What's new in Simcenter E-Machine Design and EMAG solutions?
- Alvaro Filho
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Breaking barriers with a simplified electric motor design process.
In the world of electric machine design and development, time is always the enemy. As the sun rises on another day at an electric mobility company, three engineers from different departments gather around a conference table, their expressions tense. The prototype deadline is just weeks away, but a critical design change has brought complexity and risk to the schedule. The team needs to modify the axial flux design to solve thermal problems, but recreating the electromagnetic (emag) model in the simulation tool would take weeks—time that is not available.
This scenario is repeated daily throughout the industry. While the world rushes toward electrification, the tools and processes used to design these critical components often remain fragmented across disciplines, creating invisible barriers between the teams that most need to collaborate.
The Hidden Cost of a Disconnected Project
When an electrical engineer spends weeks perfecting an electric motor design in a dedicated tool like Simcenter E-Machine Design, their work represents only the beginning of a much longer journey. For that design to become a reality, it needs to undergo detailed validation, as well as thermal, structural, and vibration (NVH) analyses—each requiring the model to be manually recreated in different simulation environments.
In some cases, it can take three months just to recreate a 3D axial flux machine template for more detailed analysis. This represents lost innovation time in what boils down to digital paperwork.
This disconnect not only consumes time but also limits collaboration between teams. When each model recreation takes weeks, the rapid iteration and innovation cycle becomes unfeasible. Engineers end up making more conservative decisions simply because they cannot afford to explore alternatives with the necessary agility.
Weaving the Digital Thread
Now, imagine a scenario where the electric motor design, carefully developed in the design tool, can flow effortlessly between different tools and teams—where a single click sends the complete model, with all its complexity, directly to the next simulation environment.
This is precisely the proposition of the new model transfer capability in the Simcenter portfolio. It's not just a feature—it's the digital thread that connects previously isolated tools and disciplines.
After optimizing the axial flux machine design in Simcenter E-Machine Design—exploring hundreds of variants in a few hours, thanks to the equivalent circuit approach—the engineer can now transfer the complete model directly to Simcenter 3D or Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
The thermal team, in turn, receives not just data or specifications, but a three-dimensional model ready for the solver, with the appropriate mesh and complete simulation configuration. What used to take weeks now happens in minutes. Geometry, materials, and electromagnetic properties are transferred in their entirety—even complex features such as skew and end windings, which would be particularly time-consuming to recreate manually.
From Concept to Validation in One Day
This integrated approach completely transforms the development of electric motors. In a typical scenario, the team might identify a new axial flux machine concept in the morning, by midday the team uses Simcenter E-Machine Design to explore 500 potential configurations, optimizing efficiency and performance, and can transfer the most promising design to Simcenter 3D in the afternoon. Before the end of the day, structural validation can begin using the exact same model—without recreation, simplification, or delays.
Meanwhile, the thermal team works on the same model within Simcenter STAR-CCM+, coupling electromagnetic and cooling simulations to validate performance under real operating conditions. Identified issues can be addressed quickly, as everyone uses the same digital representation of the motor.
The Human Impact
More than just technical gains, this integration redefines how engineering teams collaborate. When a thermal problem arises that requires design modifications, teams can work together and validate changes in a matter of hours, instead of weeks.
For engineering managers responsible for coordinating multidisciplinary teams, the impact is profound. Projects that previously needed to be carried out sequentially, with long intervals between phases, can now advance in parallel and synchronized. Rapid and continuous iterations become routine, increasing the quality and efficiency of the final products.
Connecting Today's Innovation to Tomorrow's Success
This functionality—now available in the latest version of Simcenter E-Machine Design 2506—represents more than just time savings. It embodies a fundamental shift in how electric drive systems are developed, connecting the digital workflow from initial concept to detailed validation across all disciplines.
For companies competing to launch the next generation of electric vehicles to market, this connected approach not only accelerates development but also enables entirely new levels of productivity and innovation that were not possible when teams worked in isolation.
In the enterprise setting, as engineers leave the meeting with a new plan, there is a palpable sense of relief. Design changes can be implemented, validated across disciplines, and ready for prototype manufacturing—all on schedule. What once seemed impossible becomes simply another workday in the connected world of Simcenter tools.
Eliminate the barriers between your engineering teams and accelerate the development of electric motors with a truly integrated digital workflow. Speak with CAEXPERTS and discover how to simplify your processes and drastically reduce the time between concept and validation — schedule a meeting today!
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