CADFEM & ANSYS
CADFEM & ANSYS
CADFEM and Simulation – Connected for Over Three Decades
From a design office to a leading provider of simulation solutions with over 20 locations worldwide, CADFEM has been writing its story for nearly 35 years. The company has been closely connected to simulation since 1985.
In fact, CADFEM’s origins date back to 1982. At that time, Günter Müller, one of the two company founders, was already working as an independent engineer for the marketing, training, and support of Ansys.
Since the founding of CADFEM near Munich in 1985, we have continually supported and advanced the practical use of technology in the fields of industry and science. From the beginning, our name has been synonymous with a close partnership with Ansys: CADFEM distributes the entire Ansys simulation portfolio dedicated to structural mechanics, fluid mechanics, electromechanics and electromagnetism, electronics, and embedded software.
CADFEM et la simulation – connectés depuis plus de trois décennies
From a design office to a leading provider of simulation solutions with over 20 locations worldwide, CADFEM has been writing its story for nearly 35 years. The company has been closely connected to simulation since 1985.
In fact, CADFEM’s origins date back to 1982. At that time, Günter Müller, one of the two company founders, was already working as an independent engineer for the marketing, training, and support of Ansys.
Since the founding of CADFEM near Munich in 1985, we have continually supported and advanced the practical use of technology in the fields of industry and science. From the beginning, our name has been synonymous with a close partnership with Ansys: CADFEM distributes the entire Ansys simulation portfolio dedicated to structural mechanics, fluid mechanics, electromechanics and electromagnetism, electronics, and embedded software.
50 Years of ANSYS – The Early Years: 1970 to 1994
How It All Started
Between 1959 and 1964, John Swanson studied engineering at Cornell University. He then began his professional career at the Westinghouse Astronuclear Labs in Pittsburgh. Alongside his work, he pursued his Ph.D. in applied mechanics from 1964 to 1966 at the University of Pittsburgh.
Author: Dr. Guenter Mueller, founder of CADFEM GmbH and one of the first representatives of Ansys in Europe.
50 Years of ANSYS – The Early Years: 1970 to 1994
How It All Started
Between 1959 and 1964, John Swanson studied engineering at Cornell University. He then began his professional career at the Westinghouse Astronuclear Labs in Pittsburgh. Alongside his work, he pursued his Ph.D. in applied mechanics from 1964 to 1966 at the University of Pittsburgh.
Author: Dr. Guenter Mueller, founder of CADFEM GmbH and one of the first representatives of Ansys in Europe.
1970 – 1982: Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI)
• Employed in the company’s calculation department, John was responsible for analyzing components designed for nuclear power plants. A FEM (Finite Element Method) program for an IBM 7094 computer, capable of solving 75 equations, was available for static and axisymmetric problems.
• Since Westinghouse was not interested in software development, John Swanson resigned from his permanent position and continued to work for them as a consultant until he founded his own company, Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI), in 1970. The office was located in John’s home in Elizabeth, PA, in the Pittsburgh area.
• The first version of his FEM program was called ANSYS Rev. 2 and ran on Control Data computers (the CDC 6500 and 6600). The program provided solutions for structural analysis, both linear and nonlinear dynamics, and for steady-state and transient thermal fields. John started with Rev. 2 because he believed no one would trust a program called Version 1. The first commercial software agreement was made with his former employer, Westinghouse.
• In the early years, John was responsible for everything, from development to after-sales service and customer support. The first employees (the “five originals”) were Lauralee Wagner, Suzanne Batt, Gabe DeSalvo, Peter Kohnke, and Roger Ehrlich. ANSYS Rev. 3 was released in 1977; it was a completely new, modular, and interactive version that emphasized the fact that “… the user could generate meaningful plots.” An office building was constructed in 1978 in Houston, PA. Even back then, the excess heat generated by the computers was used to heat the building. By 1980, after ten years in business, SASI had 25 employees.
1970 – 1982 : Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI)
• Employed in the company’s calculation department, John was responsible for analyzing components designed for nuclear power plants. A FEM (Finite Element Method) program for an IBM 7094 computer, capable of solving 75 equations, was available for static and axisymmetric problems.
• Since Westinghouse was not interested in software development, John Swanson resigned from his permanent position and continued to work for them as a consultant until he founded his own company, Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI), in 1970. The office was located in John’s home in Elizabeth, PA, in the Pittsburgh area.
• The first version of his FEM program was called ANSYS Rev. 2 and ran on Control Data computers (the CDC 6500 and 6600). The program provided solutions for structural analysis, both linear and nonlinear dynamics, and for steady-state and transient thermal fields. John started with Rev. 2 because he believed no one would trust a program called Version 1. The first commercial software agreement was made with his former employer, Westinghouse.
