“The moment you push performance limits, heat becomes the enemy that never sleeps.”

Alexander Fischer

Co-founder & Product Manager, SimScale

Electric vehicles depend on compact thermal architectures that keep batteries and power electronics within a narrow operating windows. AI accelerators concentrate extraordinary wattage into small footprints. Industrial automation, renewable energy hardware and medical technology all follow the same pattern.

They raise performance expectations while shrinking available space. This creates a new reality in which cold plate design becomes a strategic engineering function rather than a late stage add on. Teams that recognize this shift early gain more performance, more reliability and more control over how their products evolve.

The Practical Challenges Facing Design Teams

Engineering teams face real constraints. They must balance:

• manufacturability,
• pressure drop,
• integration,
• weight targets,
• and routing!

You often work within tight envelopes while trying to handle rising heat flux. Parametric CAD can slow the process because feature trees resist change and complex channels break easily when edited. Conservative geometry becomes the default. This is risky as thermal loads continue to rise across industries. Cold plate cooling demands broader concept exploration, faster iteration and clearer structure throughout the development process.

A High Level View of the Cold Plate Design Workflow Step by Step

A typical cold plate project moves through several major steps from concept to validated geometry.

• It begins with requirement gathering where engineers define heat flux levels, target temperatures, available space, allowable pressure drop, material constraints and manufacturing options.
• Next comes the architectural exploration where macro level decisions such as cooling method, channel layout, inlet and outlet placement and flow balance strategies are evaluated.
• Concept modeling follows with early geometry that tests feasibility and identifies potential performance issues.
• Detailed design development then refines internal channels, surface area enhancements, flow paths and structural supports.
• In parallel, system level integration ensures correct fit and interaction with electronics, enclosures and the larger cooling loop.
• The final stages focus on simulation driven optimization, design for manufacturability and preparation for prototyping.

High performance applications cycle through these steps rapidly as iteration speed becomes a core advantage.

How Implicit Modeling Transforms the Design Phase

Implicit modeling fits directly into this workflow and accelerates it significantly. Traditional parametric CAD relies on sketches, constraints and feature trees. Implicit modeling uses continuous mathematical fields to define form.

Complex shapes become easy to create and sturdy during modification. Families of designs can be generated quickly without model failures. Smooth blends are inherent. Microchannels, graded thicknesses, TPMS surfaces or lattice supported walls appear without manual surfacing.

This matters because cold plate cooling often benefits from organic or highly detailed internal geometry that explicit modeling tools struggle to express.

Why Advanced Cooling Geometry Matters Now

This shift aligns perfectly with the pressure placed on modern hardware. EV power electronics keep increasing in output while packaging shrinks. AI hardware demands targeted thermal strategies that match component level heat flux. Data centers monitor every watt because cooling efficiency now affects operating cost directly. Aerospace, hydrogen systems and compact industrial machinery all follow similar trends. They require high performance cooling solutions that combine low weight, high efficiency and manufacturable complexity.

Cold plate design sits at this intersection because it enables direct heat removal and supports structurally complex yet lightweight geometries.

The Impact of Simulation and AI Assisted Optimization

When advanced modeling is paired with CAE simulation or AI driven physics prediction, the later stages of the workflow become dramatically more effective. Engineers can apply cold plate topology optimization to reshape channels for uniform thermal behavior. Microchannel networks can align with localized heat flux. TPMS or lattice structures can increase surface area while keeping weight low. Iteration becomes flexible and exploration becomes normal rather than exceptional. Cold plates evolve into highly tuned components tailored to the exact demands of each device.

Key Insights

1. Microchannel cold plates deliver high surface area for extreme heat flux handling
2. TPMS and lattice structures enable lightweight internal geometries with strong manufacturability profiles
3. Implicit modeling and topology optimization accelerates every design stage and supports shapes that parametric tools struggle to represent
4. Simulation driven workflows improve accuracy and bridge the gap between concept and validated performance
5. Cold plate design has become a strategic differentiator for any product facing rising thermal loads

Cold plates are no longer secondary components. They enable the future of mobility, computing and energy systems and they reward engineering teams that prioritize them early in development.

The post Cold Plate Cooling Design appeared first on SimScale.

Eliminating Bottlenecks

The session brought together three distinct perspectives on how to operationalize AI in production environments: Ram Seetharaman (Head of AI, Synera) on Agentic AI, Matthias Bauer (Director of Software Development, Autodesk / Founder, NAVASTO) on Physics AI, and David Heiny (CEO, SimScale) on the cloud-native infrastructure that binds them together.
The consensus? The industry is moving past the “chatbot” phase. We are entering an era where AI Agents orchestrate complex tools to automate busy work, and Physics AI provides instant feedback loops, allowing engineers to traverse design spaces at unprecedented speed.

Key Takeaways:

1. Agentic AI is the “Digital Engineer,” Physics AI is the “Calculator”

The session clarified the distinction between the two critical types of AI. Agentic AI (using LLMs) acts like a digital employee—reasoning, planning, and orchestrating tools to handle complex processes like RFQ responses. Physics AI (using GNNs) acts as an ultra-fast solver, providing instant performance predictions to accelerate the design iterations that the agents (or humans) generate.

2. Integration is the Multiplier (The “Electric Motor” Analogy)

Matthias argued that simply swapping a solver for an AI model isn’t enough. He compared it to the industrial revolution: replacing a steam engine with an electric motor didn’t yield efficiency gains until factories were redesigned around the new power source. Similarly, AI only delivers ROI when deep-integrated into the tools engineers already use (like CAD), rather than sitting in a silo.

3. Trust Comes from Traceability, Not Blind Faith

A major barrier to AI adoption is the “black box” problem. The panel emphasized that trust is built through auditability. For Agentic AI, this means viewing the “chain of thought”—seeing exactly which tools the agent used and why. For Physics AI, it means statistical validation and “traffic light” confidence scores that tell an engineer when a prediction is reliable and when to fall back to traditional simulation.

4. The “Junior Engineer” Model

AThe most practical way to deploy AI today is to treat it as a “junior engineer.” It can autonomously handle tedious tasks (like meshing, setup, or initial design sweeps) and present 80% complete work for expert review. This keeps humans in the loop for critical engineering judgments while removing the bottleneck of manual execution.

Watch the full webinar recording below. And if this seems interesting, be sure to check out the rest of the series!

The post Webinar Highlights: AI-Native Engineering Workflows appeared first on SimScale.

Eliminating Bottlenecks

The discussion broke down the two primary bottlenecks in engineering: simulation lead time (setup) and simulation cycle time (computation), and explored the AI technology that lets you transform engineering processes by effectively eliminating them.

We heard some great insights from Brian Sather from nTop, explaining the importance of a robust geometry pipeline for effective design exploration. Jon Wilde described SimScale’s approach to tackling the bottlenecks in simulation workflows that unlock the full potential of AI-driven engineering.

Key Takeaways:

1. Solving This Needs a Two-Pronged Solution

Physics AI (using GNNs/PINNs) learns physics to deliver instant predictions, crushing the computation bottleneck. Engineering AI (using LLMs) understands user intent to automate and orchestrate entire multi-step processes, crushing the setup and lead time bottleneck.

2. To Scale AI, You Must Solve Data Generation

One of the most significant challenges in scaling AI is assimilating or generating training data. Here, the robustness and speed of geometry generation is key, and traditional CAD models can struggle. We looked at how “computational design” tools can algorithmically generate thousands of valid design variants, creating the synthetic data needed to train a reliable Physics AI model.

