Lightweight design beyond CAD

New computational tools enable an integrated data-fusion approach to complex, mixed-materials engineering. An expert from nTopology explains.

Automakers for years have been focused on lightweighting their vehicles, motivated by fuel economy, performance and safety. This engineering task is becoming increasingly difficult as the areas to trim become fewer and the requirements become more stringent (namely fuel/battery economy). It is estimated that (on average) every pound of savings on structural, load-bearing parts provides an opportunity to save nearly a pound on subsystems (steering, brakes, suspension, etc.), a trend known as mass-decompounding.

This figure decreases as the design cycle progresses and subsystems are locked-in, so lightweighting should be considered in design as early as possible to maximize these compounding effects.