Altair Presents software and service solutions at JEC World

Composite materials are used in almost every industry as they not only have very good and customizable structural characteristics but also enable lightweight design for many kinds of products. They can be a challenge to work with as composites require special design and development processes to garner the full benefits of their use. Altair, an established optimization expert for over 20 years, offers deep tools and expertise toward the design and optimization of composites. With Altair's solutions, engineers are guided to an optimal material layout for laminate and honeycomb composite structures as well as to an optimal product design.

Highlighted in the Altair booth this year will be a multi-material automotive decklid, featuring a TCA Ultra Lite ^TM and carbon fiber resin transfer molded (RTM) composite. The decklid was developed by Continental Structural Plastics employing Altair's optimization solutions, and just received the JEC Innovation Award 2016. Featured in the Sport & Leisure Planet area of the show will be the Rolo Bike, the world's lightest and stiffest road bike made of carbon fiber, made possible by employing Altair’s software and services for composite optimization.

Altair acquired Multiscale Design Systems, developer of MDS, in April 2015. MDS is a family of products focused on micromechanics, microstructural optimization, and life prediction of complex materials bringing important new composites expertise to the Altair HyperWorks^® suite including multiscale analysis, stochastic design, fatigue analysis, and multiphysics simulation. At JEC, Altair will introduce Multiscale Designer as a fully functional part of the HyperWorks Suite, offering its customers full access to the functions of MDS, seamlessly integrated into HyperWorks and accessible via the customer's HyperWorks Units.

“We consider the JEC show, internationally recognized as the top composites event in the world, as one of the best composite shows to present our solutions for design and analysis,” said Mauro Guglielminotti, Managing Director of Altair Southern Europe. "Lightweight goals have been on the agenda of development engineers for many years, and not only the materials but also the design and optimization of composite structures are crucial in reaching weight and performance targets."

“With Multiscale Designer as a fully functional part of HyperWorks, our CAE suite now offers its customers even more advantages and features for composite simulation," adds Robert Yancey, Vice President of Aerospace and Composite Solutions at Altair. “Multiscale Designer offers a seamless blend of modeling, simulation and testing, while allowing users to quantify uncertainty and optimize composites. With HyperWorks and Altair’s partner solutions, our already broad offering for composite design becomes even more valuable."