Powerful, accurate software for three-dimensional, electromagnetic, electromechanical, and thermal analysis

CONCEPT TO REALITY...FASTER

Maxwell is the worlds leading software for the simulation of electromagnetic fields. Designers of electromagnetic and electromechanical components depend on Maxwells unsurpassed accuracy and ease of use to achieve design objectives, reduce risk, and bring products to market quickly.

Overview
Electromagnetic components, such as sensors, actuators, motors, transformers, and industrial control systems are used more than ever in a broad range of industries. As designers push the envelope of performance and size, the need for advanced, easy-to-use, Maxwell 3D includes AC/DC numerical field simulation techniques significantly grows. Maxwell delivers

magnetic, electrostatic, and transient electromagnetic fields; thermal analysis; parametric modeling; and optimization. Additionally, Maxwell 3D produces highly accurate equivalent circuits for inclusion within Ansofts SIMPLORER and other circuit tools.

an unequaled level of usability and numerical power required by engineers in todays leading-edge companies.

3D AC Magnetic
Maxwell 3Ds AC Magnetic analyzes systems that have significant effects due to eddy currents, displacement currents, skin effect, and proximity effects. The software can simulate the full range of eddy-current behavior in bus bars, transformers, coils, and nondestructive evaluation systems. It automatically calculates quantities, including power and core loss, impedance at a frequency, force, torque, inductance, and stored energy. The power and core loss may be directly exported to Thermal for static thermal analysis. Additionally, plots of flux lines, B and H fields, and energy Currents induced in copper traces of a printed circuit. Using the absorbing boundary condition in this module, designers can simulate fields radiating from a device. This fullwave capability focuses on applications such as remote-keyless-entry systems in automobiles and low-frequency antennas used in down-hole oil-exploration applications to test soil properties. densities over the entire phase cycle are available.

3D DC Magnetic
The 3D DC Magnetic capability accurately computes static magnetic fields where the source originates from a DC current or voltage, permanent magnets, or externally applied magnetic fields. Typical applications include actuators, sensors, and permanent magnets. This feature, which directly computes the magnetic field (H) and current distribution (J), derives the magnetic flux density (B) from the H field. It automatically calculates force, torque, inductances, and saturation in devices containing linear, nonlinear, and anisotropic materials. The postprocessor provides plots of flux lines, B and H fields, energy densities, saturation, and more.
Magnetic fields produced by the current in a torroidal transformer.

3D Electrostatic Field
Maxwell 3Ds Electrostatic Field computes static electric fields due to stationary charge distributions and applied potentials. Solving directly for the electric scalar potential, the simulator automatically calculates the electrostatic and electric-flux density.
Electric potential distribution produced by two pair of saddle coils.

Designers can derive force, torque, energy, and capacitance from these basic field quantities. The Electrostatic Field capability is particularly useful for the design of high-voltage insulators, bushings, and electrostatic discharge devices.

Transient
Maxwell 3Ds Transient capability easily solves applications that involve voltage or current sources with arbitrary waveforms. It includes an external circuit coupling feature, complete with schematic capture and an embedded circuit simulator to support arbitrary topology of power-electronic drive circuits and winding connections. The graphical schematic capture allows easy access to components, such as linear and nonlinear resistances, capacitances, inductances, various diodes, controlled switches, independent sources, and voltage and current probes. The output includes current, induced voltage, and flux linkage at every time step. Additionally, the dynamic force and torque response, loss, and core loss, including eddy, excess, and hysteresis loss (including the minor loop), are available outputs. Applications include NDE, shielding, and power transformers.
Eddy currents induced in a cylinder by a high-amplitude current pulse.

3D Thermal

3D AC Magnetic

power loss

3D Thermal

may use power-loss and core-loss information obtained in the AC Magnetic solver as an input source for Thermal to obtain a complete thermal profile of a device. This capability is especially

The Maxwell 3D Thermal feature

important for designing todays electronic products, where physical size is decreasing and frequency is increasing, causing temperatures to rise beyond expectations.
Temperature associated with current losses.

provides steady-state thermal analysis capability, including convection and radiation and one-way coupling between AC Magnetic and Thermal. Designers

Optimetrics
Ansofts Optimetrics is a powerful capability that allows designers to perform detailed optimization, parametric, and sensitivity-analysis studies. With Optimetrics, designers can evaluate the sensitivity of parameters critical to the success of a devices operation and ensure that parameters are within a given manufacturing tolerance range. Using the macro feature,
Optimized MEMS device. The field profile is a function of the flaps rotation angle. Parametric study results of a MEMS device.

designers can parametrically set up shape, position, material properties, source/boundary assignments, and frequency within a simulation.

