package features dramatic reductions<br />
in volume meshing and overall<br />
processing times.<br />
With an intuitive user interface, an<br />
enhanced mesh genera<strong>to</strong>r, and<br />
improved filling and solidification<br />
solvers PAM-QUIKCAST 2005 allows<br />
for shorter process evaluation and fast<br />
iterations between different mold<br />
designs.<br />
New mesh genera<strong>to</strong>r<br />
performance<br />
A key fac<strong>to</strong>r <strong>to</strong> obtain accurate results<br />
with Finite Difference solvers is <strong>the</strong><br />
application of local volume and<br />
surface correction fac<strong>to</strong>rs. These<br />
correction fac<strong>to</strong>rs are necessary in<br />
order <strong>to</strong> compute exact volumes but<br />
also <strong>to</strong> apply proper heat transfer and<br />
boundary conditions on <strong>the</strong> external<br />
surfaces of <strong>the</strong> different volumes<br />
describing <strong>the</strong> casting process. The<br />
computation of surface correction<br />
fac<strong>to</strong>rs is by far <strong>the</strong> most time<br />
consuming part. To reduce meshing<br />
times, a new and efficient algorithm<br />
was implemented <strong>to</strong> calculate surface<br />
casting<br />
AVAILABILITY<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST<br />
2005 is available<br />
on Windows 2000<br />
and XP platforms,<br />
as well as UNIX<br />
workstations from<br />
HP-Compaq, IBM,<br />
SGI and Sun.<br />
From PAM-CAST <strong>to</strong> PAM-QUIKCAST,<br />
a new and rebuilt version providing a<br />
significant reduction of turn around times<br />
Low pressure die casting simulation of a cylinder head.<br />
Courtesy: Montupet<br />
Meshing CPU time<br />
CPU time for 5 <strong>the</strong>rmal cycles<br />
Mold filling<br />
Final solidification<br />
corrections. While providing <strong>the</strong> same<br />
level of accuracy as before, meshing<br />
times are now reduced <strong>to</strong> just a few<br />
minutes for even <strong>the</strong> most complex<br />
geometries.<br />
Improved CPU times<br />
The filling and solidification solvers<br />
were also improved in order <strong>to</strong> shorten<br />
simulation times. A proper tuning of<br />
internal solver parameters and<br />
specific software optimizations on<br />
Windows platforms result in a overall<br />
time reduction of a fac<strong>to</strong>r 2. This<br />
improvement is particularly visible on<br />
mold cycling and solidification<br />
simulations.<br />
The above table illustrates<br />
performances, as compared <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
previous PAM-CAST release, of <strong>the</strong><br />
new solvers on a large low pressure<br />
die casting application. CPU times<br />
indicated here were obtained on a<br />
standard Windows platform.<br />
New product features<br />
A specific new option has been added<br />
<strong>to</strong> import not only geometry or grid<br />
PAM-CAST<br />
74 mns<br />
21 h 18 mns<br />
9 h 25 mns<br />
4 h 51 mns<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST<br />
5 mns<br />
7 h 59 mns<br />
6 h 52 mns<br />
2 h 07 mns<br />
information but also process<br />
conditions from a previous model.<br />
This new feature can be used <strong>to</strong><br />
quickly re-define all process<br />
parameters from one model <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
o<strong>the</strong>r irrespective of any geometry<br />
modifications.<br />
The <strong>the</strong>rmal interpolation menu has<br />
also been improved <strong>to</strong> allow for<br />
various types of temperature<br />
interpolations. In particular, end of<br />
filling temperatures interpolation <strong>to</strong> a<br />
ProCAST Finite Element model is<br />
possible <strong>to</strong> complement <strong>the</strong> standard<br />
filling and solidification calculation<br />
with a <strong>the</strong>rmo-mechanical analysis.<br />
Two new parameters have been<br />
added <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> definition of <strong>the</strong> third<br />
stage pressure effect: a solid fraction<br />
cut-off value and <strong>the</strong> time at which <strong>the</strong><br />
pressure is released. The “third stage”<br />
pressure effect only affects macroporosity<br />
