Altair Engineering, a product design and development company headquartered in Troy, Michigan, is accelerating the pace of innovation toward a smart, connected world by driving the convergence of comprehensive data analytics and AI solutions with computer-aided engineering (CAE) and high-performance computing (HPC). Combining decades of experience with HPC-based data science and simulation solutions with the Center of Excellence program, the Altair RapidMiner platform, and the Altair Units business model, the company aims to make data analytics an easy and natural part of business in the future. At HANNOVER MESSE, Altair will demonstrate all the technological solutions that support digital transformation at all levels. In particular, stand highlights include customer exhibits and a presentation of Altair's vision for Frictionless AI.

Design for sustainability

Altair's solutions, platforms and workflows for lightweighting and material substitution, for example, are designed to enable sustainable design. Software innovations and hardware updates go hand in hand to reduce resource and power consumption to contemporary levels. This optimization of performance and manufacturability enables companies to achieve their sustainability goals within their budgets and capabilities. For example, in one AMPROVE pick-and-place robotic application, a component consolidation was made from eleven parts to just four; in a standard component, two linear guides and 25 screws were eliminated, resulting in a 29.8-kilogram reduction in moving mass. The net result of these measures was either 34 percent faster production or a 52 percent reduction in energy costs.

Accelerating "e-innovation

For its part, Altair is enabling the electronics industry to take an intelligent, multi-attribute approach to mobility, power electronics and PCB development. Optimization and machine learning - along with low-cost computer simulations at the heart of the design process - are the foundation for creating digital twins. This technology has enabled Danecca to streamline its battery development process. The result was a recent project that reduced cooling time by 60 percent and increased cooling pump on/off cycles, which increased range by about five miles.

Turning concepts into reality

Hardware testing is almost impossible to implement in a startup design for a production program. So Novus wanted to develop a two-wheeler that was simultaneously lighter, faster and more powerful than comparable vehicles on the market. Altair tools helped turn the concept into reality: 400 Newton meters of peak torque at a weight of only 103 kilograms speaks for itself. When it comes to creating virtual prototypes for the many different aspects that need to be considered in an e-motorcycle like this, Altair says it currently offers the most comprehensive and flexible solution on the market.

AI makes coffee

Digital twin technology at the system level has also improved the system, machine and product design of Gruppo Cimbali's new Perfetto espresso machine. "Digitalization is a crucial hook for us. It allows us to reduce energy losses, compensate for peak loads and develop more efficient operating strategies," said Maurizio Tursini, CTO of Gruppo Cimbali. The machine efficiency improved in this way and the resulting energy savings end up making each cup of coffee more sustainable. The company also benefits from being able to achieve these savings through early, comprehensive virtual prototype testing, which allows it to optimize its products better and faster than ever before.

Smooth AI

With RapidMiner Cloud and Altair's existing data analytics, engineering and HPC solutions, the company is retooling the manufacturing sector. The unique solution set and open architecture are designed to eliminate the friction that often occurs between employees and departments, tools and vendors, and data specialists and data consumers when implementing AI. It also removes the financial friction between aspiration and reality. Altair aims to enable fast, repeatable and successful data analytics projects across the enterprise.

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