Equivalent Circuit Generation

As an alternative to traditional transient analysis, Maxwell 3D has the unique

versus-gap characteristics for different coil currents. After completing the simulation, an equivalent circuit model of the device is automatically created from the parametric data. The model, which completely describes the inductance, resistance, force, torque, and flux linkage of the device through the range of operating conditions, may be used within Ansofts SIMPLORER or Maxwell SPICE where components may be added to describe the electrical and mechanical inputs/outputs, including drive currents, masses, and springs of the system.
Electrical Terminals

ability to automatically generate an equivalent circuit model directly from the 3D DC Magnetic and 3D Electrostatic Field. Equivalent circuit generation is an efficient and fast way to simulate the dynamic response of electromechanical components, such as sensors and actuators where the effects of transient eddy currents are second-order effects or lower and may be ignored. The first step in the simulation process is to use Maxwell 3D DC Magnetic and the parametric capability of Optimetrics to produce a precise model of the device over the expected range of operation. For example, it is possible to define a solenoid gap and coil current as variable parameters and to solve the design for the entire operating range of the current and gap without user intervention. The result is a multidimensional set of force-

Equivalent Circuit Model

Mechanical Terminals

Equivalent circuit model of an electric motor generated from Maxwell and exported to SIMPLORER.

Parametric Field Solution

Equivalent Circuit Model Generation

SIMPLORER

Useability Features
Maxwell 3D operates within an executive-level user interface designed for easy navigation, project setup, and management. The interface includes:

Drawing Capabilities
Features of the fully integrated ACIS solid modeler

Powerful Macros
Macro control throughout entire solution process Easy-to-record and -replay macro capability Standard ASCII text file environment Customized geometry libraries

include: Unlimited undo/redo Multiple objects unite, subtract, intersect Dynamic geometry rotation Point-and-click object selection/shading 2D object sweep along 3D polylines Macro recording and scripting Parameterized macros Optional true-surface geometry Online context-sensitive help Optional IGES and STEP file format import

Field Post-Processor
Animated vector, contour, or shaded contour plots Dynamic surface animation of fields with rotation and displacement variables Static and animated plots on any surface, cut-planes Animated vector fields, scalar fields, or any Real-time plot rotation derived quantity using the field calculator including multiple faces of objects and arbitrary

Advanced Material Library

Over 80 commonly used materials Completely customizable library Point-and-click or tabular BH curve entry Linear and nonlinear materials

Field Calculator
Flexible and user-controlled customization to the field post processor Complex algebraic, trigonometric, and vector Surface and volume integration Compute tangents to curved lines Compute normals to curved surfaces

Intelligent Mesh Generation

Automatic, adaptive, and manual meshing Skin-depth seeding

calculus functions

Ansofts automatic, adaptive mesh capability enhances productivity and makes Maxwell 3D user friendly, yet highly accurate and powerful.

Maxwell 3D i n c l u d e s a l l m o d u l e s of Maxwell 2D . P l e a s e c o n s u l t y o u r local sales representativ e f o r p r i c i n g a n d i n f ormation on other pow e r f u l p r o d u c t o p t i o n s that will enhance your e n g i n e e r i n g p r o d u c t ivity.

ANSOFT OFFICES
Corporate Headquarters 4 Station Square, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1119 USA tel: +1.412.261.3200 fax: +1.412.471.9427 e-mail: info@ansoft.com www.ansoft.com European Locations France Germany Italy Sweden United Kingdom Asia/Pacific Locations China Japan Korea Singapore Taiwan

Maxwell 3D Capabilities
3D AC Magnetic DC Magnetic 3D DC Magnetic 3D Electric Fields 3D Transient 3D Thermal 3D Equivalent Circuit Generator Optimetrics* 2D AC Magnetic 2D DC Magnetic 2D Electric Fields 2D Transient 2D Thermal 2D Equivalent Circuit Generator 2D Parametrics Schematic Capture Maxwell SPICE
*Optional Module

For a full listing of offices and contact details, visit: www.ansoft.com/contact.cfm

We would like to thank Siemens for allowing us to use one of their press pictures on the cover of this document.

Maxwell 3D, Maxwell 2D, SIMPLORER, RMxprt, Maxwell SPICE, and Optimetrics are trademarks of Ansoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. PL29-0203 2002 Ansoft Corporation.

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