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Software In Action View Mechanical Event Simulation of Micropump A collaborative project with the University of Alberta examined the effects of resonance on a piezoelectric micropump. Firstly, linear dynamic analysis determined the natural frequencies. Then, stress levels were obtained by resonating the micropump at its first natural frequency using Mechanical Event Simulation. Click here for more analysis replays of MEMS applications. 56K 100K 250K

"Multiphysics and CAD support capabilities make ALGOR an important player in the MEMS simulation industry."      Walied Moussa, Ph.D.      University of Alberta Maximum stresses obtained from an MES are displayed for a MEMS piezoelectric micropump, used for biomedical applications such as delivering minute, accurate fluid dosages to diabetics or chemotherapy patients. Click here for the related technical paper.

"ALGOR is an effective tool for MEMS design due to its foundation in trusted finite element technology, flexible modeling options, multiphysics and dynamic nonlinear capabilities, Windows-based interface and ability to analyze and optimize packaging."      Robert Calvet      SiWave, Inc. Engineers at SiWave, Inc. used MES to calculate stress and displacement results over time for an applied shock load on this MEMS optical switch. The insets show a microscopic photograph of the device and its actual size compared to a penny. Click here for the analysis replay. Click here for the full story.

Electrostatic analysis software was used to calculate the electrostatic forces generated when voltage is applied to this MEMS radial comb motor.

MEMS Simulation

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are micromachines the size of a grain of salt or the eye of a needle that integrate mechanical elements, sensors, actuators and electronics on a silicon substrate. ALGOR's MEMS solution links electrostatic analysis to stress analysis tools. Additionally, components that house, protect and interface with a MEMS device can be designed and optimized. These analysis capabilities are all available within ALGOR's easy-to-use, single user interface for finite element modeling, results evaluation and presentation, FEMPRO.

Modeling

A suite of modeling capabilities includes:

• InCAD technology for direct CAD/CAE data exchange with:
  • Alibre Design
  • Autodesk Inventor
  • Inovate
  • IronCAD
  • KeyCreator
  • Mechanical Desktop
  • Pro/ENGINEER
  • Rhinoceros
  • Solid Edge
  • SolidWorks
• full associativity for each design change with most CAD solid modelers
• support for CAD universal files including 3-D solid models in the ACIS, IGES, STEP and STL file formats and 2- and 3-D wireframe geometry in the CDL, DXF and IGES file formats
• a user-controlled feature suppression tool with the option to suppress details either manually or based on feature size
• a midplane mesh engine for reducing thin, solid features in a CAD model to plate/shell elements with automatic handling of parts, assemblies, multi-thickness regions and mixed element type models
• an automatic, hex-dominant hybrid solid meshing tool to produce higher quality elements on the first pass and more accurate results
• automatic, intelligent, feature-based mesh refinement and point-and-click definition of areas where a finer mesh is desired
• Superdraw tools for 2- and 3-D sketching, modeling and structured meshing
• Internationalized language support including:
  • Graphical user interface and user documentation in Chinese (simplified), English, French, German, Italian and Spanish
  • Automatic language detection based on Windows regional settings
  • Convenient selection of language of user's choice

Analysis

MEMS simulation capabilities include:

• electrostatic analysis software that calculates forces due to surface charges
• Mechanical Event Simulation (MES) and static stress analysis with linear and nonlinear material models that predicts electromechanical effects driven by electrostatic forces
• piezoelectric material models for MES and static stress analysis
• linear dynamics

Results Evaluation and Presentation

A built-in graphics environment provides extensive results evaluation and presentation capabilities and features transparent display options, multiple-window displays, fast dynamic viewing controls and customization options including user-defined color palettes and annotations. All analysis results can be:

• displayed graphically as contours or plots
• output in the BMP, JPG, TIF, PNG, PCX and TGA formats
• animated with AVI creation and display tools
• presented in text or HTML reports

• MEMS Simulation and Design Optimization with FEA-Based Tools
• The 4 M’s of MEMS Analysis Software Selection: Modeling, Multiphysics, Mechanical Event Simulation and the Micro/Macro Interface
• Modeling and Simulating MEMS Devices Using Finite Element Analysis
• Search eTechLearning.com for MEMS