calculations and can be used<br />
<strong>to</strong> account for additional material<br />
feeding during solidification in high<br />
pressure die casting as well as low<br />
pressure die casting applications. The<br />
solid fraction cut-off value can be<br />
used <strong>to</strong> define <strong>the</strong> extend of <strong>the</strong> liquid<br />
network and tuned <strong>to</strong> account for<br />
various pressure levels.<br />
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SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING<br />
EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
The time at which <strong>the</strong> pressure is<br />
released is particularly useful for low<br />
pressure die casting processes. When<br />
<strong>the</strong> calculation reaches this time, all<br />
<strong>the</strong> metal connected <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> inlet<br />
through a liquid network is removed<br />
from <strong>the</strong> calculation as illustrated in<br />
<strong>the</strong> opposite example of a wheel low<br />
pressure die casting.<br />
Based on a structured Finite Volume<br />
technology, PAM-QUIKCAST simulates<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST 2005 offers numerous<br />
new pre-processing functionalities<br />
including:<br />
■ Shortcuts <strong>to</strong> mesh quality checks,<br />
■ Simplified mesh editing <strong>to</strong>ols,<br />
■ Undo option for manual merging<br />
operations,<br />
■ New volume domain selection filter,<br />
■ Au<strong>to</strong>matic Finite Difference grid<br />
creation,<br />
■ Study versions management <strong>to</strong>ols<br />
(add, change, delete options),<br />
■ Information on surface areas,<br />
volumes and weights,<br />
■ Possibility <strong>to</strong> define and execute<br />
several calculations in a batch<br />
process.<br />
Les Diablerets, Switzerland - May 22-27, 2005<br />
For <strong>the</strong> fourteenth consecutive<br />
year, Calcom <strong>ESI</strong>, <strong>the</strong> <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong> casting business unit,<br />
is organizing a solidification course<br />
in collaboration with <strong>the</strong> Swiss<br />
Federal Institute of Technology of<br />
Lausanne (EPFL). During one<br />
week, courses and exercises will<br />
be presented by renowned<br />
lecturers from Swiss, French,<br />
Austrian and <strong>the</strong> US universities.<br />
Dedicated <strong>to</strong> metallurgists and<br />
foundry engineers, this course is<br />
orientated <strong>to</strong>wards <strong>the</strong> application<br />
of solidification <strong>the</strong>ories <strong>to</strong><br />
industrial casting processes. The<br />
macroscopic aspects of <strong>the</strong><br />
processes (transfer phenomena)<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
a wide range of processes<br />
such as gravity die casting,<br />
low and high pressure die<br />
casting including semisolid<br />
materials. The new<br />
version completes <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong>'s casting portfolio<br />
which includes ProCAST,<br />
and CALCOSOFT, for fast<br />
and efficient modeling of<br />
continuous casting<br />
processes.<br />
New pre-processing features New post-processing features<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST 2005 offers numerous<br />
new post-processing functionalities<br />
including:<br />
■ Graphics display of distance<br />
information,<br />
■ Possibility <strong>to</strong> refer <strong>to</strong> a color scale,<br />
■ New sectioning algorithm without<br />
“stair” effect,<br />
■ Curve display of averaged quantities<br />
for multiple element selections,<br />
■ Result <strong>file</strong>s management <strong>to</strong>ols<br />
(extraction, concatenation of postprocessing<br />
<strong>file</strong>s),<br />
■ New raster <strong>file</strong> output in jpeg format,<br />
■ Solidification output frequency<br />
defined as a function of solidification<br />
rate,<br />
■ Possibility <strong>to</strong> switch from one study<br />
version <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r without reloading<br />
<strong>the</strong> model.<br />
Solidification course 2005<br />
are addressed <strong>to</strong><strong>get</strong>her with <strong>the</strong><br />
