Maplesoft's DynaFlexPro

Maplesoft has introduced DynaFlexPro, a Maple-based design tool that uses symbolic computation methods to derive the system equations of complex mechanical multibody systems. Unlike other multibody design tools that use purely numeric solvers, DynaFlexPro generates solutions that are exact, compact and efficient for real-time implementation, at a fraction of the cost.

Designed by MotionPro Inc., and launched under the MapleConnect Premier programme, DynaFlexPro has applications in complex mechanisms, vehicle suspensions, stability control, trains, articulated vehicles, vibration analysis, robotics, biomedical prosthesis design and piano mechanisms. DynaFlexPro overcomes the shortcomings of existing mechanical analysis tools, which use inefficient numerical algorithms to evaluate rotations, displacements, forces and torques in a mechanism. Other tools introduce errors in analysis and the analysis is very slow – too slow for implementation in a real-time simulator, for example. In addition, models are difficult to parameterise, which means, if, for example, a link length is changed, the whole model must be recomputed for the new value.

DynaFlexPro solves these problems by using Maple to generate the equations of motion for the mechanism symbolically. This results in an exact-form representation of the mechanical system that is completely parameterised, error-free and very quick to evaluate when numeric data is introduced making the model ideal for real-time use.

Engineers with a dynamic mechanical system to design or analyze as well as instructors of courses in dynamics and design would benefit from this package. For further details, visit DynaFlexPro page of Maplesoft.