Ansys and Electro Magnetic Applications Partner

Electro Magnetic Applications, Inc. (EMA) and Ansys are partnering to deliver an enhanced design-to-validation workflow for certifying cable harness models in aircraft and automobiles. The workflow reduces electromagnetic interference (EMI) risks to cable harnesses, slashes development time, speeds certification and expedites new products to market, companies report.

Cable harnesses that transmit electrical power and signals to electronics within aircraft and automobiles must be protected from external EMI sources such as high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF) and lightning strikes. To safeguard these vehicles against EMI interference, time-intensive and costly electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) certification testing must be conducted on physical prototypes.

EMA and Ansys' new workflow, Ansys EMA3D Cable, is a platform-level EMC cable modeling solution for overcoming EMC design issues. When used early in the design stage, EMA3D Cable can increase the fidelity of an engineer's product performance predictions, reduce development costs and the need for physical prototyping and leverage test results as a basis for final acceptance and certification.

"EMA3D Cable enables engineers to efficiently assess complex cable harness system designs and evaluate protection schemes for vehicles of all sizes," says Dr. Timothy McDonald, president of EMA. "Partnering with Ansys on this dynamic new workflow will allow our mutual users to significantly enhance cable harness compatibility designs and substantially decrease cost and risk on the path to EMC certification."

"OEMs are designing new vehicles to be sleeker and lighter. This typically requires the removal of cable harness shielding, which creates EMI vulnerabilities," says Shane Emswiler, Ansys' senior vice president, physics business units. "Designing cable harnesses with EMA3D Cable will help engineers mitigate safety-critical EMI issues—including HIRF, lightning strikes, crosstalk and electromagnetic pulses—improving certification support and reducing design expenses."

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.