NAFEMS World Congress Preview

The International Association for the Engineering Analysis, NAFEMS, is to hold its biannual World Congress event next month in Crete, Greece, from June 16th to 19th. It will be the focus of all the most recent engineering analysis and simulation software developments. The 12th annual Congress brings together Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) simulation experts from both industry and academia for four days of cutting-edge presentations, discussions and networking in the areas of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). It promises to give delegates a practical steer on the how to get the most of out of particular systems and get the most accurate simulation results in the work place and on current projects. Tim Morris, NAFEMS chief executive, invites those design engineers involved with simulation software to experience, "a variety of workshops, round table discussion sessions and other meetings [that] will add to the mix of opportunities that are provided for learning about the latest developments in the technology, and how they can be applied to real world practical applications. "Whilst the conference will cover many aspects of the use of simulation, a particular focus will be how the appropriate deployment of simulation can lead to a further competitive advantage through helping to stimulate innovation. It will bring together world leading industrial practitioners, consultancies, academic researchers and software developers with a common interest in engineering analysis." So far over 150 papers have been submitted from leading experts around the world. A plethora of topics will be presented including the safe and reliable use of simulation software and how it is increasingly being used to validate component level designs, speeding development and cutting costs. Over the four days, delegates can look forward to keynote speakers, who include top-level engineers from Toyota, Porsche, Siemens PLM and the DLR Aerospace Center in Germany. Professor Erich Schelkle from the Porsche Automotive Simulation Center in Stuttgart will discuss the, 'Current Status, Directions and Challenges,' in simulation technology. He says: "In the context of the virtual design process [CAE Simulation] can display its strengths in the early project phase, particularly where no real prototypes are available yet. It is used meanwhile as a substantial tool which is used intensively for all important concept decisions. "Accordingly the traditional processes in vehicle development have to be adapted to the new, virtual-based processes." Additionally, Bruce Engelmann, chief technology officer at Simulia will be sharing his views on engineering simulation for today and beyond. The conference will be split into a number of themes from 'Current Industrial Applications and Future Industrial Needs' to 'Simulation Driven Design'. It will also cover the accurate modelling of composite materials and discuss current techniques and common pitfalls to avoid. Another theme will look at, 'Confidence in Engineering Analysis Results' and some techniques and methods to validate results in safety critical assessments. The increasing use of simulation software in the design cycle means that more emphasis is put on simulation data. This means it has to be as accurate, fast, and increasing complex. The aim of the conference is to give users the confidence to use the software in this way and give them quantifiable and definable benefit from attending that they can take back and use in the design office.