Using optimization to optimally interface different components with many parameters.

Not infrequently, combining optimally-engineered components leads to overall suboptimal results. Such a situation was faced by this industrial good supplier when having to design the mechanical connection between two key components for many product variants of a new product family.

As the new product was a step-changer for the company, the old design rules regarding this engineering tasks were not valid anymore. Furthermore, due to less stringent overall requirements, the past rules-of-thumb embedded larger safety margins with a negative impact on product cost.

An engineering optimization strategy was developed for this design challenge. Following initial CAD modeling to determine an appropriate parameterization, the optimization strategy relied on a fast computational model of the connection interface and aggressive targets to reduce the overall size (and therefore also the overall cost).

Thanks to the positive results in a short timeframe with very low engineer effort, this automated design loop was established productively across all product lines. The resulting Python code VdrWOpt (Verdichterrad-Welle-Optimierung) is proprietary.