Mentor launches new FloEFD product for frontloading CFD simulation and higher productivity

• New FloEFD functionality includes enhanced geometry handling, new physics and results visualization tools for faster analysis and greater productivity
• As well as a stand-alone version, FloEFD is embedded in popular CAD tools including Siemens NX, Solid Edge, Creo, and CATIA V5

Mentor, a Siemens business, today announced the latest release of its award-winning frontloading FloEFD™ computational fluid dynamics (CFD) product with new functionality for geometry handling, physics and results visualization. Featuring intelligent technology enabling fast and accurate simulation, the FloEFD solution helps users frontload CFD simulation early into the design process to understand the behavior of their concepts and eliminate the less attractive options. Due to its unique technology, the FloEFD product can reduce the overall simulation time by as much as 65-75 percent and offers x2 to x40 user productivity enhancements. This helps engineers in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and industrial equipment markets optimize product performance and reliability and reduce physical prototyping and development costs.

"This new version of FloEFD combines a friendly interface, speed, and accuracy in an extremely efficient manner, providing the user with the ability to work on a multitude of physical challenges of high complexity geometry models, stated Kolio Kojouharov, general manager, Termoflow. “The new feature to work with free surfaces opens up a world of opportunity for our engineers and our clients who are constantly looking for ways to improve their final product and gain the competitive edge needed in today’s market.”

The FloEFD product includes a large selection of powerful features and functionalities for easy-to-use, fast and accurate simulation. Its new free surface simulation functionality enables users to simulate surface flows to observe fluid movement, such as flow of liquids into a storage tank. This important feature is useful for food and beverage processing equipment as well as automotive, and military/aerospace. The FloEFD product also includes sector periodicity, an efficient geometry handling feature, which allows users to model only a fraction or section of large cylindrical shapes. This functionality helps reduce the model and mesh size, enables faster analysis and is especially useful for industrial design applications such as turbo-machinery, pumps, fans and compressors.

New enhancements to the LED module have also been made. Radiation spectrum and setting intensity of radiation dependent on the angle can be defined. As a result, the FloEFD product can automatically apply the calculated radiant flux on top of the LED. Also, its FloEDA™ Bridge allows users to import EDA geometry into CAD with different levels of geometry resolution from compact to fully explicit including all the layers and vias. With the latest release, in addition to the geometry, material properties and heat power can be added to the FloEFD simulation.  Lastly, a powerful stand-alone viewer is now offered by FloEFD to help engineers share analysis results with those who do not have a copy of the FloEFD product. For example, an engineer can use the viewer to share the analysis results with clients or group managers for final approval.

“Our continued investment in FloEFD by offering a host of powerful enhancements is in direct response to our customers’ evolving needs,” stated Roland Feldhinkel, general manager of the Mentor Mechanical Analysis Division. “Our new release addresses the challenges our customers face in order to meet increasingly competitive time-to-market schedules with fast and accurate simulation results.”

Product Availability

The CAD-embedded FloEFD product is available for PTC Creo, Dassault Systemes CATIA V5, Siemens NX and Solid Edge. A stand-alone version of the FloEFD product is also available. The FloEFD product is the only CFD software with user interfaces in Japanese, Chinese, French, German, Russian, English and Korean; thus, allowing engineers to experience FloEFD CFD in their preferred language. For more information, visit the product website:  https://www.mentor.com/products/mechanical/floefd/