3. A Connected Toolchain Is Critical

Eliminating process bottlenecks is only possible with a seamlessly connected toolchain with limited sprawl. The session demonstrated how to build tight, AI-driven optimization loops involving nTop’s implicit models that can be read directly by SimScale, eliminating manual prep work and ensuring a robust transfer from geometry to simulation.

4. AI Agents Are the New “UI” for Democratization

A live demo of SimScale’s Engineering AI agent showed how non-experts can now drive complex simulation much faster. By using natural language (e.g. “optimize this heat sink for me”), a user can trigger an agent to orchestrate CAD, simulation, and optimization in the background. This moves simulation from a specialist-only tool to a capability accessible to the entire organization.

Watch the full webinar recording below. And if this seems interesting, be sure to register for the rest of the series!

The post Webinar Highlights: Scaling AI-Powered Simulation Across Teams appeared first on SimScale.

From maximizing efficiency in a jet engine’s turbine to ensuring the reliable, vibration-free operation of a simple industrial pump, the rotating component is where performance and reliability are won or lost.

What is rotating equipment?

Simply put, rotating equipment is any machinery that relies on rotational motion to perform its function. Unlike static equipment (like pipes or storage tanks), these devices are designed to convert energy into mechanical motion, often for moving fluids or generating power.

Common examples span a wide range of industries:

• Pumps (Centrifugal, Axial)
• Turbines (Gas, Steam, Wind)
• Compressors (Centrifugal, Axial)
• Fans and Blowers
• Motors and Generators
• Propellers and Impellers

What is the difference between static and rotating equipment?

The main difference between static and rotating equipment is movement.

• Static equipment (like pipes, tanks, or heat exchangers) is stationary and has no moving parts.
• Rotating equipment (like pumps, turbines, or motors) uses spinning components to actively create motion or generate power.

Rotating equipment types in depth

Let’s have a look at the different types of rotating equipment in a bit more depth.

Pumps (Centrifugal, Axial)

Pumps stand as the workhorses of industry, hydraulic machines designed to transport fluids by converting rotational kinetic energy into hydrodynamic energy. The most common types, centrifugal pumps, use a rotating impeller to fling fluid outwards, while axial pumps use a propeller-style mechanism to move fluid along the shaft’s axis. From water supply systems to chemical processing, their applications are endless. But how can one optimize their performance and prevent damaging issues like cavitation? This is where modern engineering simulation steps in, allowing engineers to digitally visualize flow patterns and pressure zones to achieve design excellence before a physical prototype is ever built.

Turbines (Gas, Steam, Wind)

Turbines are critical in our pursuit of energy, acting as sophisticated engines that extract energy from a fluid flow and convert it into useful rotational work, most often to power a generator. Whether it’s a gas turbine using hot combustion gases, a steam turbine driven by high-pressure steam, or a wind turbine capturing the kinetic energy of the air, their core principle is to harness natural forces. The design of their complex blades is paramount to performance. Cloud-native simulation platforms offer a robust framework for modeling these intricate fluid-structure interactions, helping engineers optimize blade geometry to maximize efficiency and reliability.

Compressors (Centrifugal, Axial)

Compressors are vital machines whose primary function is to increase the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. Like pumps, they are commonly found in centrifugal (radial) and axial flow configurations, each suited for different pressure ratios and flow rates. These devices are the heart of everything from jet engines and industrial refrigeration to gas pipeline transport. Achieving high efficiency and a stable operating range is a key design challenge. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), engineers can meticulously simulate the high-speed, complex flow through blade passages to optimize designs and minimize energy losses.

Fans and Blowers

While often grouped with compressors, fans and blowers are specifically designed to move large volumes of air or gas, typically at a much lower pressure differential. Their function is essential for ventilation in buildings (HVAC), cooling electronics, or supplying combustion air in industrial furnaces. The main challenge in their design is to achieve the required flow rate while minimizing power consumption and acoustic noise. Engineering simulation plays a key role here, allowing designers to analyze airflow, test blade profiles, and visualize turbulence to create quieter and more efficient systems.

Motors and Generators

These two devices are the cornerstone of our electrified world, managing the conversion between mechanical and electrical energy. A motor takes electrical energy and converts it into mechanical rotation to drive a pump, fan, or compressor. A generator does the exact opposite, taking rotational energy from a turbine and converting it into electrical energy for the grid. Optimizing their design requires a deep understanding of electromagnetics and thermal management. Multiphysics simulation is crucial, enabling engineers to analyze magnetic fields, predict heat buildup, and ensure the structural integrity of these fundamental machines.

Propellers and Impellers

At the very heart of nearly all turbomachinery, you will find a rotating component designed to interact with a fluid: the propeller or the impeller. An impeller, such as one in a centrifugal pump, is designed to transfer energy to the fluid, increasing its velocity and pressure. A propeller, used for propulsion or in a turbine, interacts with the fluid to create thrust or extract work. The specific geometry of these components—their blade curvature, angle, and number—is the single most critical factor in the machine’s overall performance. Their design is a perfect use case for simulation, which allows for detailed flow analysis to maximize efficiency and minimize wear.

Rotating equipment in our public projects

Here is a range of rotating equipment that has been simulated with SimScale by our community.

Rotating equipment challenges

The continuous operation of rotating equipment is fundamental to global infrastructure, from power generation to manufacturing. Efficiency and reliability failures carry a massive cost. For instance, even a one percent drop in efficiency across a fleet of industrial pumps or compressors translates into millions of dollars in wasted energy annually. Any component failure driven by vibration or fatigue can trigger unscheduled downtime, which instantly halts production or utility service.

Beyond these operational costs, the industry is now facing unprecedented pressure driven by global Net-Zero targets and evolving sustainability mandates. This shift requires nothing less than a revolution in design, pushing engineers to develop machines that achieve record-breaking efficiencies while incorporating new low-carbon technologies, such as advanced compressors for hydrogen or lighter, more powerful electric motors. Therefore, optimizing these machines isn’t merely about achieving peak performance; it is a business-critical requirement for safeguarding financial viability and ensuring operational continuity in a sustainable future.

Some examples of government mandated Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) are given below.

Simulating rotating equipment with SimScale

Engineering simulation provides the vital advantage needed to tackle the complex challenges of rotating equipment proactively. By modeling real-world physics in a virtual environment, designers can rapidly explore changes and predict performance before a prototype is ever built, leading to significant cost reduction, increased reliability and lifespan, and accelerated time to market.

At SimScale, we are committed to providing accessible, high-performance simulation tools right in your web browser. For rotating equipment, our platform offers a powerful, validated suite of simulation types across fluid dynamics, structural mechanics, and electromagnetics.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

To master the fluid flow within your turbomachinery, SimScale’s online CFD simulation capabilities offer two primary approaches. For initial design exploration and quickly mapping basic performance curves (like pump curves), the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) method provides a computationally fast, steady-state approximation. However, for maximum fidelity in predicting complex phenomena—such as rotor-stator interactions, pressure pulsations, or cavitation—the Transient Analysis utilizing the highly accurate Sliding Mesh technique is essential. Furthermore, you can accelerate your entire development cycle by using Parametric Studies to automatically run dozens of variations (different speeds, flow rates, geometries) in parallel, efficiently generating a full performance map.

Read how Hazleton Pumps generated performance curves 100x faster with SimScale.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Structural integrity and vibration avoidance are paramount for rotating equipment reliability. SimScale’s FEA tools focus on guaranteeing these factors. By conducting Rotational Modal Analysis, engineers can compute natural frequencies while accounting for rotational effects (centrifugal forces), which is crucial for identifying and avoiding critical speeds that lead to destructive resonance. The results are used to generate Campbell Diagrams for definitive vibration diagnosis. For detailed assessment, Harmonic and Transient Analysis allows designers to predict dynamic stresses resulting from forces like unbalance, ensuring the component’s fatigue life is sufficient.

