Dassault Systèmes today announced that Groupama Team France, one of the five challengers in the 35th America’s Cup sailing competition, is using the “Designed for Sea” industry solution experience to design and simulate a lightweight, high-performing racing catamaran that complies with the competition’s design and schedule requirements.
In preparation for its first America’s Cup race on May 26, 2017, Groupama Team France needed to design, build and test its catamaran within 18 months. Boats for the challenge must adhere to specific protocols concerning the hull, the wings and the transverse structures as well as the quantity of materials used. The length of a team’s catamaran is restricted to 15 meters and it could not be tested in water until December 26, 2016.
Based on Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, “Designed for Sea” industry solution experience enables Groupama Team France to virtually design, simulate and optimize its catamaran’s weight, performance, stability, strength and safety in a collaborative digital environment, before any construction begins. Since October 2015, Groupama Team France has had a single source of data and fully integrated applications to streamline and accelerate the boat’s development as well as the flow of information between the 30-person design team, the crew and external partners participating in the design effort.
The seamless integration on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform also includes data from Dassault Systèmes’ SOLIDWORKS applications, which have long been used by several team members for past projects and now are being used to design the catamaran’s bridge and incorporate parts into the overall design of the control systems.
“It’s a challenge for a team to work together like a well-tuned orchestra,” said Martin Fischer, head of the design team, Groupama Team France. “Designers must foresee what the crew will experience when navigating, and design the boat accordingly, and the crew must work with the architects and engineers as early as possible so that the components are correctly designed from the start. Our tight schedule and budget can’t be wasted on redesigns, making seamless communication essential. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables us to build a boat of superior craftsmanship and technological prowess.”
“The 3DEXPERIENCE platform integrates design, simulation and manufacturing applications, plus the openness to work with existing ecosystems, to help marine and offshore visionaries like Groupama Team France to realize complex configurations that fuse quality with precision,” said Alain Houard, Vice President, Marine & Offshore Industry, Dassault Systèmes. “The America’s Cup is one of the world’s most exciting competitions and a premier example of performance by innovation. With each race, the world has an opportunity to experience prestigious competitive sailing at its technical finest.”
