This was presented at the NAFEMS World Congress 2025, held in Salzburg, Austria from May 19–22, 2025.

Abstract

The successful democratization of Engineering Simulation hinges on making simulation data and information accessible throughout the entire product and process lifecycle. This ensures that all relevant stakeholders can make informed design decisions efficiently. According to NAFEMS: 'œDemocratization of Engineering Simulation (DOES) means a significant expansion in the use of Engineering Simulation by all users in a reliable way, for whom access to the power of Engineering Simulation would be beneficial.' This paper explores two key technologies essential for effective DOES: 1. CAD-Embedded Simulation (SimCAD or CAE CAD) '“ Simulation that uses directly without modification CAD models for simulation. 2. Abstract Modeling '“ An automated CAE processing approach that defines simulations as data models, associating simulation attributes with abstract geometric objects. These technologies enable a critical expertise shift in the production of Engineering Simulation Data. Instead of relying on both CAD engineers and CAE analysts to generate and refine simulation models, the workflow is restructured as follows: -CAD engineers, whose expertise lies in defining product geometry using CAD software, now inherently generate simulation-ready CAD models as the first step to their existing CAD modeling process. This eliminates the traditional reliance on CAE analysts for geometry cleanup and preprocessing. This approach requires adding detailed features only to the final selected SimCAD model that will be manufactured. -CAE automation agents, leveraging Abstract Simulation Data Models, take over the processing of simulation data. Instead of requiring CAE analysts to manually set up simulations, these automation agents reuse the abstract simulation data model to assign the correct simulation behavior to the SimCAD model. They then process and run the simulation, automatically generating the Rapid CAE Report'”placing it '˜on the shelf'™ for consumption. This eliminates dependency on the scarce resource of CAE analysts. This expertise shift ensures that the production of Engineering Simulation Data is more efficient, cost-effective, and seamlessly integrated into the design workflow, allowing simulation insights to be readily available throughout the product lifecycle. To illustrate this transformation, the paper presents an analogy between engineering simulation and an e-commerce model. Here: -Producers: CAD engineers and CAE automation tools generate simulation data. -Consumers: Enterprise decision-makers utilize simulation information for design and manufacturing. -E-commerce: A digital Simulation Product Performance Marketplace, built on Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) with AI, enabling consumers to make informed product decisions. The discussion will compare the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of this approach against traditional workflows, which rely on both CAD engineers and CAE analysts for simulation data production. A detailed analysis of billable hours and calendar time required to make simulation data available with and without these key technologies will be provided. Additionally, the paper highlights necessary expertise and organizational shifts, specifically: -Transitioning geometry cleanup tasks from CAE preprocessors back to CAD engineers using CAD software. -Refining New Product Introduction (NPI) workflows, where CAD design efforts focus on creating geometry only at the level necessary for CAE simulations, detailing only the final validated design for manufacturing. These shifts will significantly reduce CAE geometry cleanup efforts, minimizing costs and time while improving the availability of simulation data. A practical comparison between current CAE preprocessing methods and a democratized CAD-based approach will be presented. Finally, the paper will briefly explore the role of automation agents (CAE automation processors) alongside PLM, CAD PDM, and SPDM software in building a fully integrated, e-commerce-like platform for democratized Engineering Simulation.