In an exclusive interview with DailyCADCAM, Radha Krishnan, the President and Founder of Detroit Engineered Products (DEP), provided in-depth insights into DEP’s offerings and their diverse applications in various aspects of product development. Radha Krishnan emphasized the significance of simulation in the early stages of the product development cycle. The discussion extended to topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), digital twins, and their widespread adoption across the sector.
The conversation also covered DEP’s perspective on the evolving landscape of Engineering Service Providers (ESPs) in India. Krishnan shared thoughts on the latest version of MeshWorks, competition dynamics, DEP’s global presence, and the company’s Academic initiatives.
You can find the full interview here.
Could you share the story of your journey and the inception of Detroit Engineered Products (DEP)? Additionally, what are the products provided by DEP?
I completed my mechanical engineering at IIT Madras and pursued my Master’s in the United States. Following that, I joined General Motors and contributed to their electric vehicle program, the ‘EV One program,’ during the 90s. In 1998, I decided to leave GM and founded the Engineered Services Company, located in Troy, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Since then, we have experienced steady growth, establishing a software division named MeshWorks and a consulting services division. Our clientele spans diverse industries, including heavy equipment, consumer goods, and marine.
DEP offers comprehensive services covering concept design, analysis, and more, making us a preferred one-stop destination for progressive solutions. With a presence in five countries, seven offices, and numerous global partners, we have expanded our reach to provide a wide range of products and services. Our journey has seen notable milestones, including the regular release of upgraded versions of our flagship CAE platform, DEP MeshWorks. The establishment of our product development wing has allowed us to collaborate with clients to create customized products.
Our engineering capabilities, spanning from concept to production across products, processes, and services, aim to significantly reduce overall product development cycles for our customers. Through innovative engineering methods, we empower clients to cut costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver optimized products. MeshWorks, our CAE platform, has evolved into a comprehensive pre-post software supporting all CAE workflows from the early stages of product development to the final release.
Our engineering services offer benchmarking studies, design iterations, full-fledged CAE evaluations, value engineering, light-weighting, and prototyping, catering to major industry verticals. The launch of the IC sensor, an in-cylinder sensing technology, stands out as an exciting milestone, enhancing engine efficiency and reducing emissions. As we continue to expand our service offerings across various verticals, our journey is becoming increasingly intriguing and enthralling.
By integrating simulation early in the design cycle, how can companies achieve substantial benefits in terms of time and cost savings, while also bolstering their competitive edge?
In today’s challenging and competitive business landscape, there is a constant demand for groundbreaking products. Within the constraints of budgetary considerations and evolving customer requirements, companies face intense pressure in an unforgiving environment where errors are not permissible. Leveraging simulation before the prototyping stage offers a myriad of advantages, including the production of superior products, cost minimization, and faster time-to-market.
The early implementation of engineering simulation in the initial phases of product development proves instrumental in error detection, identifying product limitations, and optimizing system performance. This reduces the cost of repeated iterations and expensive prototyping errors. Getting products right the first time is a huge advantage that implementing simulation in the design stage itself can offer.
With numerous companies providing simulation tools, what unique advantages does DEP MeshWorks offer, and who are its competitors or alternative products in the market?
Firstly, during the early stages of product development, where extensive concept models need creation and CAD might not be available, MeshWorks offers unique tools to create a finite element model for the entire product without relying on CAD. This capability is absent in competing tools.
Moving on to the regular design phase after the concept, when CAD software like CATIA, Creo, or Solid Edge comes into play, MeshWorks excels at quickly generating finite element models for complex scenarios such as full car crash models or noise and vibration models. This results in significant time reductions of around 35% in the model-building phase compared to competing tools like ANSA and HyperMesh.
Another major differentiator is that any model built in MeshWorks becomes parametric, allowing for fast design iterations. This parametric CAE model feature facilitates swift adjustments in response to design issues identified during the solving phase. This capability is a key advantage over competitors.
