Engineers at the Army Research Lab in Adelphi, Md., needed a simulation design tool that could increase speed and reduce costs in designing a sensor for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. They found their solution in the Working Model from Working Model Inc. in San Mateo, Calif.
"Without a simulation tool we would have had to resort to `back of the envelope` hand calculations and building detailed physical models," says John Comden, a mechanical engineer at the Army Research Lab. "The labor costs and the time required to complete extensive hand calculations and build detailed physical models were prohibitive. Without a simulation tool, it would have taken about two months for this project alone.
"The biggest benefit of using Working Model is that one can quickly study which components will work most effectively until one reaches an acceptable solution," Comden says. "Then, I can quickly design with Working Model, resulting in rapid project turn-around times."
Tools such as Working Model enable engineers to evaluate options before they build subscale or full-scale system pro-totypes, therefore saving time and money, he adds.
Working Model 3D is a computer-aided engineering tool that merges modeling, simulation, and analysis under one Windows/NT interface. The product also includes automatic collision detection. - J.M.
For more information on Working Model, contact Marcelo Bossi by phone at 800-766-6615, by fax at 650-574-7777, by mail at Working Model Inc., 66 Bovet Road, Suite 200, San Mateo, Calif., 94402, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.workingmodel.com.