formation of microstructures and<br />
defects (microscopic phenomena).<br />
Connection between macroscopic<br />
and microscopic aspects, such as<br />
<strong>the</strong> prediction of microstructures<br />
and defects as a function of<br />
process parameters, will also<br />
be emphasized. Exercises,<br />
discussions, films and computer<br />
demonstrations are organized in<br />
order <strong>to</strong> apply, practice and<br />
visualize <strong>the</strong> contents of <strong>the</strong><br />
lectures. Due <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> limited number<br />
of participants (maximum 40),<br />
interaction between <strong>the</strong><br />
participants and <strong>the</strong> seven<br />
lecturers will allow an optimum<br />
transfer of knowledge.<br />
Liquid fraction before releasing<br />
<strong>the</strong> pressure<br />
Central section of a wheel<br />
Finally, private or group<br />
discussions can take place during<br />
social hours and evenings in order<br />
<strong>to</strong> treat more specific problems<br />
which <strong>the</strong> participants may<br />
encounter.<br />
Since its first edition in 1992, <strong>the</strong><br />
course has ga<strong>the</strong>red 417<br />
Liquid fraction just after releasing<br />
<strong>the</strong> pressure<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST 2005 user interface<br />
Solidification course, annual event held in <strong>the</strong> heart of <strong>the</strong> Swiss Alps<br />
participants coming from 161<br />
companies distributed in 25<br />
countries representing all 5<br />
continents.<br />
Registration form, full program<br />
and fur<strong>the</strong>r details are available<br />
on www.calcom.ch<br />
casting<br />
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16<br />
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING<br />
EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s casting<br />
solutions gain ground<br />
in South America<br />
Four new cus<strong>to</strong>mers choose <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s<br />
casting simulation software<br />
Teksid do Brazil grey<br />
and nodular iron<br />
castings for <strong>the</strong><br />
au<strong>to</strong>motive industry<br />
casting<br />
Four established<br />
industries and institutes have<br />
recently shown <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
confidence in <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> <strong>to</strong><br />
meet <strong>the</strong>ir casting simulation needs.<br />
The company is present through one<br />
regional technical support office and<br />
three agents located respectively in<br />
Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela. Based<br />
in Sao Paolo, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> South America<br />
has started <strong>to</strong> market <strong>the</strong> casting<br />
simulation software range across major<br />
South American countries in January<br />
2003.<br />
Institu<strong>to</strong> Nacional de<br />
Tecnología Industrial<br />
A scientific and educational<br />
collaboration agreement between INTI<br />
and <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> was finalized in<br />
September 2004, with <strong>the</strong> help of <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong>'s Argentinean agent, Brignone &<br />
Asociados. The scope of <strong>the</strong><br />
agreement is <strong>to</strong> share technology<br />
between <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> and INTI, <strong>to</strong><br />
present common publications in<br />
technical congresses and <strong>to</strong> share<br />
software enhancement.<br />
In this context, INTI-Mecánica (Centro<br />
de Investigación y Desarrollo en<br />
Mecánica), an operative unit of INTI,<br />
based in Buenos Aires, will now use<br />
PAM-QUIKCAST <strong>to</strong> support <strong>the</strong><br />
Argentinean industry willing <strong>to</strong><br />
modernize its production <strong>to</strong>ols.<br />
Teksid do Brasil<br />
Teksid do Brasil Ltda, one of <strong>the</strong> biggest<br />
iron foundries selected PAM-<br />
QUIKCAST as its casting simulation<br />
software. Always searching for<br />
excellence, Teksid do Brasil aims <strong>to</strong><br />
