Cetim announces the availability of its Design-to-Cost software for composite parts, Quilted Stratum Design, through the Altair Partner Alliance.
Cetim announces the availability of its Design-to-Cost software for composite parts, Quilted Stratum Design (QSD ®), through the Altair Partner Alliance (APA). The APA offers on-demand access to a broad spectrum of software applications from over 55 companies. Altair’s customers are able to leverage a wide range of software tools from a centralized source, helping them reduce time to market, increase intelligent design, and make smarter decisions faster.
QSD offers designers an intuitive workflow in the Altair HyperMesh™ environment that benefits from Altair OptiStruct™ advanced technologies for a smart composite design with optimum thicknesses, fiber orientation and reduced material scraps.
Developed as a result of several years of research conducted by French Aerospace Lab ONERA and Altair, QSD is based on a unique method of effectively identifying the optimum performance level of a part, for any given selection of materials and manufacturing processes. Using computer simulation, the forming process takes into account the various parameters needed for the designer to build the fiber stack, while optimising cost, and minimising the number of scraps.
“With QSD, Cetim provides access to the best practice of composite optimization developed during our research project with ONERA. The partnership with Altair gives Altair HyperWorks™ users access to best-in-class software already used in numerous design offices,” said Damien Guillon, Composite R&D Manager at Cetim.
The application relies on a 3-step method including “Stiffness Matching” optimization method developed by ONERA. The solution allows for better use of the most recent composite part manufacturing processes and their customized preforming capacity (fiber placement, automated lay-up, etc.). This meets the major challenges faced by the aerospace, automotive, sports, and special machinery industries, by making it possible to quickly develop lightweight parts, and at the same time comply with dictated structural requirements. When they are combined with the Quilted Stratum Process (QSP®), the high-speed manufacturing line developed by Cetim, the preforms designed with QSD can be manufactured at a low cost.
“We are excited to work with Cetim to provide a powerful, yet easy to use solution for evaluating composite layup strategies. QSD® offers Altair customers an optimization approach for designers to rapidly design high-performing and cost-controlled composite parts,” said James Dagg, CTO of Design and Simulation Solutions at Altair.
