Abstract

CAE analyses are today focused on product performances improvement; due to intensive CAE use, INDESIT refrigerators are really close to the project optimum.
This paper refers to different idea: CAE effort is addressed to packaging optimization that permits to explore new cost saving areas and to improve the effectiveness of the packaging.
According to the INDESIT standards, the product with packaging has to pass several tests that represent complete range of accidental impacts during transportation.
The FEM model has been developed taking into account the impact phenomena complexity and the refrigerator components failure modes; several numerical advanced features has been implemented.
Virtual testing was confirmed by lab experiments in full.
The new implemented CAE driven methodology for packaging design permits to save cost (overall reduction 15%) and, at the same time, to improve the effectiveness. Moreover, optimizing and reducing material for package, INDESIT has reduced the packaging environmental impact.