Acoustic Simulation – Leading French Automotive Supplier Relies on Actran Acoustics Software

10
Jan

Plastic Omnium Simulates Acoustics of Car Body Modules

SANTA ANA, CA–(Business Wire – January 15th, 2013) – Free Field Technologies (FFT), an MSC Software company, today announced that Plastic Omnium has deployed the Actran/Acoustics and Vibro-Acoustics software, to simulate the acoustic attenuation of plastic panels and other components used in automobiles around the world.

Plastic Omnium is a leading provider of innovative body modules and fuel systems to the automotive industry. The use of Actran is critical in simulating the acoustic behavior of lightweight automotive components early in the design process, and to ensure compliance with the acoustic transparency requirements specified by the OEM.

The Automotive Division of Plastic Omnium combines the expertise of Plastic Omnium Auto Exterior, a world leader in body components and modules, and Inergy Automotive Systems, the world leading supplier of fuel systems. The company is headquartered in Levallois, France and develops innovative solutions that respond to the growing demand for weight reduction, lower emissions, recyclability, and pedestrian protection. "Our body components and modules help car manufacturers make their vehicles lighter, cleaner and more resistant to impacts," explains Philippe Gilotte, R&D Project Manager at Plastic Omnium, one of the key users of the Actran software.

The company’s engineers face the challenge of demonstrating that the use of plastic components instead of sheet metal parts does not negatively impact the acoustic transparency in the car body. The OEMs tend to shift responsibility for test and validation of the specified requirements to their suppliers. "We need to simulate the acoustic attenuation of panels and gain a better understanding of their physical behavior without having to create a large number of prototypes. Actran/Acoustics and Vibro-Acoustics provide a very complete set of tools to do this kind of analysis quickly, allowing us to optimize and validate the design models earlier in the process," says Philippe Gilotte.

“Car manufacturers tend to substitute more and more sheet metal parts with plastic components to reduce the weight of their vehicles and their pollutant emissions," says Alain Genard, Director Sales and Marketing Worldwide at FFT.  "This is an important opportunity for suppliers who develop these components. However, they cannot afford to build real prototypes to determine if they comply with the customer's requirements. To be competitive, they need powerful tools to simulate acoustic behavior, and a skilled services team to help them take advantage of the software. We are convinced that Actran will enable Plastic Omnium to design future products faster, and with higher reliability."

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Do you have a question? Email the original author of this press release leslie.bodnar@mscsoftware.com.

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