Generation
generative
The London-based edition of Autodesk University provided a push to the company’s cloud-hosted
design-to-production collaborative software, Fusion 360, which was also extended; saw cloud- and
desktop-hosted production software offerings move closer together; and showed generative design
capability brought to bear more broadly in a subtractive environment. Andrew Allcock was there
All images Andrew Allcock
constraints. Cloud-hosted Fusion 360 gained generative
design capability in June last year and this is now an
approach that is additionally constrained for production
employing certain subtractive machining processes.
For example, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is
using generative design in its efforts to deliver a space
vehicle suitable for landing on one of Jupiter’s moons
(video: https://is.gd/fezamu). While some of its structure
can make use of the organic designs that result (via
moulds/patterns that cast parts rather than directly
using AM), for the vehicle’s legs a subtractive machining
approach was desired. Fusion 360 includes algorithms
that constrain the design output for 3- or 5-axis
machining, so this capability was employed.
From a leading-edge application to something more
mundane but with an immediate payback on reducing
resource consumption – cement production. Ramji cited
German rm Claudius Peters as a company bene ting
from generative design to help it redesign a key
component in its cement grinding mills. The company
wants to reduce the environmental impact of its
equipment – cement is responsible for 8% of all global
CO2 emissions/annum, with half of that gure created
Above:
Erin Bradner,
director of
robotics, spoke
about
Autodesk’s
research
approach at
Autodesk
University,
Tobacco Dock,
London, in June.
Inset: Sam
Ramji, vice
president, Forge
‘The opportunity of better’ – doing or making more
with less. That was the headline theme for this
year’s event. In a world where population
continues to grow and that population gets richer and
wants to consume things, the challenge is to achieve
this at the same time as reducing resources – people,
time, materials, energy – required. As Sam Ramji, vice
president, Forge (Autodesk’s cloud-based developer tools
activity), said: “More is inevitable...We have to
fundamentally rethink the way we make things…It is
both a massive challenge and a massive opportunity.”
Doing more with less is a design-focused solution for
the most part, but whereas a couple of years back
generative design would have been linked strongly with
additive manufacturing (AM) at the production end for
metal components, Autodesk’s (https://is.gd/litoha)
message has progressed, with subtractive processes
now also driven by this technology.
Generative design employs a constraint-based
approach (for example location positions, loads, forces,
access) that uses powerful cloud-hosted computing to
crunch the numbers, spitting out hundreds, if not
thousands, of design solutions that satisfy those
10 August 2019 www.machinery.co.uk @MachineryTweets
/fezamu)
/litoha)
/www.machinery.co.uk