Why integrate FEA with CAD
- Analysis models stay in sync with the latest design.
- Repetitive setup (materials, loads, constraints, mesh) is automated.
- Standard product variants can be verified automatically.
- Reports are consistent and traceable to the design revision.
Automating the FEA workflow
| Step | What automation does |
|---|---|
| Geometry preparation | Suppress small features, create mid-surfaces for sheet parts, split faces for loads |
| Materials | Assign from CAD material properties |
| Loads and constraints | Apply to named faces using load cases from a table or standard |
| Meshing | Apply mesh size rules and refinement at critical areas |
| Solve | Run locally or queue on a solver server |
| Evaluation | Compare stresses and deflections with allowable values; generate report |
Example: verifying a product range
A crane manufacturer offers jibs in dozens of lengths and capacities. A CAD–FEA integration generates each variant, applies the load cases from the design standard, runs the analysis and produces a pass/fail summary with utilisation ratios. What took weeks of manual work runs overnight.
Variant Length Load Max stress Allowable Utilisation Result
JIB-4-500 4.0 m 500 kg 148 MPa 235 MPa 63% PASS
JIB-6-500 6.0 m 500 kg 212 MPa 235 MPa 90% PASS
JIB-8-500 8.0 m 500 kg 281 MPa 235 MPa 120% FAILTools and APIs
SOLIDWORKS Simulation API, Inventor Stress Analysis, Ansys Mechanical (scripting and PyMAPDL), Abaqus Python scripting, Simcenter Nastran and Creo Simulate can all be driven by scripts connected to CAD parameters.
Automated FEA does not replace the analyst; it frees them to focus on difficult problems.
CAD–FEA integration with ENGIMANDI
We connect CAD models with FEA tools and build automated verification workflows. See CAD ↔ CAE workflow integration and our CAD integration services.