Human Workflow (IC.IDO) with Elastics2D: Realistic Flexibility for Next-Generation Digital Assembly

In most CAD environments, assemblies look flawless. Components appear firmly attached and perfectly located, in final part position. But anyone involved in manufacturing recognizes that in the real-world parts need to be positioned, aligned, and fixed in place - especially challenging when planning installation or assembly of flexible components, like trim panels.

Plastic shields bend, headliners twist, clips deform, and thin sheet metal flex with even slight force in the process of final assembly or removal.

These behaviors are not accounted for in conventional Computer Aided Design or Digital Mock-Ups (CAD or DMU), leading to risk that may emerge as late as the first physical build, when engineering changes to product are slow, costly, and disruptive. Deterministic simulations with Computer Aided Engineering and Finite Element Analysis tools require fixed boundary conditions, like a known assembly path and initial and final flexed shapes. The also represent significant investment in pre-post processing and back-end solver computations, which may arrive too late to identify if a design problem exists or not.

Real-time Physics brings a major shift to that workflow, providing realistic interactions with flexible parts inside IC.IDO. Experiences within a virtual build or service session accelerates engineers ability to identify and resolve assembly or maintenance challenges, long before physical parts exist.

Why Traditional CAD Isn’t Enough for Flexible Part Simulation

Most CAD tools represent a components static behavior; parts are drawn in final product position without consideration for how they arrive there or initial pre-assembly state. That’s fine for defining product packaging or static space-claim, but it breaks down when assemblies involve:

• Flexible plastics
• Interior trim components
• Metal brackets and thin sheet metal
• Retention clips and connectors
• Components installed manually on the shop floor
• Parts that must flex to reach installation position

This is where many engineering teams encounter problems:

• Interference not seen in CAD
• Installation paths of flexible sheets
• Parts that don’t flex or recover as expected
• Assembly steps that work digitally but fail physically
• Inspection or maintenance of parts covered with flexible trim
• Unexpected ergonomic issues for technicians

These issues slow down programs and increase prototype costs - all because rigid-path-planning and rigidly modelled CAD tools don’t predict real-world elastic behavior.

Introducing 2-Dimensional Elastics: Accurate Elastic Deformation Simulated Inside Human Workflow (IC.IDO)

IC.IDO’s Elastics2D simulation is a breakthrough capability that brings  high-fidelity flexible part simulation  to the IC.IDO digital assembly environment. It allows engineers to evaluate bending, twisting, deformation, and recovery with realistic physics - not best guess approximations.

With Elastics2D, teams can finally bridge the gap between idealized CAD and actual hands-on assembly.

Core Benefits of IC.IDO 2025 Elastics2D

• Realistic flexible part behavior
  Simulate bending, flexing, and spring-back based on accurate material physics.
• Early detection of design and assembly issues
  Catch interference, excessive force requirements, or “impossible” assembly paths long before prototype builds.
• Improved digital assembly validation
  Validate manual assembly processes in a virtual environment that matches real-world technician experience.
• Faster iteration cycles
  Reduce redesigns and avoid discovering preventable issues at the physical build stage.
• More predictable manufacturing outcomes
  Better insights lead to fewer late-stage corrections, scrap, or tool modifications.

This capability makes IC.IDO a powerful end-to-end solution for virtual assembly, manufacturing process validation, and digital prototyping.

Why Elastics2D Matters for Manufacturing and Assembly Planning

“We lose hours fixing issues that we can’t observe until after the first physical build.”

Does this sound familiar? This isn’t just wasted time - it’s lost opportunity, higher costs, and increased program risk.

By moving these discoveries upstream into the IC.IDO virtual environment:

• Physical prototypes become confirmations  not  discovery sessions
• Teams protect budgets and schedules
• Assembly feasibility becomes verifiable early
• Engineering and manufacturing teams collaborate using shared, accurate data
• Reduced supply chain disruptions as flexible components are validated earlier

The result is more reliable launches and tighter alignment between design intent and manufacturing capability.

Who Benefits from IC.IDO Elastics2D?

Design & Product Engineers

Detect issues that rigid models cannot reveal. Reduce redesign loops and improve confidence in flexible component behavior.

Manufacturing & Process Engineers

Validate realistic assembly sequences. Identify tooling and assembly requirements of flexible sheets and trim. Ensure technicians have accurate virtual guidance. Improve ergonomics and reduce build complexity.

Program Managers

Lower risk, fewer delays, and reduced rework. Improve predictability across the product development lifecycle. Release product and process plans to supply chain with improved confidence.

Assembly Technicians

Better process definitions, improve assembly bill-of-materials accuracy, fewer surprises, and more realistic virtual workflows that closely match what happens on the shop floor.

IC.IDO with Elastics2D makes your  digital twin  behave like the real thing.

The Strategic Advantage of Realistic Digital Assembly

Integrating IC.IDO with Elastics2D into your digital assembly workflow delivers:

• Better designs, faster
• Lower cost of change
• Higher-quality digital validations
• Safer, more reliable assembly processes
• More confidence before physical builds
• Enhanced maintenance capabilities

For teams adopting virtual-first engineering, Elastics2D is a significant competitive advantage.

Ready to Improve Your IC.IDO Digital Assembly Workflow?

IC.IDO with the addition of Elastics2D sets a new standard for digitally validating human workflows such as assembly or service validation; extending real-time immersive physics beyond included solid-mechanics and 1-Dimensional circular cross-sectioned hose or cable interactions.
If your products involve human-interactions with flexible components among solid objects, it’s time to bring real-world behavior into your virtual environment.

Discover more – visit the Human Workflow (IC.IDO) webpage.

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