Ford Looks to Expand Virtual Design
Currently, about 40% of Ford’s testing is done virtually, with about 5%-10% of that conducted without the need of a physical prototype.
April 16, 2007
Special Coverage
SAE World Congress
DETROIT – Ford Motor Co. says it has its eye on doubling use of virtual testing and eliminating more of the prototype parts created and physical testing it performs, as it looks to speed product development and cut costs.
The movement is a further refinement of the new Global Product Development System the auto maker first began formulating three years ago.
Speaking as part of a panel on total vehicle integration here at the SAE International World Congress, Paul Mascarenas, vice president-engineering, says Ford currently uses virtual testing for some 40% of its processes.
Flex first from Ford’s new program development process.
About 5%-10% of those tests are conducted without Ford producing a physical prototype to verify results, what Mascarenas refers to as 100% probability testing.
“We would like to move a significant percentage of our assessments to virtual (testing),” Mascarenas says. “Then the real interest is to push up the probability testing.”
He says Ford is targeting 80% of testing to be virtual.
Although he declines to provide a specific timetable, Mascarenas tells Ward’s he expects Ford to be at the 80% level in “three to five years.” But he says the movement to 100% probability testing within that will occur even faster.
“We’re starting to trust the data,” Mascarenas says of the virtual test results.
Key to all this is computer power, industry executives say.