MSC.Laminate Modeler is a Patran module for aiding the design, analysis, and manufacture of laminated composite structures. By enabling the concept of concurrent engineering, MSC.Laminate Modeler allows the production of structures which take full advantage of these materials in the aerospace, automotive, marine, and other markets. The quality of the development process can be greatly improved because of the rigorous and repeatable manner in which MSC.Laminate Modeler defines fibre orientations.

MSC.Laminate Modeler incorporates two key functionalities: simulation of the manufacturing process, and storage and manipulation of composite data on the basis of global layers.

Process simulation methods include draping of fabrics using various material and manufacturing options, in addition to the more conventional techniques of projecting fibre angles onto a surface. These options allow the use of MSC.Laminate Modeler for various production methods including manual layup of pre-preg materials, Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) and filament winding. Furthermore, MSC.Laminate Modeler reflects the open systems philosophy of Patran and can cater to customized simulation methods developed by customers.

All data produced by the manufacturing simulation are stored together and referenced as a single data entity. This structured representation allows efficient data handling in the actual design environment. For example, to apply predefined layers to an analysis model, the user simply adds them to a table in a process which reflects the real-world manufacture of the finished component. Alternative layups can be generated and evaluated rapidly to allow the designer to optimize the composite structure using existing structural analysis tools. The process of defining layups is inherently traceable, unlike the situation in conventional composites analysis where data is reduced to an unstructured element-based level which has no physical analogy.

The functions available within MSC.Laminate Modeler allows the designer to visualize the manufacturing process and estimate the quantity of material involved. Representative analysis models of the component can be produced very rapidly to allow effective layup optimization. Finally, a “ply book” and other manufacturing data can be produced.

These functions promise a significant increase in the efficiency of the development process for high-performance composite structures.