Is that part you just designed really going to survive the stress of the machine into which it will be installed? Now there’s an easy way to find out.
Intact Solutions has ported their Scan&Solve Rhino3D plug-in to a standalone cloud service, in which you can easily upload any 3D model for stress analysis. The service permits you to specify materials, restraints and loads, after which you can simulate the stress on the object.
The result of the simulation is a 3D heat map that indicates the most stressed portions of your 3D model.
This service could enable some designers to detect issues with their designs before undertaking the expense of 3D printing. Scan&Solve permits specifying a large number of materials, far beyond what you can easily 3D print, meaning you can use this service for parts made with almost any manufacturing process beyond 3D printing. Strangely, the service does not yet include PLA, the most common 3D printing material, but it’s our understanding they intend to add it soon.
To use the service, you will need more than just a 3D model in STL form. You will need to have some understanding of the expected forces at play on your component, which you will have to formally describe to Scan&Solve. This means you’ll have to know the specific areas of load and restraint on the model, as well as an understanding of the numerical measures of loads. You don’t have to be an engineer, but it would certainly help.
Here’s a look at how the service works, in brief:
For more a detailed look at how to use the service, you might also want to watch this video, which explains how to use their corresponding Rhino3D plug-in.
The Rhino3D plug-in has been available for some time, but now the cloud service permits anyone to do stress analysis without having to purchase Rhino3D.
At this point it appears the cloud service is an experiment by the company, as funded by a grant from the US National Science Foundation. As it is an experiment, don’t expect rapid response. Our tests were not instantaneous. But it is a free service anyone can use.
Via Scan&Solve and Intact Solutions