Learn more about Rotational Modal Analysis and Campbell Diagrams on the SimScale Blog.

Electromagnetic (EM) Simulations

Electric motors and generators are a critical subset of rotating equipment, and their efficiency is governed by electromagnetics. SimScale’s EM solvers accurately calculate crucial machine characteristics like magnetic fields, flux, and torque output, which is necessary for meeting strict IE4/IE5 efficiency standards. To capture real-world performance accurately, these results can be integrated into Multiphysics Coupling workflows, linking electrical losses (heat) to a thermal analysis, which then feeds into a structural analysis to assess the impact of temperature on material stresses

Learn more about Multiphysics Simulation in SimScale.

Why SimScale for Your Rotating Equipment Design?

SimScale’s commitment to the rotating machinery sector is all about making advanced physics accessible. Our cloud-native platform is specifically engineered to overcome the common barriers of traditional CAE:

1. Speed and Parallelism: Run complex transient and parametric studies in parallel, reducing the turnaround time from days to hours.
2. Accessibility: No heavy software installation or specialized hardware is needed. Access powerful HPC from your web browser, anywhere.
3. Ease of Use: An intuitive interface and validated workflows, including specialized rotating machinery meshing, allow design engineers to conduct simulations without needing deep simulation expertise.

By leveraging SimScale, your team can Simulate Early, Simulate More, and Simulate Now—leading to faster design cycles, highly optimized products that meet global efficiency mandates, and maximum operational reliability for all your rotating equipment.

FAQs

The post What is Rotating Equipment? appeared first on SimScale.

An AI Masterclass – How to Fit Months into Hours

The highlight of the session was a real-world case study from Armin Narimanzadeh, Senior Thermofluids Expert at Convon (part of HD Hyundai). Armin shared his first-hand experience of using SimScale’s AI-powered simulation to optimize a hydrogen ejector pump, building a reusable Physics AI model that produces instant performance predictions for new designs.

This transformative approach reduced a design optimization process that previously took months down to under an hour, enabling rapid iteration and data-driven decision-making.

The discussion, featuring insights from Mike LaFleche of PTC and Steve Lainé of SimScale, explored the crucial role of a cloud-native ecosystem in making these workflows possible and how to overcome common blockers like data availability and trust in AI.

Key Takeaways:

1. AI is an Amplifier, Not a Replacement for Expertise

A recurring theme was that AI serves as a powerful tool to amplify your engineering expertise. Armin emphasized that while the AI model delivered incredible speed, his engineering expertise was still crucial to guide the optimization, validate the final results against CFD, and make the final design decisions. The goal is to empower experts, not replace them.

2. The “Months to Hours” Transformation is Real

The most powerful takeaway was the quantifiable impact on the product development cycle. Having invested in the initial model training and data generation, Armin’s team now has a reusable AI model that can generate a new, optimized design for their ejector in under an hour. This is a game-changing acceleration that directly impacts business agility.

3. A Cloud-Native Ecosystem was Key

This level of automation and speed is only possible when the entire toolchain is cloud-native. The seamless, API-driven connection between a parametric model in Onshape and the simulation in SimScale was essential for automatically generating and testing hundreds of design variants to firstly map the design space and then to explore and optimize within.

4. You Can Start Now, Even Without Perfect Data

Armin carefully tested different training data sets to find the dataset ‘sweet spot’ – how much data was needed to build an accurate model. He found that the number of samples needed was not as large as originally expected, allowing him to refine his approach for future projects.

Watch the full webinar recording below. And if this seems interesting, be sure to register for the rest of the series!

The post Webinar Highlights: Kickstarting Engineering AI in Manufacturing appeared first on SimScale.

Sounds interesting?

Let’s take a closer look at how it all works.

What is a solenoid?

A solenoid, a coil of wire, is an electromechanical device that uses electromagnetism to produce controlled motion. As an electric current passes through the wire coil, magnetic field that can move a ferrous armature is generated.

What is the function of a solenoid?

This controlled motion of a solenoid can open or close valves to control fluid flow in hydraulic and pneumatic systems, engage locks, activate switches – depending on the application.

Solenoids are widely used as they can provide precise motion control using electricity alone, without a need for complex mechanical linkages.

Parts of a Solenoid

Here is a breakdown of the key components that work together to generate and utilize a magnetic field for mechanical action.

How does a solenoid work step-by-step?

To truly understand how a solenoid works, it helps to look inside and observe what takes place the moment electricity is applied.

Below is a step-by-step explanation of the entire process – starting with the initial flow of current and ending with the resulting mechanical motion:

1. Electrical current energizes the coil (solenoid activation) : Once voltage is applied to the solenoid, electrical current starts flowing through the copper winding. This flow of electricity creates a magnetic field around the coil, a process explained by Ampère’s Law. How strong this magnetic field gets depends on factors such as: the number of turns in the winding, how strong the current is, and the magnetic permeability of the core material.
2. Magnetic field strengthens and focuses in the core: Next, the stationary core – usually made of something like soft iron – channels and intensifies the magnetic flux created by the coil. This process creates a powerful magnetic circuit between the core and the plunger (also known as the armature). At this point, the magnetic energy is concentrated and ready to push the plunger into motion.
3. The plunger is pulled in: Now the magnetic force comes into play, pulling the plunger toward the coil’s center. This is how electromagnetic energy is converted into linear mechanical motion. Depending on how the solenoid is built, the plunger either moves in (pull-type) or pushes out (push-type). That movement is what performs the work – whether it’s flipping a switch, opening a valve, or locking something into place.
4. Power off – the spring takes over: As soon as the power is cut, current stops flowing and the magnetic field fades away. Without that force holding the plunger in place, the return spring takes over and pushes the plunger back to its ‘resting’ position. This mechanism ensures fail-safe operation and resets the solenoid for its next activation.

Types of Solenoids

Without realizing it, solenoids are actually used every day for a variety of purposes – quietly powering a wide range of devices.

Their adaptability in size and strength makes them suitable for everything from small gadgets to heavy-duty machines. Different jobs call for different traits – like how fast they respond, how much energy they use or how they move – so there are many types of solenoids, each built to handle specific tasks.

Solenoid types can be broken down as follows.

Based on function and design

• Linear solenoids: These produce a linear, in-and-out motion, most commonly seen in push/pull applications.
• Push/pull (or monostable): The armature moves in or out when the coil is energized and returns to its original position when the power is removed, often with the help of a spring.
• Latching (or bistable): These require a pulse of energy to move to an “on” or “off” state, and they stay in that position without continuous power.
• Proportional: The position of the plunger is proportional to the amount of power supplied to the coil.
• Rotary solenoids: These create a rotational motion instead of linear movement.
• Solenoid valves: These control the flow of fluids or gases by using a solenoid to open or close a valve.
• Direct-acting: The solenoid directly opens or closes the valve, and this can be done with or without pressure acting on the valve.
• Pilot-operated (or indirect-acting): These use the fluid pressure as a pilot force to help operate the valve.

Based on electrical type and frame design

• AC solenoids: Solenoids designed to run on alternating current, often using a laminated frame to prevent buzzing.
• DC solenoids: Solenoids designed to run on direct current.
• C-Frame solenoids: These have a C-shaped frame around the coil and are popular in many DC applications.
• D-Frame solenoids: These have a two-piece, D-shaped frame and are commonly used in industrial applications.

Solenoid Applications

Compact, efficient, and remarkably versatile – solenoids play a quiet but crucial role in powering modern technology.

Whether in automotive, manufacturing equipment or medical devices, their ability to deliver precise motion makes them indispensable to today’s engineering solutions. Let’s explore some of the most common and important solenoid applications.