better serve its cus<strong>to</strong>mers, amongst<br />
whom Fiat, DC, Renault, VW, <strong>to</strong> name<br />
a few. After careful analysis of existing<br />
software on <strong>the</strong> market, Teksid do Brasil<br />
came <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> conclusion that PAM-<br />
QUIKCAST is an efficient <strong>to</strong>ol with<br />
respect <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir needs. PAM-QUIKCAST<br />
will be used for <strong>the</strong> simulation of<br />
medium and large grey and nodular iron<br />
castings, such as differential cases,<br />
exhaust manifolds, flywheels, steering<br />
knuckles, front suspension arms,<br />
crankshafts, cylinder blocks<br />
for cars, cylinder blocks for<br />
industrial vehicles, cylinder<br />
heads for industrial<br />
vehicles, front brake discs,<br />
rear brake drums, rear<br />
suspension arms.<br />
Acotecnica<br />
Located in <strong>the</strong><br />
neighborhood of Sao<br />
Paolo, Brazil, Acotecnica is<br />
a high-tech foundry<br />
producing 900 <strong>to</strong>ns per<br />
year of casting, amongst<br />
which 170 <strong>to</strong>ns of vacuum<br />
From left <strong>to</strong> right: Alfredo Naucevich (INTI),<br />
Dr Raúl Abelardo Mingo (INTI),<br />
Eduardo S. Brignone (Brignone & Asociados),<br />
Dr Marco Gremaud (Calcom <strong>ESI</strong>),<br />
Arthur Camanho (<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> South America)<br />
casting. Acotecnica has just adopted<br />
ProCAST <strong>to</strong> model investment casting,<br />
due <strong>to</strong> its unique capacities and <strong>to</strong>pclass<br />
references in <strong>the</strong> field.<br />
Dana S.H Fundiciones<br />
Finally Dana S.H Fundiciones located<br />
in Venezuela is now equipped with<br />
ProCAST <strong>to</strong> support its state-of-<strong>the</strong>-art<br />
technology, allowing <strong>the</strong> company <strong>to</strong><br />
potentially produce up <strong>to</strong> 50,000 <strong>to</strong>ns<br />
per year that makes it <strong>the</strong> largest<br />
ductile iron casting company in Latin<br />
America. Having considered available<br />
casting simulation software, Dana is<br />
convinced that ProCAST simulation<br />
results are <strong>the</strong> only one which match<br />
experimental results. For ProCAST use,<br />
Dana S.H Fundiciones will receive<br />
support from <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s agent, AT<br />
<strong>Group</strong> located in Caracas, Venezuela.<br />
Flowability test model<br />
Courtesy of Dana S.H Foundiciones<br />
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SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> participates in <strong>the</strong> following events:<br />
Date Event Place<br />
April 5-7 MICAD 2005<br />
April 16-19 CASTEXPO<br />
May 1-5 SAMPE New Horizons for Materials and Processing Technology Long Beach, CA (USA)<br />
May 16-19 SAE Noise & Vibration Conference Traverse City, MI (USA)<br />
May 25-26 5th European LS-DYNA Users conference Birmingham (UK)<br />
June 14-16 SAE Digital Human Modeling for Design and Engineering Iowa City, IA (USA)<br />
June 20-22 IDDRG 2005<br />
June 29-July 2 nd<br />
First joint exposition of <strong>the</strong> American Foundry Society<br />
and <strong>the</strong> North American Die Casting Association.<br />
Innovations in Deep Drawing New trends in industries:<br />
from simulations <strong>to</strong> applications<br />
St Louis, MO (USA)<br />
April 18-21 NOVEM Noise & Vibration Conference St Raphaël (France)<br />
Information and registration on www.esi-group.com<br />
24th international Exhibitions for CAD/CAM, Tools and methodologies<br />
for product design, manufacture and lifecycle management<br />
Paris (France)<br />
April 5-7 JEC 2005 Composites Show Paris (France)<br />
April 11-14 SAE World Congress SAE 2005 World Congress celebrates <strong>the</strong> Society's centennial Detroit, MI (USA)<br />
Besançon, France<br />
6th China Int’l Exhibition of Die Casting, Casting and Industrial Furnace Guangzhou (China)<br />
Official inauguration of <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s<br />
Software Product Development<br />
