Speedy payback for FEA software

Menasha Corp has implemented Algor software at its R and D facility to save time and money when developing innovative packaging solutions.

Menasha Corp has implemented Algor software at its R and D facility to save time and money when developing innovative packaging solutions.

Menasha provides packaging products to support the needs of manufacturing and commercial businesses.

The company ranked among InformationWeek's Top 25 Innovators in Collaboration (2001) for using technology in different and better ways among customers, suppliers, partners and colleagues.

"We chose Algor software because it was easy to use and learn and because it provides mechanical event simulation (MES) for simulating drop tests", said Menasha engineer Brandon Craig, who has helped clients find solutions for packaging everything from hamburgers to 6000 pounds of glass.

"Everything in packaging is going to be dropped at some point.

Algor's MES will enable us to perform virtual drop tests and predict the results of impact.

The fact that Algor offers MES was a deciding factor in our choice of software".

MES combines large-scale motion and stress analysis and includes linear and nonlinear material models.

The combination of motion and stress analysis considering full inertial effects enables engineers to see motion and its results, such as impact, buckling and permanent deformation.

Concerning Algor's ease of use, Craig said: "Neither I nor my colleague, David Bartholomew, had ever used FEA, and we were able to get started with Algor just by using the tutorials that come with the software".

In the past, Craig and his team outsourced all of their FEA needs.

"The project that inspired us to buy Algor software could end up saving us $100,000 because we can perform our own FEA analyses instead of outsourcing them", said Craig.

"In addition to providing substantial cost savings on each project, having Algor in house enables us to provide immediate answers to our clients' questions about a design's structural integrity, whereas with outsourcing, getting answers to a problem often took several days".

"Now, we can quickly perform preliminary analyses to see if a design is headed in the right direction while the client is still on site", said Craig who explains that clients often travel to Menasha's R and D brainstorming facility, called the BreakThru Barn, for collaborative sessions that typically last just a few days.

"We plan to eliminate the need for FEA outsourcing entirely", said Craig.

"In just weeks, Algor software has paid for itself several times over".

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