Design & Simulation of Solenoids

Designing a well-functioning solenoid involves carefully balancing several interdependent factors – including magnetic strength, actuation speed, heat buildup, and in certain cases, fluid behavior. The key design challenge is to ensure the solenoid generates sufficient electromagnetic force to move the plunger reliably, all while avoiding overheating or performance drops under real-world conditions.

Since solenoids operate through interconnected physical processes, their design requires consideration of multiple physics. The flow of electric current produces a magnetic field, which in turn drives motion and can cause heat generation. In valve-related applications, this motion further influences fluid pressure and flow.

Accurately modeling these various physical phenomena requires a combination of electromagnetic, thermal and fluid dynamics simulations.

With SimScale’s cloud-based multiple physics platform, engineers can simulate and refine every aspect of solenoid behavior in a single workspace – from observing magnetic field distribution to assessing thermal performance and analyzing internal fluid flow. This holistic simulation approach speeds up development, cuts down on physical prototyping and ensures consistent performance across a wide range of use cases.

Solenoids in our projects

Here are some amazing SimScale projects simulating solenoids.

FAQs

The post How do Solenoids Work appeared first on SimScale.

On-Demand Webinar

If the highlights caught your interest, there are many more to see. Watch the on-demand Simulation Expert Series webinar from SimScale on how real-time simulation with AI is driving faster design cycles and superior products by clicking the link below.

Watch On Demand

1. Simplifying Complex Simulations with Physics AI

Often, engineers face the daunting challenge of lengthy computation times that can extend from hours to days, hindering rapid conceptual testing and development. SimScale’s Physics AI comes as a revolutionary solution, enabling the prediction of simulation outcomes instantaneously. This integration within the SimScale platform means that engineers no longer need to endure lengthy wait times for results, thereby accelerating the entire design process. This capability is especially beneficial in scenarios where multiple iterations are necessary, as it allows for a substantial increase in experiments conducted within a much shorter timeframe.

2. Built-in Data Management and Model Training

Before you can benefit from the huge speedup offered by Physics AI, you first need to build a model from a dataset. In fact, this can be one of the most time consuming aspects of model training, if simulation data is scattered across different devices and systems, or buried in organizational siloes. SimScale’s built-in data management keeps all of your simulation data in the cloud, ready to use for AI model training, at all times. It means that engineers using SimScale can decide at any point to build a Physics AI model from their simulation data, and directly use the integrated AI infrastructure to do so in just a few mouse clicks,

3. Collaborative and Accessible Cloud-Native Platform

Collaboration in engineering projects, particularly when involving multiple stakeholders, can be cumbersome if not facilitated by the right tools. SimScale’s cloud-native platform excels in making collaboration simple and effective. Multiple users can view and edit the same simulation project simultaneously, regardless of their physical location. This aspect is crucial for cross-functional teams working on complex projects as it ensures that all team members have real-time access to the latest project developments, enhancing both communication and output quality.

4. Comprehensive Coverage and Integration of Broad Physics Disciplines

A unique advantage of using SimScale is its comprehensive capability across various physics disciplines, including flow, thermal, structural, and electromagnetics, all within a unified user experience. This holistic approach allows engineers with expertise in one area to easily transition to others, fostering a versatile skill set and offering a broader perspective on multi-physics problems. The platform’s ability to handle these diverse disciplines underpins its versatility and appeal across different engineering sectors.

5. Scalability and High-Performance Computing (HPC) Capabilities

The need for scalability in simulations cannot be overstated, especially for enterprises handling large-scale projects. SimScale’s platform is designed to scale effortlessly with automatic HPC provisioning that requires no manual intervention from the user. This feature means that engineers can run multiple simulations concurrently, reducing the time taken to arrive at optimal solutions and greatly increasing the throughput of design explorations.

Conclusion

Today’s webinar highlighted SimScale’s continuous commitment to revolutionizing the engineering simulation landscape through innovative AI integrations and cloud-native technologies. The platform’s advanced features, such as Physics AI and Engineering AI, not only simplify and speed up the simulation process but also democratize access to advanced engineering capabilities, enabling engineers to make timely and informed decisions.

Watch Now

To gain a deeper understanding of how SimScale can transform your engineering workflow, we encourage you to watch the full webinar. The session is packed with insightful demonstrations and expert discussions tailored to help you leverage AI in your simulation projects effectively. Access the on-demand recording here and start transforming your engineering challenges into opportunities today.

The post Webinar Insights: Valve Design and Flow Control appeared first on SimScale.

As power densities increase and form factors shrink, the choice between a passive or active cooling strategy becomes one of the most critical decisions in the design cycle. Making the wrong call leads to costly redesigns and field failures.

This is where simulation provides a decisive advantage. Cloud-based analysis allows engineers to test, validate, and optimize thermal solutions before committing to physical prototypes, transforming a high-stakes gamble into a predictable science. This article will dissect the two primary cooling methodologies – passive and active cooling methods – and provide a comprehensive framework for selecting and simulating the optimal approach to provide cooling for your project.

Passive Cooling: The Silent Guardian

Passive cooling represents engineering elegance – achieving thermal management without active cooling components consuming additional energy. It is a reliable, silent, and cost-effective solution for dissipating low-to-moderate heat loads, making it a cornerstone of modern electronics design.

What is Passive Cooling?

Passive cooling leverages the fundamental laws of physics to transport thermal energy. It relies on conduction, natural convection, and radiation to move heat from a source to the surrounding environment. Because these systems have no moving parts, the cooling systems are inherently fail-proof from a mechanical standpoint. This is a key principle behind passive cooling strategies offering unparalleled long-term reliability.

The process begins with conduction, governed by Fourier’s Law (q=−k∇T), where heat moves through a solid material like aluminum or copper. The heat then transfers to the surroundings via natural convection and radiation. Radiative cooling, described by the Stefan-Boltzmann Law (P=ϵσA(Thot⁴​−Tcold⁴​)), is why heat sinks are often anodized or painted black—to increase their emissivity (ϵ) and maximize heat dissipation.

How Does Passive Cooling Work?

The primary workhorse of passive cooling is the heat sink, which uses a large surface area to efficiently transfer heat. The process is straightforward:

1. Conduction: Heat is generated by the electronic component and conducted into the heat sink base, often through a Thermal Interface Material (TIM) that minimizes thermal resistance on the interface.
2. Dissipation: The heat spreads through the heat sink to its fins, which dramatically increase the surface area for dissipation into the ambient via natural convection and radiation.

More advanced passive systems like heat pipes and vapor chambers use two-phase heat transfer. A sealed working fluid evaporates at the hot interface (absorbing latent heat) and condenses at the cold interface (releasing heat), achieving an effective thermal conductivity that is orders of magnitude higher than solid copper.

Benefits of Passive Cooling

• Extreme Reliability: With no moving parts, there are zero mechanical failure points, which is essential for systems in inaccessible locations like satellites or remote telecom towers. Systems without openings offer a huge advantage in terms of preventing dirt and dust to negatively affect the cooling system or require regular maintenance.
• Zero Operational Cost: These solutions add nothing to a product’s energy consumption or a facility’s utility bill.
• Silent Operation: The absence of fans is a critical requirement for noise-sensitive applications like high-fidelity audio equipment or medical devices.
• Lower Cost: Passive solutions are typically cheaper to manufacture than their active counterparts.

Passive Cooling Systems Examples

• Extruded Aluminum Heat Sinks: The most common type, found in routers, set-top boxes, and solid-state drives (SSDs).
• Heat Pipes & Vapor Chambers: Used in high-performance laptops and compact, fanless PCs.
• Strategically Vented Enclosures: Designing a product’s housing to maximize the natural “chimney effect” of rising hot air.
• Phase Change Materials (PCMs): Materials that absorb thermal spikes by melting and re-solidify when the load decreases.

