VISTAGY's FiberSIM Software Lauded in DLR Composites Study

By DE Editors

VISTAGY, Inc. has announced that DLR (Deutsches Zentrum f r Luft- und Raumfahrt), the German Aerospace Center, conducted a study that deemed Vistagy’s FiberSIM composites engineering software superior to other tested draping simulation software when fiber simulation, design functionality, and interfaces are collectively considered.

DLR performed the evaluation by designing and manufacturing four composite parts, including a double curved aircraft stringer, a complex automotive B pillar, and two generic chicanery parts. The study was done as part of the TOP-Design (Tolerance Optimized-Design) Program, funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. One objective of TOP-Design is to examine the capabilities of various software products for simulating carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) manufacturing processes and understand how to use these tools to get the most accurate flat patterns and, thus, the highest quality, lightest weight parts.

“FiberSIM is very robust software,” says Tobias Stroehlein, DLR’s program architect for fuselage technologies. “We were able to do anything we wanted with it without crashing the CAD system. With FiberSIM, we were able to look at many ways to approach different strategies; it provided thousands of options for trying out different simulation types and geometries. We thought the multi-stage layup approach looked especially promising.”

Vistagy says FiberSIM had the highest combined score of any of the products in the three categories. It was the best in simulation algorithm and design functionality, says the company, and was considered the most robust tool. It tied another program for the top score in precision.

For more information, visit VISTAGY.

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