Center in Bangalore, India<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> Software India will play a key role in developing <strong>the</strong> Open VTOS,<br />
a visual environment platform for <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>'s 2G and 3G solutions<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> Software India<br />
premises at<br />
Banashankari II Stage,<br />
South Bangalore<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> plans<br />
<strong>to</strong> invest $5 million on its<br />
Indian development center<br />
and <strong>to</strong> ramp it up <strong>to</strong> over 90<br />
engineers over <strong>the</strong> next couple of years.<br />
This was <strong>the</strong> key announcement made<br />
by Alain de Rouvray, Chairman and<br />
Chief Executive Officer, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>,<br />
during <strong>the</strong> press conference held in<br />
Bangalore.<br />
The company formally<br />
inaugurated its Indian<br />
subsidiary on December 1st,<br />
2004. The wholly-owned<br />
Indian subsidiary was<br />
created in February 2004,<br />
following <strong>the</strong> acquisition of<br />
EASi USA's Mechanical<br />
Computer Aided<br />
Engineering (MCAE)<br />
intellectual property rights<br />
in September 2003. A suite<br />
of industry-proven<br />
simulation environments for<br />
crashworthiness, safety, NVH,<br />
durability and process analyses has<br />
thus been added <strong>to</strong> <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>'s MCAE<br />
portfolio.<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> Software India Pvt Ltd will be a truly<br />
software product development<br />
company dedicated <strong>to</strong> market<br />
requirements collection, product<br />
definition, design, implementation,<br />
validation and shipping. The nature of<br />
work represents <strong>the</strong> high end of <strong>the</strong><br />
value chain encompassing all aspects<br />
of software product development.<br />
Currently, <strong>the</strong> Indian subsidiary is<br />
focusing on <strong>the</strong> development of <strong>the</strong><br />
Open VTOS based on EASi-VISTA, an<br />
Alain de Rouvray’s address<br />
during <strong>the</strong> press conference<br />
ga<strong>the</strong>ring ten journalists<br />
from Indian and international<br />
magazines<br />
object-oriented development platform<br />
for CAD/CAE. This technology has<br />
been developed in India during over <strong>the</strong><br />
last 10 years. “Open VTOS technology<br />
will significantly reduce <strong>the</strong><br />
development of environments for<br />
computer aided analysis of engineering<br />
systems with complex graphical<br />
interface,” says Nagesh L. Bysani,<br />
Managing Direc<strong>to</strong>r, <strong>ESI</strong> Software India.<br />
The inauguration of <strong>ESI</strong> Software India<br />
which is presently employing a team of<br />
36 high level engineers, is laying solid<br />
foundations for <strong>the</strong> implementation of a<br />
realistic and open CAE simulation<br />
environment streng<strong>the</strong>ning <strong>the</strong> group's<br />
virtual engineering solutions.<br />
events<br />
18 www.esi-group.com
SUCCESS STORY PRODUCT NEWS SPECIAL REPORT CASTING<br />
EVENTS CORPORATE<br />
New sales activities and distribution of EASi-CRASH<br />
products in Germany by <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH<br />
From March 1st, 2005 <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong><br />
is pleased <strong>to</strong> inform that <strong>the</strong><br />
newly founded OPEN VTOS sales<br />
and support team at <strong>ESI</strong> GmbH is<br />
represented by Mrs. Andrea<br />
Gittens and Mr. Michael Sommer.<br />
Andrea Gittens is responsible for<br />
business development of EASi-<br />
CRASH and Visual-CRASH<br />
products in Germany, Switzerland<br />
and Austria.<br />
What’s new at<br />
www.esi-group.com?<br />
Full details about Simulation<br />
Process Management and EASi<br />
CAE software portfolio are<br />
available from <strong>the</strong> products section.<br />
The new visual Environment page<br />
gives a good overview of Visual-Crash<br />
for PAM, Visual-Process, Visual-<br />
Viewer and <strong>the</strong> systems requirements.<br />
The PAM-STAMP 2G section has been<br />
entirely reshaped. The website now<br />
