The record-breaking 31st UK SIMULIA Regional User Meeting was held on the 17-18th October at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel. We had the highest attendance ever at UK RUM with 162 attendees from 67 organizations.
The agenda was packed full of great content from both customers and SIMULIA alike. Ales Alajbeogvic Vice President, Worldwide Centers of Excellence kicked off the proceedings with an executive update, sharing our vision and plan for the future. Later in the conference, our Victor Oancea SIMULIA Chief Technology Officer gave a fascinating presentation covering our broad portfolio of Multiphysics and Multiscale simulation technology and Chris Whiting wrapped up the conference on the second day when he presented the SIMULIA update. All presentations were well received and stimulated passionate discussions during the breaks and lunch intervals.
Furthermore, 18 customers, from companies such as JLR, Airbus, MTC, and NCC, presented their work using SIMULIA solutions during 2 parallel sessions on the second day. These papers are the cornerstone of these meetings and supplemented by invited speakers delivering keynote presentations. This year we had two keynote presentations, the first from Tyler London at TWI who talked about additive manufacturing and the second from Andy Harland from Loughborough University who presented the intriguingly titled “Simulation in Sport: Not Always a Dirty Word!”.
We also gave attendees the option to attend one of six breakout sessions including:
- Advanced Structures Training Course
- 3DEXPERIENCE for the Traditional Analyst
- Additive Manufacturing Symposium
- Simulation for Composites
- Multibody Simulation Workshops
- Electromagnetic Simulation for Smart safe and Connected Vehicles
This year we wanted to improve our exhibition presence to allow attendees to interact more closely with us. We had a large workshop area which provided attendees with the ability to sit down and work with a member of the SIMULIA technical team to complete a short task using established products or the physics apps on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Attendees were able to explore new environments using the HTC VIVE and the Z-space where we could demonstrate going from 2D to 3D sketching, rapid concept modeling, high-quality surfacing and on through to high-end visualization and immersive virtual reality. Lastly, to keep our attendees entertained we challenged them to participate in ‘The Break British Break Off’ - the toughest SIMULIA challenge yet! Attendees were tested against the clock to use Dassault Systemes solutions to create the lightest structure possible to carry a set load without failure. Submitted designs were then 3D printed during the conference and tested LIVE on stage during the closing remarks. Congratulations to Steve Owen from Rolls Royce who won with his design weighing 0.2gm!
A traditional aspect of the UK RUM is the conference banquet, where we have the highly anticipated ‘after dinner conference game’ and this year, The Great British Take Off – was a flying success J. The objective of the game was to build an object, using supplied Blue Peter style materials, that would stay in flight the longest! Congratulations to John Sawyer from Atkins and his table who won with the aircraft staying in flight for a staggering 7.2 seconds!
