Five Reasons to Invest in Electromagnetic Simulation

Every engineer knows the feeling. The quiet pressure to get it right the first time. Deadlines are getting tighter, budgets leaner, and expectations higher. Whether you design satellite antennas, wearable medical devices, or a next-gen electric vehicle charger, the margin for error is vanishing.

Electromagnetic (EM) simulation is not a luxury; it is a survival tool. You can catch interference before it derails performance, validate compliance before the lab flags it, and ensure your product not only works, but works everywhere, for everyone, in any condition.

In this article, dive into:

• Strategic advantages of electromagnetic simulation

• Future trends in simulation

• Convenience of Ansys EMC Plus and Ansys Charge Plus simulation

Advantage #1: Early Detection of Design Flaws

It is estimated that redesigning products due to electromagnetic interference (EMI) can cost between $50,000 and $100,000. By using simulation, you can save money by detecting EMI and electrostatic discharge (ESD) problems before building any prototypes. Physical prototypes often cost thousands of dollars, and repeated design cycles quickly increase expenses. Identifying these issues early in the design process through simulation can lead to substantial savings, especially for large and complex products.

Advantage #2: Accelerated Time-to-Market

Physical testing is time-consuming, and failures can delay product launches by weeks or even months. Simulation enables rapid virtual testing of multiple scenarios, so you can validate designs faster and reduce the number of physical tests required. Companies using simulation report 20-30% faster time-to-market, giving them a significant competitive edge.

Advantage #3: Reduced Labor and Equipment Costs

Meeting regulatory standards (FCC, CE, CISPR, ISO, etc.) is critical, but lab tests and equipment are expensive. Simulation ensures your designs meet these standards before you ever step foot in a lab. Companies report up to 40% savings in labor, lab, and equipment costs when using simulation. Simulation also increases the likelihood of passing tests the first time, further reducing expenses.

Advantage #4: Reduced Risk of Field Failures

Passing lab testing does not guarantee real-world reliability. Simulation allows you to anticipate worst-case scenarios, strengthening product resilience and safeguarding against cost failures. Preventing a single recall can save $1 million or more in direct and indirect costs. Avoiding recalls, warranty claims, litigation, and damage to brand reputation is invaluable.

Advantage #5: Design Optimization and Innovation

Simulation empowers engineers to perform ‘what-if’ analysis, exploring innovative layouts, shielding techniques, and grounding strategies without the constraints of physical prototypes. This leads to better performing, more cost-effective designs and increased sales and profit margins. Simulation is not just a tool; it is a strategic advantage that transforms EM certification from reactive troubleshooting to proactive design excellence.

Shaping the Next Era of Design

Simulation is undergoing a profound transformation, driven not just by technological advantages, but by the growing urgency to solve real-world problems faster, smarter, and more collaboratively. Key trends:

• Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing simulation by accelerating model generation and analysis and embedding machine learning into simulations.
• Simulation platforms are becoming cloud-based, enabling real-time collaboration, hardware independence, and web-based model building and editing.
• To meet the demand for instant results, surrogate models are being trained on full 3D simulations to deliver answers in milliseconds. These models are ideal for system-level simulations, uncertainty quantification, and design of experiments.
• Simulation is becoming more intuitive and immersive with 3D animation and virtual reality. Platforms like NVIDIA Omniverse are pushing graphical realism to new heights.

Harnessing Precision

To keep pace with the evolving demands of design, safety, and sustainability, you need a simulation tool that does not just solve today’s problems but anticipates tomorrow’s. It should model entire systems, not just components, and get you answers faster without sacrificing accuracy. Ansys EMC Plus and Ansys Charge Plus offer simulation that empowers engineers to design with confidence, validate with speed, and innovate without compromise.

Ansys EMC Plus is a powerful simulation tool designed for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and EMI analysis across full platforms, such as vehicles, aircraft, and satellites. It uses a hybrid solver approach to simulate complex geometries, cables, and nonlinear circuits, enabling engineers to predict whether a system will pass EMC tests early in the design cycle. This reduces costly redesigns and accelerates certification.

Use EMC Plus to analyze:

• Radiated and conducted immunity
• Cable coupling and crosstalk
• Shielding effectiveness
• Lightning strikes and electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
• High intensity radiated fields (HIRF)
• Current return networks and grounding
• Transfer impedance and inductance/capacitance matrices
• Specific absorption rate (SAR)

In the video below, learn how EMC Plus is being used to complete simulation of complex models with millions of elements.

Ansys Charge Plus specializes in ESD, plasma, and charging simulations. It integrates multiple physics solvers (FEM, FDTD, PIC, CFD) to model internal and surface charging, particle transport, and arcing phenomena. It is widely used in aerospace, electronics, and semiconductor industries to mitigate failure risks and optimize designs before hardware build.

Charge Plus is ideal to evaluate:

• ESD
• Surface and internal charging
• Plasma dynamics
• Radiation hardening
• Flashover and arcing
• Charge carrier transport

Below is a video detailing how Charge Plus is used to mitigate ESD on a solar array.

Innovation in a Connected World

Electro Magnetic Applications, Inc. (EMA) is taking these tools into the future through EMA3D Connect. 3D Connect builds machine learning models and integrates them into traditional simulation workflows compressing months of work into hours. Photorealistic results in Omniverse make the complexities of the EM environment easy to interpret and share across teams.

With advanced simulation and machine learning integration, EMA continues to redefine how engineers approach electromagnetic challenges. The future of design is faster, smarter, and more collaborative than ever before.

If you are ready to invest in simulation, contact EMA now by clicking here.