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Ansys Mechanical Expert Review, Pricing and Alternatives - 2024

Updated: Mar 21

Ansys Logo 2024

What’s special about Ansys Mechanical?

Ansys Mechanical simplifies the structural verification of multiple design scenarios and reduces redundancies in the process by enabling engineers to customize its GUI as well as automate and parameterize FEA models through Ansys Workbench. These capabilities set Ansys Mechanical apart and make it an ideal choice for companies looking to reduce design validation time.

Product: Ansys Mechanical

Founding Date: 1970

Company: Ansys, Inc.

IPO Status: Public

Founders: John Swanson

Deployment Type: On-premise (self-hosted)

Free Trial: Not available

Company HQ: Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, United States

Rating: 4.2 ⭐ | 71

 

Table of Contents:


 

What is Ansys Mechanical?

Part of Ansys Suite, Ansys Mechanical is a finite element solver with use cases for many industries including but not limited to aerospace, automotive, green energy, and biomedical engineering. Through it, engineers can simulate various physical scenarios, including structural mechanics, acoustics, and thermal analysis with transient and nonlinear capabilities. The platform also helps engineers analyze how their designs behave under different conditions and identify areas for improvement.


Ansys Mechanical includes pre-built simulation models, materials, and a comprehensive set of post-processing tools that allow users to visualize and analyze simulation results, making it easy for engineers to gain valuable insights into the performance of their designs.



WorQuick Ansys Mechanical 2023 Screenshot


Pros of Ansys

  • Ansys is the top mechanical simulation software choice for many engineers because it has all the needed modules in one place. Engineers can go from mechanical to thermal to CFD simulation for example. Moreover, this will make collaboration and file sharing between businesses and clients easy due to all in one place.

  • It features a sophisticated and advanced user interface, allowing the customization and automation of many workflows and simulations. Its flexible interface also allows users to change the design at any time during the simulation.

  • Its advanced results visualization capability helps users understand the results more easily.

  • Several online documents, FAQs, and video tutorials are available. Free training is also offered by Ansys Inc. to help new users out.


Cons of Ansys

  • Requires a lot of processing power (RAM, GPU) to run efficiently.

  • The advanced user interface may be confusing for new users.

  • Expensive software and its pricing isn’t fixed; it varies depending on the modules you use and how many licenses you need.

  • Meshing control is not the most advanced compared to some competitors such as Hypermesh.


Diving Deep into the Sophistication of Ansys Mechanical Solutions:

At WorQuick, our passion for engineering excellence is evident. Central to our expertise is Ansys Mechanical, an esteemed player in the vast world of Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Many acknowledge Ansys Mechanical for its capabilities in structural studies, thermal assessments, and multibody simulations. However, we push the boundaries. We exploit its strengths in areas such as acoustics, fatigue and durability evaluations, and the world of additive manufacturing modeling. Our engagement goes beyond simple utilization; we elevate its features through custom scripts, extensions, and machine learning integrations. Our ambition is to set new benchmarks in global engineering with pioneering solutions. For organizations seeking to enhance their design and analysis strategies, our bespoke scripts and extensions provide unparalleled automation advantages. Eager to advance your engineering game? Reach out to see how we can metamorphose your FEA endeavors.


Ansys Pricing

According to the Ansys Inc quotation received, The cost of Ansys starts at around $22 000 for a perpetual license (only for Ansys Mechanical, the price can be higher if you require more modules). To obtain a specific quote for the software, you can contact their sales team and they provide you with an estimate. Additionally, demos of the software can also be requested.


Ansys's Target Market

Ansys is a comprehensive solution that allows cooperation and exchange very easily across teams. It is on the expensive side from what we know though, so the ‘ideal buyer’ for it, so to speak, would be bigger companies that have multiple departments and need product designs to be validated by each of them.


Ansys Features

  • CAD Connected: This feature allows engineers to seamlessly import and work with CAD models directly in the software, making it easy to prepare the geometry for analysis.

  • Advanced Materials Modeling: The software offers advanced material models such as viscoelastic, plasticity, and damage to accurately represent the behaviour of a wide variety of materials.

  • Coupled Field Technology: Allows for multi-physics simulations such as thermal-structural, fluid-structure interaction, and electromagnetic-structural.