Real world passive cooling example

Cobalt Design used SimScale to reduce their passive heat sink temperature by 11% through the analysis of existing designs which highlighted localized peak temperatures inside the unit without an adequate exfiltration path.

Read the case study

Active Cooling: The Power Play

When the heat load generated by a system surpasses the capacity of passive methods, engineers must turn to active cooling. This approach uses forced convection components  to dramatically accelerate heat removal, making active cooling solutions essential for enabling performance levels that would be otherwise impossible.

What is Active Cooling?

Active cooling is any thermal management system that consumes energy to enhance heat transfer. By introducing a mechanical component like a fan or pump, these systems overcome the limitations of natural convection, allowing them to manage much higher heat fluxes within a compact form factor.

How Does Active Cooling Work?

The most common form of active cooling is forced convection. A fan or blower moves air across a heat sink at high velocity. This turbulent flow dramatically increases the heat transfer coefficient (h), enhancing the cooling performance and meaning more thermal energy is transferred away from the component.

For more demanding applications, active liquid cooling is used. A pump circulates a coolant through a cold plate mounted on the heat source. The heated liquid then flows to a radiator, where a fan dissipates the heat into the air, improving overall energy efficiency. A case study on high-power electronics demonstrated that a direct liquid cooling solution could maintain a component’s temperature at 55°C, while an air-cooled solution could only manage 77°C under the same heat load—a crucial 22°C difference.

Benefits of Active Cooling

• Superior Thermal Performance: The ability to dissipate immense heat loads enables high-performance CPUs and GPUs to operate at peak potential without throttling.
• Precise Thermal Control: Fan speeds can be dynamically adjusted using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) based on sensor data, optimizing cooling while minimizing noise and power use.
• Design Compactness: Active cooling achieves high performance in tight spaces, like blade servers, where a comparable passive solution would be too large.

Active Cooling Systems Examples

• Axial Fans & Centrifugal Blowers: Found in virtually all desktop computers, servers, and industrial cabinets.
• Closed-Loop Liquid Coolers: Standard for enthusiast PCs, workstations, and increasingly, direct-to-chip data center cooling.
• Thermoelectric Coolers (TECs): Solid-state Peltier devices that “pump” heat electrically, used for spot cooling in lab equipment and portable refrigerators.

Real world active cooling example

Rimac Automobili used SimScale to improve the thermal management of their EV batteries which lead to a 96% time saving for simulations as well as improved overall performance.

Read the case study

Choosing Active vs. Passive Cooling: A Design Framework

The decision between active and passive cooling is a trade-off analysis based on key design constraints. There is no single “best” solution, only the most appropriate one.

• Thermal Design Power (TDP) & Heat Flux: This is the starting point. Below ~15W, passive solutions usually suffice. Above 100W, active cooling is almost always necessary. The region between is a complex trade-off zone.
• Environment & Form Factor: High ambient temperatures reduce the effectiveness of all cooling but can render passive solutions inadequate. The available volume will also dictate if a large passive heat sink is even a viable option.
• Acoustics & Vibration: If silent operation is a primary requirement (e.g., medical devices), passive cooling is the clear choice. Fans introduce noise and micro-vibrations that can be problematic for sensitive equipment.
• Reliability & Maintenance (MTBF): Compare the Mean Time Between Failures of a fan (30k-70k hours) against the near-infinite lifespan of a solid heat sink. For products designed to last a decade, a fan is a potential point of failure.
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): An active solution has ongoing operational costs due to its power consumption. A slightly more expensive passive solution may have a lower TCO over the product’s lifetime.

Often, a hybrid approach is optimal, using a passive heat sink for normal operation and a fan that activates only under peak thermal load.

Simulate Your Active and Passive Cooling Solution with SimScale

Guesswork and over-engineering are not effective design strategies, especially when it comes to implementing hybrid cooling systems . Before committing to expensive tooling, you must validate your design. Cloud-native simulation with SimScale provides the quantitative proof needed to make data-driven decisions.

• De-Risk Your Design: Identify thermal failures in the digital domain to save weeks of time and thousands in wasted prototypes. Integrating CFD simulation early can reduce the number of physical prototypes required to one or a few at max and transform the physical testing into a pure validation step at the end of the design phase.
• Optimize for Performance: Run parametric studies on heat sink fin geometry or fan placement in parallel on the cloud. This allows you to find the configuration that offers the lowest thermal resistance (Rth​) for the lowest mass.
• Visualize the Invisible: Use CFD analysis to get a complete picture of airflow and heat distribution. You can visualize recirculation zones, identify thermal bottlenecks, and ensure your cooling solution performs as intended.
• Quantify with Precision: Move from estimation to prediction. A SimScale thermal simulation provides precise temperature calculations, confirming that a critical processor will be cooled from a dangerous 95°C to a safe 78°C, ensuring you meet reliability targets before manufacturing begins.

Stop gambling with your product’s thermal performance. Start your free trial of SimScale today and discover how cloud-based simulation can help you build more reliable, efficient, and powerful products with confidence.

The post Active vs Passive Cooling appeared first on SimScale.

The New Mandate for Engineering Leaders: Innovate Faster Under Unpreprecedented Pressure

The industrial machinery sector is in the midst of a full-scale transformation, aided by advancements in manufacturing simulation software . For decades, the industry evolved at a measured pace, but it now confronts profound shifts driven by a confluence of global macro trends.

For engineering leaders, the question is no longer how to innovate, but how fast. 

The pressures are multifaceted and converging, creating an environment where speed, efficiency, automation and sustainability have become the new pillars of success. Companies that fail to adapt their core processes risk falling out of sync with a market that demands more, faster.

This new reality is shaped by several powerful forces acting in concert:

• Digitalization & Industry 4.0: The demand for digital twins and predictive maintenance requires managing massive amounts of real-time data from interconnected systems.
• Sustainability & Regulatory Pressure: Stricter global regulations on emissions and efficiency make sustainability a core business imperative, requiring scrutiny of every design choice.
• New Power Technologies: The shift to electrification and hydrogen forces a complete rethink of design, balancing performance, weight, energy storage, and cost.
• AI & Machine Learning: Integrating AI/ML for design optimization requires robust data infrastructure and new skills to manage powerful predictive tools.

For the engineering decision-maker, these trends create a core conflict—a difficult balancing act between competing priorities. They are tasked with managing increased product complexity and optimizing production processes while simultaneously shortening design cycles.

They must drive relentless innovation while controlling costs and improving resource utilization in an environment of volatile energy and material prices. And they must deliver ever-higher levels of performance while complying with an increasingly stringent and complex web of global regulations.

This convergence of challenges fundamentally changes the role of the engineering leader. It is no longer enough to be a technical manager. 

The modern engineering leader is now a strategic transformer, standing on the front lines of the company’s response to its most critical business challenges. In this high-stakes environment, clinging to outdated development methods is not just inefficient; it’s a direct threat to competitiveness and long-term survival.

From Bottleneck to Accelerator: How Simulation Transforms the Manufacturing Process

To counteract the immense pressures of the modern industrial landscape, leading manufacturers are turning to simulation-driven product development that enhances process flow. This approach represents a fundamental shift away from the slow, linear, and risk-laden process of relying on physical prototypes for validation.

The linchpin of this transformation is early adoption. 

When simulation is used not as a final validation check but as an exploratory tool from the very beginning, its strategic value multiplies. This “simulate early and often” philosophy allows teams to identify potential design flaws, test performance limits, and optimize for multiple variables before a physical prototype is built. This virtual testing environment drastically reduces development time and de-risks the entire process.