displays 8 sections which go over<br />
important technical data as well as<br />
key benefits of <strong>the</strong> software. PAM-<br />
STAMP 2G, PAM-DIEMAKER, PAM-<br />
QUIKSTAMP, PAM-AUTOSTAMP,<br />
Stamping professional pack and<br />
Au<strong>to</strong>matic Meshing and Filleting<br />
brochures are easily downloadable<br />
from this website. Also, you will find a<br />
new press release on <strong>the</strong> CORUS-<strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong> partnership which highlights<br />
www.esi-group.com<br />
Technical support of EASi-CRASH and<br />
Visual-CRASH is available through<br />
Michael Sommer.<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> has made <strong>the</strong> acquisition of <strong>the</strong><br />
intellectual property rights of EASi’s CAE software<br />
and it’s flagship product, EASi-CRASH in<br />
September 2003. This acquisition allowed <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong> <strong>to</strong> offer a common user environment as<br />
well as simulation design and control <strong>to</strong>ols for <strong>the</strong><br />
au<strong>to</strong>motive industry. EASi-CRASH products<br />
include model building, results evaluation against<br />
regula<strong>to</strong>ry requirements and design comparisons.<br />
<strong>the</strong> benefits of <strong>the</strong> newly integrated<br />
Corus-Vegter model.<br />
Do not miss <strong>the</strong> opportunity <strong>to</strong> book<br />
<strong>the</strong> dates of <strong>the</strong> next <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong><br />
conferences and exhibitions.<br />
Upcoming PAM events are listed on<br />
<strong>the</strong> home page; more information will<br />
soon be available.<br />
Finally, <strong>the</strong> latest issues of <strong>ESI</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong>'s electronic newsletters “News<br />
on-line” and PamTalk are posted at<br />
<strong>the</strong> bot<strong>to</strong>m of <strong>the</strong> page for download<br />
or on-line subscription.<br />
Please come and visit <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> homepage frequently<br />
<strong>to</strong> <strong>get</strong> <strong>the</strong> latest news.<br />
If you have any suggestions,<br />
please do not hesitate <strong>to</strong> use <strong>the</strong><br />
info@esi-group.com e-mail address<br />
or <strong>the</strong> contact web page.<br />
FY2004 Sales up 19% <strong>to</strong> EUR 58,3M<br />
in line with expectations.<br />
License sales up 26%.<br />
<strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> FY2004 sales came <strong>to</strong> EUR 58.3 million, up 19% from<br />
<strong>the</strong> year before. This significant performance was achieved<br />
despite <strong>the</strong> negative impact of exchange rates. Organic growth<br />
came at 9% at constant exchange rates, significantly up from <strong>the</strong> 3%<br />
recorded from <strong>the</strong> previous financial year. Accounting for 10% of <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong>’s sales, acquisitions effectively continued <strong>to</strong> boost overall<br />
growth.<br />
Licenses growth<br />
The license business turned in strong growth of 29% at constant<br />
exchange rates.<br />
Organic growth was 12%, helped by an evenly balanced contribution<br />
from all geographical areas. Renewal rate of license sales remained<br />
at a stably high level, driving a significant increase of <strong>the</strong> recurrent<br />
installed base, up 24% from FY2003.<br />
Turnaround of Services <strong>to</strong> organic growth in H2<br />
The trend of <strong>the</strong> Service business turned around in <strong>the</strong> second half,<br />
helped by a growing order backlog on <strong>the</strong> back of <strong>the</strong> two new<br />
pluriannual casting projects cofinanced by <strong>the</strong> European Economic<br />
Community and <strong>the</strong> Swiss Confederation, in addition <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> projects<br />
signed in <strong>the</strong> third quarter in <strong>the</strong> United States and Europe (regarding<br />
Vibro-Acoustic and management of simulation processes).<br />
Breakdown of sales<br />
