CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
6 February 2007
Implementation Investments
Ford Divisions Choose Harpoon to Speed up Complex Underhood Simulations
Volvo Cars and Ford of Europe have selected Sharc's advanced meshing solution, Harpoon, as a key element of their Underhood Thermal Management (UTM) simulation strategy. Following a detailed benchmarking programme carried out by Volvo in Sweden, Ford selected Harpoon over other meshing solutions for its speed, ease of use and ability to deal with complex geometry. This latest decision further strengthens Sharc's relationship with Ford, which already uses Harpoon in other areas of the business.
Harpoon will be used to generate complex meshes of complete vehicle models, including detailed engine compartment and underfloor regions, enabling Ford to create reliable simulations of the underhood thermal dynamics for its next-generation vehicle programmes. During an in-depth benchmarking process lasting almost two years, Harpoon was tested against all the major meshing solutions on the market, continually impressing Ford's design engineers with its ability to deliver fast meshes of even the most complex geometries. Harpoon also boasts a simple and logical graphical user interface, enhancing ease of use, improving workflow and reducing the need for training.
"Harpoon clearly adds value to our existing CAE processes," says Anders Jönson, Senior CFD Engineer at the Volvo Car Corporation. "The software enables us to undertake more complex meshes in a much faster time, and has proved very easy to learn. Harpoon will certainly help us to reduce our overall product development times. It also enables us to support analysis in new areas where the complexity of the required meshing would have prevented our participation in the past."
During the selection process, Sharc and Volvo worked closely together, sharing knowledge and solutions to help each company develop a better understanding of the technical challenges and opportunities that exist within the advanced CAE environment. "The relationship between our two companies was an important factor when choosing the right meshing partner," explains Jönson. " Sharc offers a personal approach which makes it a very easy company to work with. Over the past two years the team has always been very helpful, demonstrating a willingness and ability to meet our technical and business needs and responding quickly when necessary."
"We are delighted to have been chosen as Ford's meshing solution for UTM," says Sharc's Technical Director, Richard Bardwell. "Our job is to provide technical solutions, and to do that properly you have to develop a good understanding of the environment the software will be working in, and the challenges and pressures each customer faces. By working closely with the team at Volvo, we have been able to refine and adapt our solution to meet their needs, delivering a software tool to address their simulation requirements now and into the future."
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