• In the early years, John was responsible for everything, from development to after-sales service and customer support. The first employees (the “five originals”) were Lauralee Wagner, Suzanne Batt, Gabe DeSalvo, Peter Kohnke, and Roger Ehrlich. ANSYS Rev. 3 was released in 1977; it was a completely new, modular, and interactive version that emphasized the fact that “… the user could generate meaningful plots.” An office building was constructed in 1978 in Houston, PA. Even back then, the excess heat generated by the computers was used to heat the building. By 1980, after ten years in business, SASI had 25 employees.
SASI and ANSYS (ASR) support team
• In 1982, version 4.0 came onto the market with important new features: PREP (pre- and post-processor) 7, used for data capture and results evaluation, with: interfaces to CAD (computer-aided design) programs, its own parameter language, optimization functions – even then – and modules for acoustics, electromagnetics and coupled fields (electromagnetic and thermomechanical). Even new materials, such as composites, were supported.
• SASI wanted to concentrate on software development, so the ANSYS Support Representatives (ASR) network was developed to handle software marketing, customer support and training. By 1983, the number of representatives had risen to seven in the USA and Canada, and three in Europe. Guenter Mueller had been one of these representatives since 1982. Their task was to sell the software, provide local support and training, and acquire new customers – while SASI retained control of the licensing agreements.
• At the time, SASI had 40 employees and had carried out over 200 ANSYS installations. By 1984, the number of installations had risen to over 300 – including 75 in Europe and 15 in Germany. Sales reached US$10 million. This rapid growth led John Wilson to change his business model.
SASI and ANSYS (ASR) support team
• In 1982, version 4.0 came onto the market with important new features: PREP (pre- and post-processor) 7, used for data capture and results evaluation, with: interfaces to CAD (computer-aided design) programs, its own parameter language, optimization functions – even then – and modules for acoustics, electromagnetics and coupled fields (electromagnetic and thermomechanical). Even new materials, such as composites, were supported.
• SASI wanted to concentrate on software development, so the ANSYS Support Representatives (ASR) network was developed to handle software marketing, customer support and training. By 1983, the number of representatives had risen to seven in the USA and Canada, and three in Europe. Guenter Mueller had been one of these representatives since 1982. Their task was to sell the software, provide local support and training, and acquire new customers – while SASI retained control of the licensing agreements.
• At the time, SASI had 40 employees and had carried out over 200 ANSYS installations. By 1984, the number of installations had risen to over 300 – including 75 in Europe and 15 in Germany. Sales reached US$10 million. This rapid growth led John Wilson to change his business model.
SASI calls on ANSYS Support Distributors (ASD)
• From January 1985 onwards, ASDs were authorized to enter into contracts with their customers. They were now designated as ANSYS Support Distributors (ASD) and given exclusive sales territories. For Guenter Mueller, this meant setting up a new company, CAD-FEM GmbH (which, at the time, was still written with a hyphen). CADFEM became the exclusive ANSYS distributor for Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, the former Czechoslovakia and Poland.
• As the number of SASI employees grew – to 100 in 1987 – departments for development, systems and production, quality assurance, sales and installations, marketing and training, and administration were created. SASI moved into a new building at the end of 1986. Technical notes and error reports were published regularly to keep users informed. Quality assurance was achieved by testing 1,000 working examples.
• From the mid-1980s, SASI accelerated its software development program. Revisions 4.2 (1986), 4.3 (1987) and 4.4 (1988) were all released at 12-month intervals. These revisions included routines for submodeling, optimization, solid modeling, parametric language, fatigue (ASME), electromagnetism and color graphics, as well as PC modules – the latter constituting the first commercially available FEM program. After acquiring COMPUFLOW software (from Dr. Rice), based in Charlottesville, Virginia, SASI was able to provide solutions to fluid mechanics problems in the form of FLOTRAN software.
• The creation of numerous hardware companies in the 1980s meant that SASI had to maintain over 900 installations of its software on 20 different types of computer, involving 30 different operating systems. The purchase price of PC modules ranged from $1,600 (for PC OPT) to $6,400 (for PC LINEAR). Monthly rentals for workstation installation ranged from $9,900 to $1,500.
SASI calls on ANSYS Support Distributors (ASD)
• From January 1985 onwards, ASDs were authorized to enter into contracts with their customers. They were now designated as ANSYS Support Distributors (ASD) and given exclusive sales territories. For Guenter Mueller, this meant setting up a new company, CAD-FEM GmbH (which, at the time, was still written with a hyphen). CADFEM became the exclusive ANSYS distributor for Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, the former Czechoslovakia and Poland.
• As the number of SASI employees grew – to 100 in 1987 – departments for development, systems and production, quality assurance, sales and installations, marketing and training, and administration were created. SASI moved into a new building at the end of 1986. Technical notes and error reports were published regularly to keep users informed. Quality assurance was achieved by testing 1,000 working examples.
