Case Study: Syngineering uses FEA to achieve cost savings for Metalmark

Written on September 20, 2013

Mark Davies from of Metalmark thanks Syngineering 

Mark Davies, Director at Metalmark, recently approached the team at Syngineering for verification and optimisation of one of his designs. He wanted them to help him achieve a high performance lifting hook with significant cost savings, and Syngineering utilised FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to achieve the best result.

As Mark explains, “We developed the design to a pretty high standard, so it was quite well-advanced. We then approached Syngineering who suggested some options.”

Stronger and lighter

“Syngineering improved the design by using FEA to identify a stress concentration. They then came back to us with a number of options, including one that was far better than our original design.

Stronger and lighter

“Syngineering improved the design by using FEA to identify a stress concentration. They then came back to us with a number of options, including one that was far better than our original design. By making a few small changes to the shape, they were able to eliminate the stress concentration and make the hook stronger and lighter, but just as effective.”

“For the second part of the process, they carried out further analysis to remove even more material and weight from the product, but without compromising the strength. This made it cheaper for us to manufacture on a per-unit basis, as a different manufacturing process would mean the reduced material savings could be realised.”

“Overall, they optimised our original design and saved us money, which is something we couldn’t have done ourselves.”

Skilled, proactive team

“I like that the team at Syngineering have a proactive approach,” says Mark, “which is the reason we keep going back and working with them.”

“Generally when I work with other engineers, I find that they will dictate terms instead of working with me to come up with a solution. Many of them have problems dealing with jobs on a ‘nuts and bolts’ level—but the team at Syngineering are totally different.

Remain competitive“They’ve obviously come from a manufacturing background and been on the tools themselves. They understand the reality and challenges of getting a product to market—and they take the practical steps needed for me to achieve that end goal.”

“In our industry it’s important to remain competitive. The team at Syngineering help optimise our products and make them as low-cost as they possibly can be. I’d recommend their services to others in need of FEA and  product optimisation.”

Browse Syngineering’s photos on Facebook to see more FEA projects that we have worked on.

← Back to News