“Go Green to Save Green” Seminars Introduced by Alignex
“Green” is about as a hot an industry term as there is right now. Whether it’s Politics, Activism, Business, Construction or Manufacturing, there is no denying that efforts to make things more efficient, use less energy or materials and more responsibly produced can benefit more than your conscience or public relations. There are some relevant cost benefits to evaluating your designs from an environmental perspective. Alignex has developed a new seminar presentation that demonstrates tools that are available today for designers to virtually test and evaluate alternative designs as well as materials to successfully bring the best possible design to market.
Should a part be made from lightweight metal or plastic? Could a material sourced closer to the manufacturing plant reduce transportation costs? Would a weldment or fasteners work better to assemble the parts? Where could material be removed to reduce weight and yet not effect performance? How will the materials chosen hold up to the heat and wear of normal use? These are just some of the real world questions that the SolidWorks Simulation and Sustainability tools can answer; right inside the design window.
This Blog already has many great articles relating to SolidWorks Simulation. (Follow this link to read them.) While SolidWorks Simulation takes a strictly physics-based evaluation of your design, SolidWorks Sustainability takes a holistic environmental view of the design. The tool evaluates the materials you plan to use, the general distance between the raw materials, manufacturing and the end user, and the predicted end of life of the product in what it calls the “Life Cycle Assessment”.
Once the Assessment is complete, a report can be generated or the user can then evaluate what alternatives would improve the product. Choices will create real time comparisons to the initial design baseline. There is also a material database where the mechanical properties of the design components can be matched with alternatives that could have less weight, come from a closer source or could extend the life of the product. These changes, not only help develop a better and less costly product to manufacture, but can also be touted in marketing materials and help improve the perceived value of the product. Adding value in a competitive market leads to higher sales or could allow for higher profits if the market will pay a premium for a “Green” alternative.
The bottom line is that creating a “Greener” product isn’t just smart from a conscience or regulatory perspective. It can be an equally smart move from a cost or profitability perspective as well. And, you don’t have to be working on a Green oriented product to make your product greener. Any product your organization plans to create, can be evaluated and made better with these tools.
It’s been estimated that over 80% of a products environmental impact is determined during the design phase. Yet, many designers don’t fully realize the environmental impact of their designs or know how simple changes could affect the design from an environmental standpoint. SolidWorks Simulation and Sustainability provide the tools needed to influence critical change in an interface any SolidWorks user is already accustomed to. Check out the links built into this article to learn more about the SolidWorks tools mentioned and contact us to learn more.