Demo: Fully Automated PCBA analysis from CAD to report --Part 1

Most of the time in a structural simulation project is not spent solving. It is spent getting the CAD ready: separating parts, repairing geometry, meshing, assigning materials, connecting components and checking that the model actually runs. On a populated circuit board this preparation alone often takes days.

In this demo we hand the AutoCAE.AI platform a CAD file that is about as unfriendly as it gets, and let the FEA AI agent behind the platform do the rest -- automatically.

Watch the full demo (3 minutes) on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0j-FLs8otew

The Starting Point: One Fused CAD Body

The test object is a power-electronics board with transformers, a heat sink, toroid chokes, electrolytic and film capacitors, a fuse holder, varistors and IC packages. The CAD arrives as one single body: the board and every component are fused into one property, and the geometry contains errors that would normally be repaired by hand before any meshing can start.

Step 1: One Request, Then the FEA AI Agent Takes Over

The request is written in plain language: what the CAD is, what is known to be wrong with it, and what model is needed. From there the FEA AI agent behind the AutoCAE.AI platform takes over and automatically:

Splits the fused CAD into the board and its individual components.
Repairs the geometry and removes features that only cost solver time.
Recognises every component from its shape -- transformer, heat sink, choke, capacitor, fuse, IC package -- and gives it a clear name and a material from the material library.
Meshes hexahedral elements first: the board and the components through their thickness, with a membrane skin on the board surface to evaluate strain.
Ties every component to the board and writes the model files.
Runs the full check list and a short solver check (DataCheck) before the model is released.

Every automatic decision -- component class, name, material, mesh route -- is listed in a review sheet. An engineer can correct any line, and the correction always wins in later runs.

The Result After About 15 Minutes

42 parts, about 257,000 elements, mostly hexahedral.
Every component named by what it is and assigned a material.
43 component-to-board connections.
DataCheck passed: normal termination, zero errors, negligible added mass.

The model can go straight into dynamic simulations -- no manual clean-up.

Step 2: 37 Load Cases as One Batch

With the model released, one more request and the FEA AI agent automatically starts every load case at once:

Single drop and oriented drops -- 32 orientations, every face, edge and corner of the board plus near-flat impacts.
Mechanical shock -- half-sine base shock through the four mounting holes, in three directions, with shock response spectra of every component.
Thermal cycle -- -40 C to 85 C, stresses from the different expansion of board and components.
Natural frequencies -- with the board fixed at its four mounting holes.

All load cases run as one automated batch on the compute cluster. Post-processing and reports are generated automatically, the reports are uploaded to a shared folder, and a notification is sent when everything is finished.

Why This Matters

The value is not one fast simulation. It is that every design iteration goes through the same automated workflow, run by the FEA AI agent behind the platform: same model rules, same checks, same load cases, same report structure. Teams compare designs on equal terms, and engineering time goes into decisions instead of model preparation.

CAD in, design-risk report out -- for every load case.

Part 2 of this demo shows the results of the 37 load cases and the generated reports.