  • Automated Meshing Adaptivity (NLAD): This feature automatically adapts the mesh in areas of high deformation or stress, providing more accurate results with less user effort.

  • Explicit Analysis: ANSYS Mechanical includes tools for performing explicit dynamic simulations, which are useful for simulating high-speed and highly nonlinear events.

  • Fast Parallel Solvers: ANSYS Mechanical utilizes fast parallel solvers to quickly and efficiently solve large and complex models.

  • Linear and Nonlinear Contact: The software includes powerful contact analysis capabilities, including friction and gap elements, that can handle both linear and nonlinear contact problems.

  • Crack and Fracture Modeling: ANSYS Mechanical includes tools for simulating crack and fracture behaviour, such as cohesive zone modeling and XFEM.

  • Structural Optimization: ANSYS Mechanical includes optimization tools that enable engineers to quickly and easily optimize designs for weight, strength, and other objectives.

  • Fatigue Life Analysis: The software includes tools for simulating the fatigue life of structures, such as S-N curve analysis, cumulative damage analysis and Rainflow counting.

Ansys Deployment Type and Implementation

Ansys Mechanical is a self-hosted product, which means you’ll need to download and install it on your computer and host it on your servers but Cloud simulation is also offered as an alternative.



Ansys Customer Support

Ansys has a support portal with downloadable guides. They also offer training courses for free. If assistance help is needed, customers can contact the Support team through the web form, or by email/phone.


Ansys Integrations

Ansys Mechanical integrates with most products within the Ansys ecosystem. Outside of that, you can integrate it with different solvers such as MSC Nastran and Abaqus.


Ansys Scripting, Customization and Automation

Ansys, a top FEA software suite, offers comprehensive automation and customization capabilities to streamline engineering workflows across industries like automotive, aerospace, and electronics. Key features such as Ansys Workbench, Parametric Design Language (APDL), Customization Toolkit (ACT), and DesignXplorer enable users to minimize manual intervention and capitalize on FEA automation. Ansys Workbench allows seamless CAD software integration, while APDL and DesignXplorer facilitate efficient simulations and design optimizations. The flexible customization environment, featuring ACT, User-Defined Functions (UDFs), and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), empowers users to adapt the software to their specific needs. Python support in ACT and APDL enhances accessibility, making it easier for users with limited programming experience to automate and customize their workflows. Although advanced customization may require time and learning resources, the increased productivity and efficiency make Ansys a valuable tool for engineering design and optimization. Unlock the potential of FEA automation with Ansys and revolutionize your engineering workflows.


The company behind Ansys

Ansys Inc is an American company, founded in 1970, that specializes in simulation software for engineering and design. ANSYS software is used in a variety of industries, such as aerospace and defence, automotive, energy, and biomedical.


ANSYS Inc is a big player in the engineering and design world. They've been around for over 50 years and have built a reputation for providing some of the most advanced simulation software out there. Essentially, what they do is create virtual models of products and systems, so engineers and designers can test and optimize them before they're built in real life.


They've got a wide range of products, catering to different industries, from aerospace and defence to automotive, energy, and biomedical. This makes them a go-to for a lot of companies and organizations, and they've got a pretty extensive list of clients, including some big names like BMW, Siemens, and recently NASA awarded Ansys Inc 5 year contract for modeling and simulation capabilities.


Overall, ANSYS is one of the key players in the simulation software market and they're helping to push the boundaries of what's possible in engineering and design


Ansys Mechanical FAQs


What is ANSYS used for?

ANSYS is a simulation software used for analyzing and optimizing designs, predicting performance and simulating the behaviour of a wide range of systems and materials, including fluids, structures, electronics, and electromagnetics, in various fields such as mechanical, fluid, electronics and thermal.


Is Ansys CAD or CAM?

Ansys Suite offers a module called Ansys SpaceClaim which is CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, providing a lightweight modelling solution for engineers.


Is Python used in Ansys?

Ansys integrates the Python package allowing the users to automate their simulations and pre/post-processing work.


Is Ansys free to use?

Ansys Suite is not free, however, most of the modules have a Free trial. As per our latest knowledge, Ansys Mechanical is not part of the free trial.



Ansys Mechanical Alternatives



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