Going with the Flow

Healthcare company turns around a part redesign in a matter of days instead of months, thanks to CFD software.

VIASYS Healthcare is a company that understands the value of time. The organization develops, manufactures, markets and services medical devices used in respiratory care, neurology, vascular medicine, critical care and the medical and surgical products markets. These complex and high-tech products are designed for diagnosing and treating cardiopulmonary, digestive, neurological, respiratory and vascular disorders for neonatal, pediatric and adult patients -- health issues where time is of the essence and improved products can make a difference in a patient's recovery.p>

The company made a challenge to its team of R&D engineers: Redesign the flow generator, a key component of the company's nasal CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device that fits on the patient's nose to aid breathing. The company wanted a redesigned flow generator that would fit all the products in its ventilator line. This piece of plastic is tiny -- just .04" -- but vital to the ventilation system.

VIASYS engineers have used SolidWorks for their mechanical designs for about three years, then added STAR-Works CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software from CD-adapco two years ago. STAR-Works integrates into SolidWorks, so the engineers didn't have to import or transfer any data to run the tests. The team's latest challenge seemed like a perfect opportunity to test out the CFD software's capabilities.  Read more >>

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