A digital twin combines physics-based virtual replicas of a product (medical, aerospace, wireless or automotive, for example) which can alert the design team to potential operating or performance risks and provide preventative maintenance data to analyse machines in real-world operating conditions, to reduce risk. The data to generate the digital twin is collected using industrial IoT connectivity and individual feedback about product behaviour during operation.

The latest release from the company includes the Additive Suite for metal additive manufacturing. This feature allows designers to optimise weight reduction and density, address CAD geometry to create or repair it, simulate the additive process and conduct structural and thermal analysis.

For 3D design, there is automated meshing and instant post-processing results to view product behaviour. This has been used in medical implants, for example with simultaneous assessment of the structure.

In the electromagnetics suite, there are now advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous radar analysis and hybrid simulation techniques for PCB analysis. System modelling for electromagnetic field simulation products is also included, for analysis of power electronics systems.

For safety checking, an improved native model-based editor is included for automotive, aerospace, defence and rail designs.

In the semiconductor suite, a new 3D IC GUI wizard enables automatic and seamless connections between multiple dies, interposer and package for chip level power and thermal integrity analysis for system level design that can maximise cover and reduce design iterations.

There is also four times faster loading of project models and improved navigation, says the company.

ANSYS will be at DAC 2018 (San Francisco 24 – 28 June) booth 1637