Industrial Automation Magazine India

Siemens' new Simcenter™ E-Machine Design software brings together electromagnetic and thermal simulation, helping reduce reliance on physical prototyping.

Plano, Texas, USA – February 2024: Siemens Digital Industries Software recently announced its Simcenter™ E-Machine Design software to help electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers and their associated supply chain to accurately predict the performance of e-machines, including axial flux electric drive units. The new solution from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software brings together electromagnetic and thermal simulation, helping reduce reliance on physical prototyping and enable the EV industry to accelerate innovation.

"The electric vehicle industry is facing challenges from many directions – supply chain issues, the ability to scale and the pursuit of innovation driven by increasingly demanding customers," said Jean-Claude Ercolanelli, Senior Vice President, Simulation and Test Solutions, Siemens Digital Industries Software. "By adopting cutting-edge simulation capabilities to develop new products and technologies in shorter timescales than ever achieved, the EV industry can focus on delivering the innovation required to stay relevant in a rapidly changing market."

Axial flux motors can positively impact the EV range due to their increased power density. Still, engineers adopting them face more challenging heat dissipation requirements (due to their compact size and complexity) and difficulties in accommodating the required air gap. The complex nature of these motors is challenging engineering departments and many are turning to advanced simulation to help reduce development costs and time.

Delivered as part of the latest updates to Siemens' Simcenter™ software, the new Simcenter E-Machine Design solution allows engineers to use parameterized templates and analytical modeling in the early stages of development, and then continue working on their design in 3D with full Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations when more complex investigations are required, such as advanced thermal interactions.