How do you keep your mechanics simulation skills up to date?

Learning from others is absolutely powerful, it saves you time when someone can show you the way to go. But avoid the trap of blindly believing in one-only source. This is especially true when consuming the easily-available online content of nowadays. Be skeptical, if you are watching an online course, take the initiative to get a book or two to support your learning, to contrast the ideas and concepts. Do engage with other people, and not only "the experts". Reach out to your peers - people who are in the same learning stage may have tried different paths which can be valuable to you too.

Learning simulation skills is a gradual journey that takes effort. However, it's essential to be cautious when seeking expertise through Social Media platforms. Two reasons make this important. First, we often mimic actions without grasping their underlying purpose. Second, not all self-proclaimed experts truly possess the required knowledge. That said, it's not to say that Youtube tutorials are all bad, but rather to emphasize that each tutorial should be complemented by a sound understanding of physics and engineering principles. Furthermore, if you sense a genuine passion for simulations in someone's teachings, you're likely watching the right type of lesson. Becoming an expert is similar to crafting a snowball—passion fuels its growth.

I keep my skills up to date with my mistakes, because it’s best learning skills, nobody can finish your job if you do not take a job in your hands, and think about that how to solve the problem,and if you make a mistake you will learn for next time how to do it. Sometimes you will finish a job without a mistake, and that is also good, sometimes you need more time then usually for some job. That is calling an experience.

One thing I have found helpful is keeping up on current Technology Trends! SimpliSafe and Wyze plus Arlo have been great networking tools and security systems I've added into our 1 bedroom apartment to monitor our Service K9 Scooby Doo and of course the crazy Bob Ratchet Cratchit Tabby physco kitty ?? haha plus 2 adults and 2 Children!

Continue learning such as training and hand on. Updated the team member regarding new technology include skill and equipments.

From an engineering point of view, the software we use should not matter. It should be reliable, accurate, and readily available to us. That being said, there are several excellent simulation software options that allow users to learn for free. It's often the case that we have limited time for practice, especially when we're already professionals. To address this challenge, I strongly recommend finding a Minimum Viable Model—something we're willing to explore that requires just a bit more expertise than we currently possess. This way, we can always find an hour or so to fiddle with model setup and gain valuable experience.

Don't ignore other software! Each of the major commercial software of today offer some sort of free-student version. Be curious to explore and practice. Having knowledge about more than one software makes you more flexible, and there are lots of common aspects between them. Make the user's guide a good friend, don't forget the release notes - there you learn about new capabilities and bugs that were fixed! For those who are put off by the limitations in model-size of the student editions, look at it from the perspective of hierarchical modelling. Start with a simplified representation of the problem, and add complexity gradually. See the limitation of the student-editions as an opportunity to practice this skill.

Keeping up with industry trends is undoubtedly a valuable way to enhance your simulation skills. I'm a big fan of attending webinars that cover monthly, quarterly, or annual updates for specific software. These webinars often introduce new modeling techniques and enhancements to simulation workflows. Some even include Q&A sessions when one can ask specific questions, and the presenter typically has the knowledge and experience to provide insightful answers. Additionally, it's beneficial to follow individuals who are passionate about simulation. They not only share knowledge but also have the courage to share experiences and innovative ideas.

The events organised by the industry, such as user's meetings, tech updates and so on are really great. They give you the opportunity to see what is new in the software and how other people are using the technology. It is a way of networking as well. It is also good to consider the academic side of the story, start following the work of some academics and researchers of specific scientific communities. There are many seminars, workshops and conferences all year around. This will give you a different perspective, it is an opportunity to learn about current limitations and about the undergoing development of new methodologies .

For reviewing the basics, I prefer to find PDFs or ebooks that cover specific topics. A good starting point is often a Master's or Bachelor's thesis written by a student. These theses typically provide a solid foundation as they include scientific introductions along with simulation and experimental results. Moreover, if the thesis is from a graduate of a reputable university, it likely underwent supervision by someone with in-depth knowledge of the subject.

Absolutely! Solid foundations are essential. Don't try to skip steps, review the basics and you will navigate easily through more complex subjects. I often resource to books for this, but in the past few years I have found online lectures from renowned institutions very valuable. The fact that we can watch full courses from universities such as Harvard and MIT for free is remarkable. Maths, Physics and Computer Science are very well covered by such courses. Those that are actual recordings of a class room are my favourites.

It's always a good idea to try to calculate stresses & deflections, etc. manually so that one has a general idea of what to expect after the simulation is complete. In other words, if possible, the simulation should serve more as a verification which supports the calculation. Huge differences between manually calculated and simulated results will then raise red flags and could mean, for example, an overly rigid or constrained model. Of course the obvious danger of manufacturing parts based soley on simulations could mean at best, a red face for the designer at the testing stage, resulting in additional costs and possible delayed delivery times. Worse still, it could mean the complete and catastrophic failure of a critical part in service.

Simulations are similar to mathematics in a sense that there are multiple ways to achieve the same results. It's always good to play with our model to find better and easier way to setup a model. What's more, it is always good to check how people from different industries approach model building. This is where inspiration comes to me - there were plenty of situations when mixed industry experience helped me solve a particular simulation problem.

Going one step further, be up-to-date with the state-of-the-art in the academia too. There is often a gap (of years) between the technology commercially available in the simulation software industry, and the methodologies developed in research. Experiment downloading a few recent scientific papers in your area of interest, explore the benchmark problems presented therein. In addition to mastering the capabilities of your software, it is equally important to understand its limitations. (Trying) To reproduce those benchmarks and test-cases using your commercial software is enlightening in this sense, and takes your simulation skills to the next level.

Make it a plan for regular training in advance for them like all the system, engine, Hydraulic, Power Train, Electric maintenance management and others ...

Don't go for simulation! Keep working as long as you can, and as hard as your health allows. I'm almost 70 y.old I know what I'm talking about. If I stop working I'll die soon. It's perfect to have some online courses to stay up-to-date. No doubt with that.

"Measure twice cut once" for carpenters "Don't forget to check the fuses" for auto mechanics Don't neglect the basics they seem simple but complacency can be a big issue at times