Advanced30 min

Optimization workflow

Lighter, but still strong enough. This walkthrough uses simulation to drive a design toward minimum mass under a stress constraint.

Before you start

1
Establish a baseline
Run a static study on the current bracket and record its mass and peak von Mises stress. This is the benchmark every change is measured against.
2
Set the target
Decide the minimum acceptable factor of safety. Any design that stays above it is a candidate; below it is a failure.
3
Remove material where it is idle
The stress plot shows lightly loaded regions. Pocket, rib, or thin those areas — that is where mass comes off cheaply.
Tip: Remove material where stress is low; add it where stress is high. The color plot is your map.
4
Re-solve and compare
Run the study again and compare mass and peak stress to the baseline. Keep changes that reduce mass while staying above the target.
5
Iterate to convergence
Repeat the remove-solve-check loop until further material removal would breach the stress target. Stop there.

A lighter bracket that still meets its stress target, arrived at through measured FEA iterations rather than guesswork.

Constraint-driven design

5-axis CAM walkthrough

Open a workspace and build it as you read. It runs in your browser — no install required.