Integrating CAD and CAE to improve design space exploration and efficiency across all teams

Uniting CAD and CAE

The Electrified Motion division of Bosch Mobility offers electric powertrain solutions for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The range of products includes electric motors, power electronics and transmission technology as well as complete e-axles, in which the electric motor, power electronics and transmission are combined in a compact unit. In addition, the division develops electromechanical components and systems such as drives for e-bikes and e-scooters, as well as for vehicle stabilization applications such as steering and brake systems. The product portfolio also includes a wide range of motors and drive systems for comfort functions such as window lifters, seat adjusters and sunroofs.

Optimizing low-voltage drives requires extensive electrodynamic, thermodynamic, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), strength and reliability simulation. These simulations help engineers identify potential design changes to improve performance. However, each change must be made by the computer-aided design (CAD) team and then passed back to the computer-aided engineering (CAE) team to run further evaluations.

To streamline this process, the company wanted to find a way to bring the two disciplines closer together and reduce the time between each iteration. They chose to adopt NX™ software and Simcenter™ 3D software, part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services.

Standardization and integration

Fabian Schirmaier, Digital Transformation project manager, says the key to improving efficiency is improving the continuity and integration between CAD and CAE: “We needed to tear down the wall between geometry creation and simulation,” Schirmaier explains. “Transitioning to NX and Simcenter 3D enabled us to bring the CAD model into the center of our process as the single source of truth and organize all our downstream processes.”

According to Schirmaier, the variety of simulation solutions also caused a problem: “We used one preprocessing tool for electrodynamics and a different tool for the other domains. This meant we needed experts in both, which again created further delays. So, we wanted to settle on one CAE solution to not only make the CAD integration easier but also to make simulation simpler for our engineers.”

Standardization and automation

The Bosch division Electrified Motion chose NX for CAD and Simcenter 3D for CAE due to their close integration and the ability to make some design changes directly in Simcenter 3D without needing to access NX. The Bosch team worked closely with Siemens to ensure the software would be enhanced to match the requirements of Bosch’s design process and to ensure that customizing on Bosch’s side could be reduced to a minimum. By standardizing the two products, they were able to introduce automations that sped up the process of converting CAD models to simulation models, saving valuable engineering time. “Wherever possible, we use built-in methods such as rule-based modeling instead of scripting,” says Schirmaier. “This makes it much quicker and easier to set up simulations.”

The interoperability and flexibility of the products was also a significant factor in the decision. “Our processes are very specific, so flexibility is important,” says Schirmaier. “We couldn’t just immediately switch everyone from one solution and process to another. The fact Simcenter 3D allows us to easily integrate it with our existing tools enabled us to make a smooth, gradual transition that didn’t affect productivity. By using Simcenter 3D capabilities to realize cross-domain simulation standards we reduced reliance on the old tools.”

To get the most benefits from the new solution, Schirmaier says it has been important to train users in the right way. “It’s not only a matter of learning a new tool, but also a new way of working. We’ve seen that some will use the new tool but with the old methods of working. So, it was important to invest in training and demonstrate how they would benefit from transitioning completely. Once they see how it makes things simpler and faster for them, it’s easier to get them on board with the new methods. For example, when creating thermodynamic simulation models, thermal contacts are now automatically identified and defined, which saves us a full day of manual work for each model.”

A single source of truth

After transitioning to NX and Simcenter 3D, Bosch Electrified Motion now has one CAD model at the center of each product with several simulation models all referring directly to it:

Engineers use a common library of CAD templates of defined parts that can be reused in multiple projects, saving valuable time. For example, they created multiple models for a thermodynamic and electromagnetic simulation, which enabled the engineering team to improve the thermal design of a new electrical drive within just days.

Using Simcenter 3D allows simulation engineers to make geometry changes rather than handing it over to a CAD engineer. This allows them to make small adjustments and quickly try out different configurations rather than having to wait for a CAD expert to edit the design. “In such use cases, we have significantly reduced waiting times, thereby accelerating the simulation cycles from weeks to days,” says Schirmaier. “The transition has also enabled us to leverage design space exploration to its full capacity. Now that we can use the simulation tool to automatically make changes to the CAD, it can be analyzed faster and without additional input from the engineer. We can try out many more ideas and get greater insights with no additional work.”

The iterative nature of the previous process meant that human error could lead to mistakes and processes having to be repeated, making it take even longer. As changes are now made centrally and only once, this has been eliminated.

In summary, Schirmaier is very pleased with the results of implementing Simcenter 3D as a central preprocessor. “The extensive standardization and automation capabilities of Simcenter 3D combined with fully associative simulation models open up new capabilities and possibilities for building simulation models that were previously unimaginable. This is in addition to increasing our efficiency.”

From preprocessing to postprocessing

Having achieved great results so far, Bosch’s Electrified Motion division is now looking to realize even more benefits from the new solution. “All our domains are now using NX and Simcenter 3D for preprocessing,” says Schirmaier. “Next, we are investigating how we can use these products for all our postprocessing as well. This will help us streamline operations even more, leading to better products delivered to market faster.”