This approach directly addresses the core conflicts facing engineering leaders:

• Tackling Complexity: Simulation allows engineers to analyze the holistic behavior of a system, ensuring all components work together as intended in a way that is impractical or impossible with physical testing.
• Accelerating Timelines: By replacing slow and expensive physical iterations with rapid virtual ones, simulation directly shortens the product development cycle.
• Optimizing for Sustainability and Cost: In a virtual environment, engineers can make data-driven decisions that meet sustainability targets and reduce operational and production costs.

Perhaps the most profound impact of this approach is how it inverts the traditional economics of innovation. Historically, the high cost of physical experimentation has limited exploration and encouraged conservative design choices.

Cloud-native simulation shatters this model.

Consider the case of the Bühler Group, a global leader in manufacturing processing technology. By leveraging simulation, their teams were able to evaluate 60 different design variants for a food processing project in just two weeks—a feat unimaginable with physical prototyping.

This demonstrates a complete inversion of the development funnel. Instead of limiting exploration, simulation enables a massive, parallel exploration of the entire design space at the very beginning of the process. Failures in a virtual world are cheap and provide valuable learning data, which helps to improve quality. 

This de-risks innovation and empowers engineering leaders to shift their teams’ focus from simply finding a design that works to discovering the absolute optimal design. This capability is not merely an efficiency gain; it is a powerful strategic weapon.

The Proof: Quantifiable Returns from the Factory Floor to the Bottom Line

The strategic shift to simulation-driven workflows is not a theoretical exercise; it is delivering tangible, measurable business outcomes for industry leaders today. Across the manufacturing sector, companies are leveraging advanced simulation to accelerate innovation, enhance product performance, and optimize resources while achieving significant returns on investment that resonate from the R&D lab to the C-suite.

The evidence is compelling, showcasing dramatic improvements in speed, cost savings, and operational resilience.

Disruptive Speed and Cost Savings

For companies like Hazleton Pumps, a global supplier of heavy-duty pump systems, the adoption of early-stage simulation was transformative. Previously reliant on a slow physical prototyping process, the company embraced simulation to evaluate multiple layout configurations and design configurations virtually.

The results were staggering: a 99% reduction in their development timeline and a savings of $40,000 per pump assembly through value engineering of structural supports.

Simulation (with SimScale) drastically changed our R&D landscape regarding time (99.9% quicker), cost (no HPC and data storage), and simulation accuracy. It allows us to complete development cycles within days instead of months, giving us a massive advantage compared to our competition. I would say that this (software) is not evolutionary but rather disruptive.

— Benjamin van der Walt, Engineering Manager at Hazleton Pumps

Manufacturing Operations Uptime and Crisis Aversion

The value of simulation now extends far beyond the initial design phase into critical plant operations and maintenance. This is where the technology proves its worth not just as a tool for innovation, but as a crucial asset for risk management.

Methanex, the world’s largest methanol producer, faced a potentially high-risk leak in one of its production plants. A forced shutdown would have resulted in massive production losses. Instead of waiting for a physical fix, their Reliability Engineering team used simulation to design and verify a new leak containment component.

They delivered a validated solution in a single business day, with the component itself designed and optimized in just 8 hours. This rapid response avoided a costly plant outage, saving the company an estimated $3.5 million.

Similarly, Nalco Water, a leader in water treatment solutions, used simulation to solve a critical operational issue at a large paper mill in Brazil. A faulty water nozzle was causing repeated, costly downtime. By using CFD simulation to quickly optimize the nozzle design, they achieved a 70% reduction in unplanned downtime, equating to an annual saving of $10 million for their client.

Sustainability Meets Profitability

Simulation is also proving to be a key enabler for companies striving to meet ambitious sustainability goals without sacrificing profitability.

Kreyenborg, a leader in food drying technologies, used simulation to optimize airflow and heat transfer in their industrial dryers. This focus on efficiency and the use of digital models led to a 25% cost reduction in their new designs and shortened their time-to-market by 2-3 months per product.

In Denmark, the design consultancy Böhme specializes in sustainable plastics manufacturing. By integrating simulation into their process design, they were able to provide their customers with solutions that delivered 15% energy savings and 10% material waste reduction, providing a direct and quantifiable return on investment.

These examples, summarized in the table below, paint a clear picture. Modern simulation software delivers a powerful, multi-faceted business case that speaks directly to the core priorities of engineering and executive leadership.

The cases of Methanex and Nalco Water signal a crucial evolution in the application of this technology. Historically confined to the R&D department, simulation is now being deployed more broadly across the product lifecycle as a critical operational asset for maintenance, reliability engineering, and real-time problem-solving.

This uncovers a new and compelling justification for investment. The ROI is no longer measured just in R&D efficiency gains but in avoided operational losses and protected revenue streams.

An engineering leader building a business case for investment should consider not only how simulation can benefit the R&D and design process, but also how simulation-driven insights can drive operational excellence and predictive maintenance of in-service equipment.

The Technology Shift: Why Cloud-Native Platforms are Outpacing Legacy Tools

The remarkable results achieved by companies like Hazleton Pumps and Methanex are made possible by a fundamental technology shift: the move from traditional, on-premise simulation software to modern, cloud-native platforms. Legacy tools, while powerful in their time, have become a source of frustration and a significant bottleneck for agile engineering teams.

The Legacy Bottleneck

Traditional simulation software is often characterized by inherent limitations that stifle the very innovation it is meant to support:

• Slow and Serial: Long solution times tie up computing resources for hours or days, forcing a slow, serial design process.
• Siloed and Restrictive: Steep learning curves and complex licensing create specialist bottlenecks, slowing down development.
• Hardware-Dependent: Requires massive, expensive investment in on-premise HPC hardware with fixed capacity, limiting simulation scale.

The Cloud-Native Advantage

Cloud-native simulation platforms were built from the ground up to eliminate these bottlenecks. By leveraging the immense power of cloud computing, they offer a fundamentally different approach that aligns with the needs of modern, globally-distributed engineering teams.

• Unlimited Scalability and Flexibility: Provides virtually limitless computational power on demand, allowing engineers to run hundreds of simulations in parallel without hardware constraints.
• Seamless Cloud-Based Collaboration: Accessible via a web browser with built-in collaboration tools, enabling global teams to work together on the same project in real time.
• Comprehensive Multiphysics on a Single Platform: Integrates a full suite of solvers (flow, thermal, structural and electromagnetics) into a single interface, providing a holistic view of system performance.
• Democratized Access and Early Integration: A browser-based interface and templated workflows lower the barrier to entry, empowering more design engineers to use simulation early and often.
• Enterprise-Grade Security: Employs robust encryption and compliance with rigorous standards like SOC 2 Type II to ensure intellectual property is protected.

This transition from legacy to cloud-native is more than just a technological upgrade; it represents a profound organizational and cultural shift. The old model centralized power with a few specialists, creating dependencies. The new, cloud-native model democratizes access across teams and organizations..

At Bühler, 15% of all mechanical and process engineers now use simulation regularly. 

This means simulation is no longer a service requested by designers but a tool wielded by them directly. 

For an engineering leader, this flattens the organizational structure, accelerates problem-solving, and upskills the entire team. This cultural shift toward proactive, data-driven engineering is a far more durable competitive advantage that can increase throughput than any single software feature.

Expanding the Frontier: Latest Trends and Applications in Manufacturing Simulation

As cloud-native platforms mature, they are enabling engineers to tackle new challenges and push the boundaries of what’s possible, ultimately leading to increased throughput. The application of simulation is expanding beyond product design into a host of cutting-edge areas that are defining the future of manufacturing.

