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In the current day and age of modern engineering, we are faced with solving complex problems whose solutions are heavily interdependent upon a multitude of physical phenomena. Just think about your smartphone. Not only is it composed of electrical and mechanical components such as a touch screen or buttons which must interact flawlessly with each other, it also needs to communicate via electromagnetic waves and is often composed of a lithium-ion battery which stores energy in the form of chemical reactions. That’s a lot of physics running in one device!
Tim Szeto, CEO of TITAN Haptics, which is developing advanced haptic motors for smartphones, consoles and touchscreen devices, is very familiar with handling multiple physical phenomena at once. As a part of ventureLAB’s Hardware Catalyst Initiative - which is Canada’s only lab and incubator for founders building hardware and semiconductor-focused products - TITAN gained access to multiphysics simulation software via a startups package from ventureLAB partner, Siemens. This allowed for a more streamlined approach to simulating real-world conditions and a more reliable prediction of physical product performance.
“Modern engineering for product development is multivariate and interdependent. Optimizations often come with tradeoffs that are hard to predict; and with hardware, this can lead to long lead times and development timelines. With multiphysics simulation engineering software like Siemens, you can reduce development time by validating engineering tradeoffs early in prototyping.” says Tim Szeto
Szeto gives the example of an electric motor; the more electricity you pump into it, the more power it gets. But at the same time, it will begin to heat up, putting the motor at risk of melting. Analyzing the electrical and temperature distributions across the motor are two entirely different simulations, but if you’re able to combine them into one tool, you’re more likely to efficiently design a realistic cooling system to mitigate any potential heat risks.
Alongside the incredible benefits of multiphysics simulation, there are other key uses of the Siemens software for developing novel technologies. Szeto mentions that simulation software in general allows you to prove out concepts much quicker than if you were to have to physically produce them, potentially cutting months off of the design cycle. He also highlights its use in generative design - an iterative design process that generates outputs which meet pre-specified constraints. By letting the software generate numerous different solutions based on the parameters given, it can save 5x more material, reduce costs or create a totally innovative, out-of-the-box solution that you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of.
Through providing resources such as the Siemens startups software program mentioned above, the Hardware Catalyst Initiative helps tech companies like TITAN Haptics accelerate their time to market in a sector that normally incurs lengthy entry and scale times. This enables Canadian hardware and semiconductor companies to grow and scale locally and compete globally. For more information on TITAN Haptics please visit their website and to read more about Siemens’ startups software package available through the Hardware Catalyst Initiative program at ventureLAB, check out this link.
About Siemens:
Industry Software from Siemens helps manufacturers become Digital Enterprises by enabling them to digitalize and integrate their entire industrial value chain through PLM solutions, Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) solutions, and TIA equipment – all supported by Teamcenter, the industry-leading Siemens Collaboration Platform and single data backbone. The integration of PLM, MOM and Automation is made possible with the comprehensive suite of Siemens Industry Software.
About ventureLAB:
ventureLAB is a leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada. Located at the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region, ventureLAB is part of one of the biggest and most diverse tech communities in Canada. Our initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, commercializing technology and IP, and customer acquisition have enabled thousands of companies to create over 4,000 jobs and raise more than $200 million in investment capital. At ventureLAB, we grow globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale in Canada, for global markets.
