In the face of unrelenting global market pressures, manufacturers must deliver innovative products that out-perform the competition and meet or exceed customer expectations. They have to contend with tight development schedules while satisfying tough quality standards, budgetary constraints, safety requirements, regulatory compliance and user comfort demands.
A proactive approach to product development
In facing these many critical market demands, successful manufacturers must proactively develop competitive products with regard to noise, vibration, structural stiffness, and system dynamics - functional performance
characteristics that determine how products operate and behave in the real world. Optimizing these attributes is a major challenge with today’s products, where complex assemblies of components and sub-systems are
subjected to a wide range of multi-physics effects and interrelated phenomena. Problems often go undetected
until specific attributes are tested and validated late in development when hurried spot-fixes increase costs, detract from the overall design and possibly delay the product launch.
Understanding the complexity of product behavior
Key to our approach is a thorough understanding of complex product behavior and its effect on the overall experience of the end user. We are able to quickly optimize products by uncovering hidden sources of problems, exploring viable design alternatives to arrive at an optimal design. LMS Engineering Services provides answers in every step of the development cycle, from early guidance and engineering in the concept stage to fast-response troubleshooting of urgent late-stage prototype problems.
From late troubleshooting to development support
Our focus is on identifying the root cause of specific issues and exploring ways to resolve them in order to
improve the functional performance of a product. We also assist in optimizing development processes and can sharpen your company’s predictive engineering capabilities by openly sharing our best practices with your own design and development team.
Developing a design that meets engineering and business benefits
In designing complex products, it is difficult to predict how the entire mechanical system will operate once all the individual parts and assemblies are put together and the start button is pressed. That is when, in many cases, dynamics related issues such as vibrations, noise, large internal forces, excessive wear, impacts between
components and fatigue failure surface. Our objective is to develop a well-balanced design that meets both your
qualitative and bottom-line requirements such as weight reduction, production efficiency and shortened time to
market.
- Noise. Legislation on noise emitted from products is becoming increasingly stringent, as are customer expectations regarding sound levels. In many cases, a product that is otherwise well designed and operates as it should might not do well in the market or even comply with regulations because it is too noisy.
- Sound quality. In many cases, the goal is not necessarily to quiet the product but to tune its sound to convey a product message. The firm closing sound of a freezer door gives consumers confidence of a tight seal, and the humming of a vacuum cleaner indicates its power level. In some cases, a characteristic sound of a particular product such as a motorcycle or snowmobile, for example, conveys a brand identity that differentiates it from competitors.
- Vibrations. Levels of vibration in certain tools and machines are often restricted by regulations as well as market requirements for user comfort. Moreover, excessive vibrations and resonances often interfere with the proper operation of mechanical components or the precision of complex machinery.
- Kinematics and dynamics. In many mechanical assemblies, components are continuously subjected to changes in speed and travel direction, which may result in kinematics and dynamics problems. The structure may deform under these inertial loads, for example, reducing the accuracy and speed of production equipment. Also, unintended collision between parts is often the source of noise, vibration and fatigue problems.
- Fatigue failure. Cyclic loading and unloading of components, even at load levels well below the static strength limit, may over time lead to the initiation of small fatigue cracks in the material and the final breakdown of the component.
