A new service just announced hopes to provide engineers with a variety of different design services.
FastEngineeringAnalysis.com, a cloud-based service, focuses mostly on the simulation of forces on 3D models to analyze stress. While this feature is available from several other providers, FastEngineeringAnalysis.com does provide compatibility with a large number of possible input formats from all major 3D CAD packages.
Another interesting feature is that their cloud system is more dynamic than other offerings. Typically cloud FEA services have a fixed number of cloud engines running, which slowly eat through queues of incoming requests. In other words, you submit your FEA request and then wait for it to eventually run. Supposedly this cuts down the elapsed time by around 50%.
Not so with FastEngineeringAnalysis.com, who have a more dynamic setup. Instead of having a fixed number of engines, they simply spin them up as required, meaning you immediately begin processing instead of waiting.
Pricing for this service is unusual. You can purchase a 4 HOUR license, presumably if you just have one item to analyze quickly. You can also get 8 hour, 7 day, 30 day and 60 day licenses. The four hour license costs €10 (USD$12), and pricing goes up to €150 (USD$175) for the 60 day license.
Aside from FEA services, the site appears to offer several other services, including:
- 3D file format conversions
- 3D scanning services
- 3D print services
- 3D model repository
- Materials directory (integrated into the FEA simulation)
However, inspection of the website currently shows some of these as being blank. As the service has just been launched, we’ll probably wait to see them appear later.
I expect to see a few more services of this type emerge in coming months, simply to accommodate the needs of smaller businesses taking advantage of the new professional 3D printing mode that seems to be settling in with all of the vendors these days.
