Tony Gray

Synopsis: Where do your designs begin? Do you use previous projects as a starting point? Can they be based on hard-earned knowledge, or is it something else? When faced with a straightforward problem like a beam carrying a load, creating an efficient structure can be done with, let’s call it, our engineering intuition, but you don’t just design simple parts and assemblies with single loads, you design complex 3D structures with loads in multiple dimensions. This is where topology optimization and generative design software comes into play. These new tools allow users to quickly and easily analyze load paths to generate the ideal and most efficient structural part layout. Utilizing these cutting-edge tools, designers and engineers often design parts that are lighter, stronger, and less costly than ever before.

This presentation will explore the history and theory of optimization all the way back to its roots in biomimicry (mimicking nature) and Wolff’s Law form the 19th century that states that a bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed. Attendees will see real-world applications and leave with an understanding of how they can use optimization today to improve almost every structural part or product that they create.

Biography: Tony is an optimisation specialist currently dividing his time between customer weight reduction projects and helping develop solidThinkingr’s next generation optimisation and engineering design tools. He recently held the role of Director of SolidThinking for APAC countries and before that managed the Altair business in Australia and New Zealand – developing a deep understanding of customer needs in many industries. Tony joined Altair UK in 1997 as an optimisation specialist and has focused on using CAE based optimisation tools for product design and development since 1995. He is passionate about the practical application of simulation and optimisation methods for design engineers with an emphasis on innovative design, weight and cost reduction and improved product performance.