^{AI and Machine Learning Integration}

The fusion of physics-based simulation with artificial intelligence is creating a powerful feedback loop that accelerates the entire innovation cycle.

• AI-Powered Simulation: Physics AI models speed up analysis by providing near-instant performance predictions, enabling rapid evaluation of hundreds of early-stage design options.
• Simulation-Generated Data for AI: Simulation generates high-quality synthetic data to train AI models, especially when real-world data is scarce. This creates a symbiotic relationship: simulation makes AI smarter, and AI makes simulation faster.
• Pre-trained Foundation Models: Trained on broad datasets, foundation models provide a ‘quick start’ to help companies start leveraging AI, as well as being a highly effective way to democratize access to simulation-driven insights.

Powering the Green Transition

Simulation is playing an indispensable role in developing the next generation of sustainable technology needed to power the global energy transition.

• Electrification and Hydrogen: Simulation helps solve complex multiphysics challenges in designing efficient electric motors, batteries, and hydrogen systems by modeling thermal, electromagnetic, and fluid dynamics.
• Renewable Energy Systems: Simulation optimizes renewable energy tech like Energyminer’s micro-hydropower plants and Cryo Pur’s biogas liquefaction systems, which cut simulation time from 26 hours to just one.

Deeply Integrated, Application-Specific Workflows

Modern platforms are also developing highly tailored workflows that address the specific needs of different manufacturing domains, demonstrating a deep understanding of industry challenges.

• Turbomachinery: Generate full pump curves in under an hour or complete cavitation studies in two hours—tasks that previously took days.
• Valves and Flow Control: Automated calculations for valve coefficients (Cv​, Kv​) and pressure loss enable rapid optimization of flow control systems.
• HVAC and Built Environment: Optimize everything from heat exchangers to entire building ventilation systems. Fusion Modulair verified the HVAC design for a 55,000 m2 building, ensuring code compliance with a massive 47 million cell mesh simulation.

Future-Proofing Your Engineering Workflow

The pressures facing the industrial machinery sector are immense, but the tools available to meet these challenges have evolved dramatically. Simulation has transitioned from a niche, late-stage validation tool into a core strategic asset for driving innovation, maximizing efficiency, and ensuring inventory control and operational resilience.

The evidence is clear: companies that embrace a simulation-driven approach are innovating faster, operating more efficiently, and building a significant competitive advantage.

Adopting a cloud-native simulation platform is therefore not merely a software purchasing decision; it is a strategic investment in your organization’s future competitiveness. It is an investment in agility, resilience, and innovation for optimizing your production line, giving your engineers the freedom to explore the boundaries of design without the constraints of physical prototyping.

Ultimately, success in this new era will require more than just technology. The most successful companies will be those that foster a cultural shift toward collaboration, agility, and proactive, data-driven problem-solving. By investing in cloud-native simulation today, you are not just acquiring a powerful tool; you are laying the foundation for this culture and investing in your ability to lead, not just react to, the changes that will shape your industry for years to come

Unlock new levels of innovation and efficiency in industrial machinery manufacturing with SimScale’s cloud-native simulation platform.

Get started for free today to explore how early-stage simulation can optimize your designs for performance and sustainability.

For tailored solutions to your specific manufacturing needs, request a personalized demo or consult with our experts to discover how SimScale can help you accelerate product development, reduce costs, and meet evolving industry demands.

The post How Modern Manufacturing Simulation Software Drives Maximum Efficiency appeared first on SimScale.

That’s a strong sentiment to start an article with. And, really, just a fancy way of saying “adapt or die”.

But is it true?

The industrial manufacturing sector is evolving rapidly. Companies are contending with a wave of disruption;

• The race to decarbonize
• Relentless digital transformation
• Fierce global competition

These challenges are fundamentally reshaping how businesses design, build, and maintain products.

Traditional engineering approaches are often no longer sufficient. Organizations must adopt digital-first tools and strategies to drive agility, efficiency, and innovation. Simulation, especially when integrated early in the design process, is emerging as a cornerstone of this transformation.

Industrial Manufacturing Trends: Macro Trends Shaping the Industry

The industrial machinery landscape is being redefined by a series of converging macro forces. There’s a large range of manufacturing industry trends shaping the sector;

• Environmental regulations
• Digital disruption
• Rise of artificial intelligence
• Electrification of equipment
• Emerging technologies (including smart factories and advanced automation)

Labor shortages, global supply chain disruptions, and workforce concerns are additional significant macro forces impacting the industry and influencing strategic decisions.

Company reports provide valuable insights into these macro trends, offering authoritative data on corporate strategies, investments, and sustainability initiatives.

These trends are placing new demands, and opening up new opportunities, for manufacturers. 

Below, we break down the seven most transformative forces currently shaping the industry. Understanding and acting on these trends is key to remaining competitive in an increasingly complex and volatile global environment.

1. Digitalization & Industry 4.0

The fourth industrial revolution is here – and manufacturers are rapidly adopting digital tools to modernize operations and gain a competitive edge!

At the core of this transformation is the integration of cyber-physical systems, digital twins, and IoT sensors. These enable real-time data collection, predictive maintenance, and optimization across production lines. Yet, integrating new technologies with legacy systems presents challenges, highlighting the need for infrastructure upgrades.

Simulation plays a vital role by offering a virtual testbed to model, evaluate, and refine systems before implementation. For example, engineers can explore hundreds of design variations in a single afternoon—an efficiency that used to take weeks with physical prototypes.

2. Sustainability & Regulatory Compliance

Sustainability is no longer a corporate side project; it’s a front-and-center driver of design and engineering decisions. New ESG mandates are forcing companies to evaluate their energy use, emissions output, and materials sourcing at every step of the product lifecycle. Many manufacturers are now adopting circular economy principles to reduce waste, conserve resources, and promote eco-friendly production methods.

Lifecycle Assessments (LCA) are increasingly mandatory for product approvals in Europe and North America. By modeling these assessments digitally through simulation, companies can understand the environmental impact of a product before it’s built.

In addition to monitoring energy use and emissions, companies are increasingly turning to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to achieve sustainability goals, reduce emissions, and support environmentally friendly production practices.

Beyond compliance, sustainability is also a competitive differentiator. Customers are demanding greener machinery, and investors are rewarding firms that show measurable ESG progress. Simulation allows manufacturers to optimize for sustainability – minimizing energy consumption, maximizing reuse, and streamlining thermal and fluid efficiencies.

3. Electrification and Energy Transition

The industrial push toward electrification is reaching a tipping point. Governments around the world are subsidizing the transition away from fossil fuels, and industrial OEMs are responding with urgency. Electric motors are replacing combustion engines, and hydrogen combustion systems are being piloted across sectors like heavy machinery and chemical processing.

But the move isn’t as simple as swapping engines. Engineers must address a new generation of design challenges: how to manage battery heat, balance energy loads, and ensure durability under new mechanical stresses. Simulation accelerates this learning curve by giving teams the ability to evaluate component behavior under various load conditions and extreme environments – long before field testing.

One growing trend is the integration of thermal and structural simulations to evaluate how electrified components behave under real-world operating pressures, such as rapid load cycling or ambient temperature variation.

4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Product Development

Artificial intelligence is shifting from a buzzword to a mission-critical capability. Predictive analytics are already helping engineers detect anomalies and preempt failure modes, while machine learning is being used to continuously optimize designs based on past performance data. AI is also increasingly used to enhance the production process by detecting anomalies in real time and optimizing maintenance and safety procedures.

Generative design, a form of AI that explores all possible permutations of a solution, is also gaining traction. Combined with simulation, this creates a feedback loop where AI proposes options, simulation tests them, and the best ideas are automatically refined and selected.

