MPS Cuts Simulation Times from Two Weeks to One Day with 3DEXPERIENCE Works Simulation

Automotive Gasket Leader Morgan Polymer Seals Accelerates Seal Development to Meet Electric Vehicle Boom

Challenge

Meet automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and tier 1 supplier requirements to run simulations on every seal more efficiently and cost-effectively, while advancing materials R&D and new product development related to the electric vehicle (EV) boom and new markets.

Solution

Add 3DEXPERIENCE Works solutions to the existing SOLIDWORKS implementation. Use Structural Mechanics Engineer for simulation along with Collaborative Industry Innovator and Collaborative Business Innovator for PLM (product lifecycle management) cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE/SIMULIA Structural Mechanics Engineer (SME) and 3DEXPERIENCE/ENOVIA Industry Innovator to existing SOLIDWORKS implementation.

Results

Acquired new business from new customers
Cut simulation turnaround time from two weeks to one day
Advanced materials R&D
Realized capacity for increased simulation volume due to EV boom

Remote Work Vital to Success

Morgan Polymer Seals (MPS) delivers 100 million custom gaskets and seals for power train, fuel, and electrical applications each year to Ford, GM, Nissan, Hyundai, and other automotive original equipment manufacturers and tier 1 supplier customers in North America, Europe, and China.

MPS has a reputation as the most trusted name in automotive gaskets by consistently selecting the best materials to fit each specific seal application environment and fluid exposure and delivering on time every time.

Founded by Kevin Morgan in 1997, MPS has utilized the SOLIDWORKS® 3D design system for many years to develop seal concepts, designs, and tooling, and to exchange design data with customers and partners. Until recently, MPS outsourced finite element analysis (FEA) studies.

The increasing demand related to the development and growth of the electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle markets created opportunities for new business and challenges which prompted the seal manufacturer to bring complex FEA simulation studies in house to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

MPS chose the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE® Works portfolio, using Structural Mechanics Engineer for simulation.

According to Design Engineer Thomas Morgan, “We chose a 3DEXPERIENCE Works Simulation solution because it’s cloud-based, which supports our remotely located engineering organization, works seamlessly with SOLIDWORKS design data, and incorporates the Abaqus® Explicit solver, which is best suited for the types of simulation studies that we need to conduct on our parts, which can involve hyper elasticity, creep, fatigue, and contact.”

Faster and Cheaper FEA Studies, More Time for R&D

Since adopting Structural Mechanics Engineer, MPS has drastically cut simulation turnaround times—from two weeks to one day—enabling the company to cut costs as it runs a substantially greater number of complex FEA studies. In addition, MPS can more quickly turn around work on specific applications for customers, but also benefit everyday production work and enable additional research into new materials calibration and analysis without overburdening computing resources.

Related Resources

Our production is in Mexico, but all of our engineering resources are scattered across the United States. We’re just starting to leverage the 3DEXPERIENCE Works product lifecycle management capabilities and plan to eventually consolidate all our design and engineering tools onto the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Giving Customers Even More

In addition to attracting customers for the high-quality seals they are known for, Structural Mechanics Engineer enables MPS to help advance its customers’ R&D with its engineering resources and experience. By easily and quickly running simulations and evaluating insertion forces on customers’ initial seal designs, MPS helps develop and improve customer innovations during the design phase.

Support Growth with Cloud Computing

Using 3DEXPERIENCE Works Simulation aligns with MPS’s strategy of embracing cloud computing to maintain growth more cost-effectively. Morgan concludes, “Our production is in Mexico, but all of our engineering resources are scattered across the United States. We’re just starting to leverage the 3DEXPERIENCE Works product lifecycle management capabilities and plan to eventually consolidate all our design and engineering tools onto the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform.”