Hexahedral mesh service
Results from numerical simulations obtained by finite element method strongly depend on the setting-up assumptions. Mesh is essential because it leads to quality of results, cpu time and model capacity to converge when high nonlinearity are invoked (large strain, strong contacts, etc.).
If we consider quality of solution and homogeneity of strains obtained numerically, hexahedral finite elements are often more advantageous than the tetrahedral elements. However, due to cost problems or dealines (and often know-how), tetrahedral or even hex-dominant meshes are often preferred in engineering companies. For complex geometries, conventionally generation of hexahedral elements requires many manual operations, which are very complex to implement, even with high-performance software.
Based on its know-how, HEXAMECA proposes to mesh your complex geometries with exclusively hexahedral elements. A unique innovative method of mesh has been developed internally, allowing to use this kind of element on every type of geometry, reducing the amount of time required for discretization in same time. Saving time, coupled with our responsiveness, allows us to be competitive in terms of price. This technology makes you more efficient and accelerates your developments. The implementation of these kinds of efficient elements, instead of tetrahedral elements, is more generalizable because your costs are reduced. Computation times are reduced, as for the explicit scheme calculations in large deformation where it is often necessary to use a quadratic interpolation with tetrahedral elements. Our main customers are automotive suppliers, a domain of technological innovation where cost reduction and responsiveness are a daily challenge.
We offer a mesh generation service, with hexahedral elements exclusively, in just half a day whereas conventional solutions usually require several days. We directly work from your CAD files (STEP files for example) and provide you with the desired mesh format by respecting all wished quality criteria.
Meshing of your scanned parts – 3D scan
We take care of the meshing of your 3D scans, by tomography or other techniques. We directly mesh the scanned geometry, without having to reconstruct the CAD. This saves you time and enables you to quickly perform calculations on your scans. You are therefore reactive to make changes to the CAD or the shaping process if a product does not meet the quality criteria required at the end of the production.
Your technology monitoring is also simplified. Setting up benchmarks of competing parts is indeed faster, which allows you to gain in reactivity.
Exchange procedure – recommendations
Customer
Geometry : STEP format preferred but all types of formats accepted, including proprietary formats like Catia, SolidWorks, etc.
Specifications : customer quality criteria, etc.
HEXAMECA service
Provided hexahedral mesh: format for all types of solvers, such as Abaqus, Ls-Dyna, Nastran, etc.
Compliance with specifications
Service performed quickly
Requests will be met quickly so that you can be ready to run your numerical simulation as soon as possible.
Software used by our teams
To carry out our services, we mainly use our in-house developed digital tools. They allow us to be more efficient than with commercial software which is not really adapted to hexahedral meshes. However, we do use some software that allows us to respond to a wider range of requests. Our teams mainly use Abaqus and Altair HyperMesh.
Mesh generation examples