AI-assisted simulation is especially valuable in high-variability product environments, like HVAC systems or turbomachinery, where the number of possible configurations is vast and traditional methods fall short.

5. Market Dynamics and Global Competition

The global landscape for industrial manufacturers is more complex and cutthroat than ever. Shorter project timelines, rising material costs, and demands for customization are all compounding pressure on engineering teams.

Customers expect tailored solutions, yet still want fast turnarounds and competitive pricing!

Simulation allows companies to meet these demands by reducing cycle times and increasing iteration velocity. In this environment, speed is not just a competitive advantage – it’s a requirement for survival.

6. Global Supply Chains: Resilience and Transformation

The manufacturing industry is undergoing a profound transformation as global supply chains face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Recent supply chain disruptions, most notably those triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, have exposed vulnerabilities in traditional supply chain management strategies. As a result, manufacturing companies are reimagining their approach to ensure greater supply chain resilience and adaptability.

To address these challenges, leaders in the manufacturing sector are turning to advanced technologies. These tools enable real-time monitoring and predictive analytics, allowing companies to anticipate disruptions and optimize production processes.

Another key trend is the reevaluation of global supply chains, with many manufacturing organizations diversifying their supplier base and exploring nearshoring options. By reducing reliance on single-source suppliers and bringing production closer to end markets, companies can better manage risks and respond more quickly to market shifts.

Digital transformation is at the heart of this evolution. Investments in smart supply chain management systems empower manufacturers to make data-driven decisions, streamline logistics, and enhance supply chain resilience. As the manufacturing industry continues to adapt, those who embrace these innovations will be best positioned to thrive in a dynamic global environment.

7. Additive Manufacturing: Redefining Production Paradigms

Additive manufacturing is fundamentally reshaping the manufacturing industry by challenging and redefining traditional production paradigms. This innovative technology enables manufacturers to create highly complex products with remarkable efficiency, significantly reducing material waste and streamlining production processes.

As the industry evolves, additive manufacturing is also influencing workforce development. Efficient workforce training programs are being designed to upskill employees in the use of advanced manufacturing equipment, while augmented reality tools are being integrated to support hands-on learning and boost human capabilities on the factory floor.

Looking ahead, additive manufacturing is set to play a pivotal role in the future of industrial manufacturing. By enabling manufacturers to optimize production processes, reduce costs, and deliver tailored solutions, 3D printing is helping companies maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly complex market landscape.

Siemens Energy used SimScale to rapidly iterate it’s 3D printed heat exchanged design for heat transfer efficiency and pressure drop optimization.

Simulation as a Strategic Response to Industry Challenges

Simulation has rapidly evolved from a niche engineering function to a core driver of industrial competitiveness. It enables teams to virtually prototype, test, and optimize systems in a fraction of the time, and at a fraction of the cost, compared to traditional physical methods.

Companies that integrate simulation early in the design process are seeing transformative results, from shorter development cycles to lower energy consumption and fewer field failures. But its applications don’t stop at product design. Simulation is increasingly being used throughout the lifecycle—from maintenance strategy to operational troubleshooting.

Early-Stage Simulation for Competitive Advantage

By incorporating simulation from the concept phase, manufacturers can detect design flaws, explore performance limits, and validate ideas long before production.

Bühler Group used cloud-native simulation to test 60 design variants in just two weeks—cutting lead times and boosting collaboration across five international engineering teams.

Hazleton Pumps reported a 99% reduction in development time, and savings of $40,000 per pump, by optimizing structural components before any prototypes were built.

These are not edge cases—they represent a broader shift in how modern manufacturers are approaching engineering.

Cloud-Native Design & Simulation Platforms

The shift to cloud-native platforms is removing historical barriers to simulation. Engineers no longer need access to costly high-performance computing infrastructure or specialized software environments. Platforms like onshape and SimScale allow design and simulation to happen directly in the browser with enterprise-grade accuracy.

Key benefits include:

• Global collaboration: Teams in different regions can share and iterate on models in real time
• Scalability: Run multiple simulations simultaneously to explore more design options
• Integration: Seamlessly connect with popular CAD tools and PLM systems

This shift is democratizing access to simulation and expanding its use across disciplines.

Simulation Beyond Design: Operations & Maintenance

Perhaps the most exciting frontier is the extension of simulation into operational decision-making. Companies are using simulation to diagnose real-time plant issues, fine-tune performance, and even develop predictive maintenance strategies.

• Methanex used simulation to redesign a leak containment system in under a day—avoiding a $3.5M outage.
• Nalco Water achieved a 70% reduction in unplanned downtime at a paper mill by simulating and optimizing a faulty nozzle.

Simulation in these contexts isn’t just about design—it’s about keeping revenue-generating systems online and operating efficiently.

“We use simulation not just for design, but for real-time operational fixes.”

Industry-Specific Trends and Applications

Simulation delivers value across nearly every segment of industrial machinery. Technology investments in simulation and digital tools are enabling sector-specific innovation and efficiency, helping companies stay competitive. From pumps and fans to compressors and valves, virtual testing and verification are allowing engineers to solve sector-specific problems quickly and effectively.

Turbomachinery and Fluid Systems

Pumps, compressors, and turbines are at the heart of many industrial systems, and notoriously sensitive to flow conditions. With tools like SimScale, engineers can run high-fidelity simulations in hours rather than days to:

• Generate pump and fan curves
• Analyze cavitation and efficiency
• Predict structural wear due to flow dynamics

These insights lead to more reliable equipment, lower energy consumption, and extended lifespan.

HVAC Innovation and Compliance

HVAC engineers must balance performance, efficiency, and compliance with increasingly strict energy and indoor air quality standards.

Fusion Modulair used cloud simulation to evaluate an entire building’s airflow dynamics, completing 22,000+ core hours of analysis in just three weeks. This enabled them to:

• Ensure compliance with ASHRAE and LEED
• Optimize comfort and energy use
• Reduce post-installation rework

Valve, Flow Control, and Process Optimization

In flow control systems, even small inefficiencies can lead to large losses. Simulation allows engineers to:

• Optimize valve shapes and materials
• Analyze pressure drops and flow rates
• Test electromagnetic actuation mechanisms

This results in faster delivery of custom valves, reduced failure rates, and more accurate control systems.

Renewable Energy and Sustainable Design

Simulation is also accelerating the development of next-gen renewable technologies.

• Cryo Pur cut simulation time from 26 hours to 1 using parallel cloud computing, enabling faster iteration on cryogenic systems
• Energyminer used multiphase simulations to optimize flow and power output in micro-hydro systems—reducing physical prototyping needs and time to market

These gains are helping smaller innovators compete with industry giants.

Future Outlook: Building Resilience Through Innovation

As manufacturers prepare for the future, resilience and adaptability will define success. The companies best positioned to thrive will be those who build simulation into their DNA across product development, operations, and strategic planning.

“Simulation is no longer a niche tool—it’s the backbone of industrial innovation.”

Looking ahead, expect to see even deeper integration of AI, digital twins, and real-time performance monitoring. Simulation will play a critical role not just in creating the next generation of equipment, but in ensuring it operates efficiently, sustainably, and safely throughout its lifecycle.

Conclusion

To lead in 2025 and beyond, manufacturers must:

• Embrace early-stage simulation
• Invest in cloud-native platforms
• Align innovation with sustainability and compliance

Simulation empowers teams to innovate faster, cut costs, and reduce risk—all while delivering products that meet the highest standards of performance and sustainability.

The leaders of tomorrow are simulating today.

Ready to modernize your workflows? Explore simulation with SimScale now.

The post Industrial Manufacturing Trends in 2025 appeared first on SimScale.