Virtual Mechanics Get New Digs, Name

PsyberSimula of Fayetteville is using computer-based technology to integrate engineering and business functions.

Area manufacturers can use the consulting firm’s mechanical engineering simulations to virtually test a new product or piece of equipment before having to incur the time and expense of developing physical prototypes. PsyberSimula also offers a variety of other applications that are making it a local out-source leader.

Founded in 1994 as Martin Technical Design Consulting, the firm changed its name April 8 when it moved to the University of Arkansas’ Genesis Technology Incubator. Brothers Mark and Greg Martin, natives of Hughes (St. Francis County), have about 12 clients, including their largest, Renfroe Engineering Inc. of Prairie Grove.

They declined to discuss the firm’s revenue or sales projections.

PsyberSimula uses computer simulations, which employ computational and numerical techniques, to basically eliminate design problems before they occur. Clients can use PsyberSimula’s data to identify mechanism flaws and failures in their infancy, thereby eliminating trial-and-error expense.

The most common application is determining the final extrusion geometry prior to manufacturing a die. Extrusion dies, hard plates used to mold high-pressure metal, can cost as much as $50,000 each. By testing the die multiple times through virtual mechanical experiments, the design can be optimized before development instead of just passing as “acceptable.”

Another potential use would be for poultry processors that have mechanized processing systems. PsyberSimula can find solutions for components that break and help improve efficiency.

Mark Martin, PsyberSimula’s president, said he and his brother simply think of themselves as virtual mechanics. He said the company also prides itself in meshing a client’s valuable experience with computer engineering rather than starting from scratch.

“We use modeling activity to help our clients see where their weak points are and improve their design,” Martin said. “We don’t actually do design work, but we give them the tools and expertise to analyze what they’ve come up with.”

Greg, the firm’s vice president, has an M.B.A. from Louisiana State University. Mark earned a mechanical engineering degree from the UA in 1998 after serving in the U.S. Navy. Mark said he learned a lot since graduation by doing drafting work for local engineers and getting more involved in virtual simulations of mechanical systems.

The Martins’ techniques are a combination of skills learned from local engineers and their own computer gadgetry. Instead of relying on linear static analysis, PsyberSimula employs stochastic techniques that allows it to evaluate optimization results or find ways to make things stronger and cheaper.