Troy, N.Y. — From turbine engines to toilet tissue, the time to market of manufactured products could be accelerated through improved high-tech design.

To perfect the design process and decrease costs, Rensselaer researchers are working with Simmetrix Inc. of Clifton Park, N.Y., inventors of a virtual simulation model used extensively to automate the design of interior air handling systems in automobiles.

Using simulation early in the design process makes it easier for designers to incorporate sudden changes to a product, ensure accurate costs, and meet strict performance requirements, say Mark Beall, president and co-founder of Simmetrix, and Mark Shephard, director of Rensselaer's Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC).

The partnership between Simmetrix Inc. and SCOREC is supported by a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Advanced Technology Program. Rensselaer will receive $550,000 of the NIST funding for their efforts on the project. The project includes industry collaborations with United Technologies, Visteon, John Deere, and Procter & Gamble.

Advanced simulation and computerized component testing, called Simulation Environment for Engineering Design (SEED), will be used as the primary means of designing a new product. Companies will no longer need to spend millions designing and building "real" prototypes only to find the end result to be insufficient for their needs.

"These steps are essential to saving time, money, and resources," said Beall, who completed his doctorate with Shephard in 1999 and was the previous assistant director of SCOREC.