Furthermore, the parametric nature of the CAE models seamlessly integrates with optimization efforts, enabling weight reduction and performance improvements. This holistic approach adds substantial value to our offering. MeshWorks differentiates itself through parametric CAE, fast modeling, and unique concept modeling capabilities, providing customers with significant benefits at various stages of the product development cycle.
What tool does DEP offer for concept design—is it CAD or CAE software?
DEP MeshWorks is a CAE software platform. MeshWorks is not meant to create CAD designs from scratch. Once the model is put in MeshWorks, it eliminates the need to return to the CAD drawing board. All the design changes and optimization take place directly in the CAE model, saving a lot of time. DEP MeshWorks helps to create rapid concept CAE and CAD model generation, parametrization of CAE models, enabling optimization, advanced meshing and CAD morphing. It has resulted in an accelerated and transformed product development process, which has resulted in several creative solutions to many of our client’s problems, thus providing significant value.
Unlike other companies that may follow a reverse approach, instructing design engineers to utilize CAE tools like Discovery or SIMSOLID or integrated CAE features for concept design, DEP takes a distinct route. Does DEP’s approach involve starting with CAE first, allowing design engineers to use this tool for concept design, or does it require skill upgrades for the engineering team?
Our concept modeling tools are designed for direct use by both design engineers and CAE engineers. To illustrate, a comprehensive automotive body structure model can be developed by a single person in just five days, showcasing the remarkable speed of our concept modeling tools.
One of our tools, ConceptWorks, revolutionizes the concept modeling phase. It empowers CAE engineers to swiftly generate concept members for design and optimization studies, allowing for radical changes directly at the CAE level. ConceptWorks for structures is specifically tailored for CAE engineers, enabling the creation of concept members and joints without relying on CAD.
Importantly, we have ensured that the tool’s inputs are straightforward and designed in a manner that allows engineers at any level to start creating concept parts after a brief 3 or 4-hour training session. This tool enables CAE engineers to achieve optimal designs more rapidly without the need for the continuous involvement of designers at every stage.
Once the concept design is validated at the CAE level, it can seamlessly transition to CAD designers. This streamlined process significantly reduces the back-and-forth iterations that typically occur in the current design and development cycle.
How does DEP perceive its impact and presence in the electric vehicle (EV) industry currently, and what are the perspectives on the utility of DEP’s tools in the EV sector?
DEP has actively engaged with the electric vehicle (EV) industry for the past decade. Drawing from my own experience on GM’s EV One project years ago, I can attest to our longstanding involvement in this sector. In the realm of electric vehicle architecture, especially concerning body structures, a notable distinction lies in the prevalence of structural castings compared to traditional automotive body structures with stampings.
Typically, EV structures incorporate materials like aluminum castings and extrusions, allowing the creation of castings that can replace 20 to 40 stamped parts in a single component. Our concept modeling tools are well-equipped to facilitate the rapid creation of such castings. The unique demands of EV structures, with their emphasis on structural castings, are effectively addressed through our approach.
A recent demonstration of our capabilities involved the swift creation of an entire rear-cast structure for a customer in the USA. In just three days, we successfully showcased the generation of a complete concept Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model for the casting. This exemplifies the speed and efficiency with which our concept modeling tools can adapt to the distinctive requirements of EV structures.
Could you provide insights into the features of the latest release, MeshWorks 2023? Additionally, what are your perspectives on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in CAE software?
In our pursuit of modernization, MeshWorks undergoes continuous enhancements by introducing new workflows and automating processes during product development. Staying competitive in the market requires rapid innovation to facilitate faster time-to-market, and MeshWorks is evolving to provide clients with cutting-edge technology. The latest release, MeshWorks 2023, is particularly noteworthy as it incorporates advanced algorithms, methodologies, and robust AI/ML technologies in the backend, resulting in an intuitive and user-friendly front-end interface.
This enhanced version revolutionizes product development cycles by introducing Next Generation CAE/CAD Morphing, Concept Modeling, and CAE Parametrization, leading to significant time savings and optimized products. Innovative modules, such as Reduced Order Modeling (ROM), groundbreaking concept modeling, and electrification modules (eMoD), empower users to continually innovate and swiftly create new and optimized products. MeshWorks 2023 opens up new possibilities and accelerates the innovation process for engineers and designers, generating excitement within the entire team.
