SOME GENERAL-ASPECTS OF FEM USAGE

This paper presents experiences from the implementation of CAD/CAM/CAE /FEM in different companies in Denmark and attempts to relate these ex periences to better usage of these software tools in the future. These experiences do not relate to the mathematics of FEM, but to the reaso ns why FEM usage has not become as widespread as imagined twenty-five years ago: reasons like the 'knowledge gap', lack of necessary simplif ication and lack of proper strategies. The 'knowledge gap' is defined here as the difference between the world of academia and CAE/FEM suppl iers and the realities of the users; the difference between the everyd ay problems of the designer or engineer and what is presumed to be bas ic and already solved. This paper focuses on the reasons why FEM and o ther computer technological advances have not meant the predicted impr ovements, especially in product development efficiency, and it may sca re potential users. This is not the purpose, since these tools are and will be important to achieve better product development in the future .