• From the mid-1980s, SASI accelerated its software development program. Revisions 4.2 (1986), 4.3 (1987) and 4.4 (1988) were all released at 12-month intervals. These revisions included routines for submodeling, optimization, solid modeling, parametric language, fatigue (ASME), electromagnetism and color graphics, as well as PC modules – the latter constituting the first commercially available FEM program. After acquiring COMPUFLOW software (from Dr. Rice), based in Charlottesville, Virginia, SASI was able to provide solutions to fluid mechanics problems in the form of FLOTRAN software.
• The creation of numerous hardware companies in the 1980s meant that SASI had to maintain over 900 installations of its software on 20 different types of computer, involving 30 different operating systems. The purchase price of PC modules ranged from $1,600 (for PC OPT) to $6,400 (for PC LINEAR). Monthly rentals for workstation installation ranged from $9,900 to $1,500.
The long-awaited ANSYS Rev. 5
• ANSYS Rev. 4.4 had to remain in service longer than expected, as it was not possible to release Rev. 5 – which had been announced for several years – until 1992. ANSYS 5 was completely rewritten; it had a new data structure and contained many new developments, such as a common database for pre-processors and post-processors, Boolean operations, support for input via “control panels”, video output and animation, automatic adaptive meshing, error standards, automatic load increments, large stresses and rotations, contact surfaces, hyper-elastic material and interfaces for fluid mechanics.
• By 1992, SASI’s sales had risen to around $30 million and the number of employees to around 150. The number of Ansys Support Distributors (ASDs) had risen to around 35. The number of commercial installations of the software had risen to 2,500, and there were an additional 1,600 contracts with higher education.
• Mention should also be made of the international ANSYS conferences held every two years between 1983 and 1998. The first ANSYS conference was held in Pittsburgh and the keynote speaker was Professor Eduard Wilson, whose theme was “New Developments in Finite Elements”. Lunch was served in person by John, assisted by his employees and DSAs – as the hotel staff was on strike. Among other lectures, Richard H. Gallagher gave a talk (in 1987) on “The Integration of Design and Analysis” and O.C. Zienkiewicz of Swansea University gave a talk (in 1991) on “The State of the Art in Adaptability and Mesh Generation”. All three are considered to be among the best scientists who have worked on the finite element method.
The long-awaited ANSYS Rev. 5
• ANSYS Rev. 4.4 had to remain in service longer than expected, as it was not possible to release Rev. 5 – which had been announced for several years – until 1992. ANSYS 5 was completely rewritten; it had a new data structure and contained many new developments, such as a common database for pre-processors and post-processors, Boolean operations, support for input via “control panels”, video output and animation, automatic adaptive meshing, error standards, automatic load increments, large stresses and rotations, contact surfaces, hyper-elastic material and interfaces for fluid mechanics.
• By 1992, SASI’s sales had risen to around $30 million and the number of employees to around 150. The number of Ansys Support Distributors (ASDs) had risen to around 35. The number of commercial installations of the software had risen to 2,500, and there were an additional 1,600 contracts with higher education.
• Mention should also be made of the international ANSYS conferences held every two years between 1983 and 1998. The first ANSYS conference was held in Pittsburgh and the keynote speaker was Professor Eduard Wilson, whose theme was “New Developments in Finite Elements”. Lunch was served in person by John, assisted by his employees and DSAs – as the hotel staff was on strike. Among other lectures, Richard H. Gallagher gave a talk (in 1987) on “The Integration of Design and Analysis” and O.C. Zienkiewicz of Swansea University gave a talk (in 1991) on “The State of the Art in Adaptability and Mesh Generation”. All three are considered to be among the best scientists who have worked on the finite element method.
John Swanson sells his company, SASI
• In 1993, John Swanson unexpectedly sold a majority stake in his company to T.A. Associates, a venture capital firm. The takeover of SASI was completed in 1994. The company’s name was changed to ANSYS, Inc., which went public in 1996. New management took over, with Peter Smith as CEO and Klaus Schlemper as Director of European Operations.
John worked at ANSYS, Inc. as Chief Technologist for five years. After that, he again set up his own company, Swanson Analysis Services, Inc. (SASI), which enabled him to pursue different themes from those he had previously tackled. Over the years, ANSYS has become the global market leader in numerical simulation, and in 2019, thanks to targeted acquisitions, sales reached around $1.3 billion.
• The ADSs were shocked by the news of SASI’s sale. Over time, a friendly and even close relationship developed between the ADSs. The annual meeting at SASI headquarters in Pittsburgh was the highlight of the year. It brings the story of the early years of ANSYS to a close.
• John has received numerous awards. Suffice it to mention the John Fritz Medal, awarded to him by the American Association of Engineering Societies in 2004. This is the highest and most prestigious award in the engineering profession, and has been awarded annually since 1902 for outstanding service to engineering in industry or science. Previous winners include Thomas Edison, Alfred Nobel and Alexander Graham Bell.
• John Swanson has supported many institutions, both scientific and social. In 2007, he donated $41.3 million to the University of Pittsburgh. At the time, it was the largest single gift ever received by the university.