Consumer Goods
 The consumer Goods Industry Sector is a wide one with products
varying from small handheld devices to heavier household equipment.
Modern consumer goods have short operational lives compared to many
other products; cycle times need to be correspondingly short, with
the gap from concept to product being measured in months rather
than years. To effectively integrate FE into the design process
communication between CAD packages and analysis packages must be
easy and accurate, (not necessarily the same thing).
Accurate tracking of material properties that go with the model and
validation of the results must all be considered as part of the
analysis process that is followed all the way to the display shelf.
CAD plug-ins and “designer level” analysis systems
promise “one-click” analysis, but the question of the
required level of training and expertise for these programs has yet
to be properly answered independently from the vendors. With the
next generation of these packages promising automatic optimisation
of features based on broader criteria than shape alone, the line
between draughtsman and analyst is becoming difficult to draw.
Business drivers include reduction time to market. Barriers include
high costs of simulation and quality control, low CAD integration
and lack of people with adequate skills.
Summary of the Project Findings relating to the Consumer Goods
Sector (as presented at the project review meeting in Malta, May
2005) (PDF Format)
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