MeshWorks includes an AI/ML module where customers can bring in their data, train it using our AI/ML modules, and achieve results through our Design Advisor Tools. Recognizing the potential knowledge gap due to retirements and frequent job changes among experienced engineers, AI/ML becomes invaluable in preserving and leveraging their expertise. Design Advisor Tools can guide early-stage assessments, providing insights such as determining crash load sections or material selection. Additionally, AI/ML is applied to feature recognition using convolutional neural networks in CAD and FEA geometries, facilitating higher-level operations in MeshWorks.
Beyond the automotive sector, which industries do you anticipate experiencing growth?
Presently, we are witnessing notable traction in the aerospace industry, mirroring the trends observed in the electric vehicle sector. Increased investments and the emergence of innovative products, such as vertical take-off and landing systems, personal mobility aircraft, and UAVs, are contributing to significant growth opportunities in aerospace. Following the automotive sector, aerospace stands out as one of the most promising areas for our expansion.
Could you elaborate on DEP’s collaborations and partnerships with other vendors, as evidenced by the presence of DEP’s booth at events hosted by companies such as Autodesk and Hexagon MI software?
We maintain excellent relationships with solver companies as they seek fast and efficient modeling systems for the quick creation of their models. Our parametric models offer a significant advantage, enabling the running of optimizations and numerous simulations, such as DYNA or Nastran, to derive the best design. This partnership creates a mutually beneficial situation, benefiting DEP, our partners, and ultimately, our clients.
What is your perspective on the growth of the Engineering Service Providers (ESP) sector in India, and how has the response been to DEP’s recently done ESP events in Chennai, Pune, and Bengaluru?
There’s significant published data indicating that the Engineering Service Providers (ESP) industry in India is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 20% for the next seven to eight years. This growth is driven by substantial engineering demands from the US, Japan, and Europe, with virtual engineering becoming the prevailing approach. The ESP sector is anticipated to experience robust expansion in the coming years.
Our ESP events in Chennai, Pune, and Bengaluru received an excellent response. These events marked the first time we organized a targeted event specifically for a particular industry. Recognizing the ESP sector as a key player in India, we aimed to provide tailored solutions for this industry’s unique challenges, particularly emphasizing the capabilities of MeshWorks. While our usual events are more extensive and inclusive, these targeted ESP events allowed us to address the specific needs and solutions of ESP companies.
Could you provide insights into your development team? Specifically, where is your R&D center located, and where is the software developed?
Many of the advanced methods and algorithms are developed in the US. However, when it comes to practical implementation at the ground level, including coding and algorithm development, these activities predominantly occur in India. Our India development center is based in Chennai, we have a testing R&D lab in Michigan, and we have dedicated product support teams in Bengaluru and Pune. The development and product support teams in India are highly skilled and contribute significantly to our operations.
In what ways does DEP contribute to training initiatives, and what courses are made available to engineering students?
We operate the MeshWorks Academy, which is a CAE academy, providing a comprehensive experience covering the entire workflow—from CAD and model building to analysis execution, result interpretation, and design improvement. Designed for engineering college students, the MeshWorks Academy offers online and offline training.
Looking ahead, we are enhancing the user experience and plan to expand our outreach significantly in 2024, particularly to support engineering students across India. We are currently in discussions with several universities and engineering colleges about integrating our training modules into their curriculum.
In collaboration with SAE, we are actively involved in the SAE Baja Vehicle Competition Program. This initiative involves providing comprehensive workflow training to numerous colleges throughout India participating in the program.
Additionally, we offer customized training for organizations seeking to train groups of individuals on specific applications. Our training specialists collaborate with companies to tailor training programs to meet their unique needs.
Visit https://depusa.com for more information about the products offered.
I extend my gratitude to Radha Krishnan for the insightful discussion. If you have any questions for him or DailyCADCAM, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact us via email at sachin@dailycadcam.com. We are more than happy to provide answers and further information.
Thank you