The geographical breakdown of sales is as follows: 18% for America,<br />
35% for Asia and 47 % for Europe. Organic growth in Asia generated<br />
a 13% increase in sales volumes, demonstrating <strong>the</strong> relevance of <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Group</strong>’s international strategy, inter alia reflected in its new<br />
subsidiaries in China and India.<br />
The breaking continued in new sec<strong>to</strong>rs such as Electronic<br />
components, Energy, Defense, Aerospace, manufacturing industries.<br />
Transportation currently accounts for 45% of annual orders.<br />
Alain de ROUVRAY, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s Chairman and CEO, concluded:<br />
“2004 ushered in a new period of maturity for <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>, reflected<br />
first in <strong>the</strong> return <strong>to</strong> significant organic growth. Despite a persistently<br />
negative currency effect, <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong> was able <strong>to</strong> make <strong>the</strong> most of an<br />
improving economic environment, high recurrent license sales and a<br />
very strong position with major cus<strong>to</strong>mers. The new version of its<br />
PAM-CRASH and PAM-SAFE products remained a growing success<br />
with users, more than ever showing <strong>ESI</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s global leadership in<br />
<strong>the</strong> safety segment of <strong>the</strong> transportation market. Helped by <strong>the</strong><br />
impact of synergies, <strong>the</strong> emerging products resulting from <strong>the</strong> recent<br />
acquisitions (VASci and ProCAST) turned in strong, higher-thanaverage<br />
growth. Confirmation of two innovative new projects<br />
tweaked <strong>the</strong> turnaround of <strong>the</strong> Services business in <strong>the</strong> second half.<br />
Lastly, IBM’s strong interest in virtual simulation and <strong>the</strong> gradual<br />
adoption of our products in new sec<strong>to</strong>rs are significant confirmation<br />
of <strong>the</strong> relevance of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Group</strong>’s strategy as a multi-discipline<br />
specialist in virtual simulation and <strong>the</strong> credibility of our medium and<br />
long-term objectives”.<br />
corporate 19
HP Workstation c8000<br />
Extreme UNIX power, whisper quiet<br />
The HP Workstation c8000 is a 64-bit workstation that brings<br />
2-way and 4-way computing power <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> desk<strong>to</strong>p, supports<br />
<strong>the</strong> latest industry-leading AGP 8X graphics and is compatible<br />
with existing HP-UX application environments.<br />
The HP c8000 is designed <strong>to</strong> address <strong>the</strong> most demanding technical workloads in<br />
au<strong>to</strong>motive, aerospace and electronic design enterprises, with four times <strong>the</strong> processor<br />
and memory I/O bandwidth and 25 percent lower memory latency of previous<br />
generation PA-RISC workstations. It is ideal for handling <strong>the</strong> complexities of large<br />
model, system assemblies, design analysis and simulations. The HP c8000 also<br />
features breakthrough graphics performance with industry-standard AGP 8X graphics<br />
on a UNIX workstation. No longer are you captive <strong>to</strong> antiquated, proprietary graphics<br />
cards that trail industry innovation.<br />
For more information, visit www.hp.com/workstations<br />
Screen image courtesy of Dassault Systemes<br />
Introducing<br />
extreme<br />
UNIX power<br />
HP Workstation c8000<br />
2 or 4-way system using dual core<br />
PA-8800 processor modules at 900 MHz<br />
or 1.0 GHz with 32 MB of L2 cache<br />
HP Scalable Processor Chipset zx1<br />
HP-UX 11i TCOE or HP-UX 11i MTOE<br />
Up <strong>to</strong> 16 GB PC2100 registered<br />
ECC DDR-266<br />
ATI FireGL T2-128p and ATI FireGL X1-256p<br />
AGP-8X graphics<br />
© 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject <strong>to</strong> change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in <strong>the</strong> express warranty<br />
statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or edi<strong>to</strong>rial errors or omissions contained herein.