Design Optimization

Contents

• Product Development Cycles
  

  The design process is iterative in that a design is continuously modified until it meets acceptance criteria defined by safety, cost, performance, convenience, and shape. An initial design can go through many product development cycles before mass production. A product development cycle includes:

• Optimization Design Study
  

  You specify values for each variable, either as discrete values or as a range. You use sensors as constraints and as goals. The software runs iterations of the values and reports the optimum combination of values to meet your specified goal.

• Properties for the Optimization Design Study
  

  While analysis helps you simulate a product development cycle on the computer quickly and inexpensively, you still need to create several studies and simulate many scenarios. Each time you make a change, you need to run the analysis and examine the results.

• Running the Optimization Design Study
  

  After setting up the design study, you select the Optimization check box and click Run on the Design Study tab. The number of iterations the program depends on the quality of the study.

• Checking the Final Results
  

  The dimensions resulting from the Optimization Design Study using continuous variables might not be practical for manufacturing. You might need to round off the dimensions and check the final model. As an alternative, you can use discrete values for the variables that need to comply with manufacturing standards.

• Performing an Optimization Study