Mechanical Analysis in Flux
Flux is an AI hardware engineer. It analyzes mechanical parts and complete products to inform design decisions.
Analyze a mechanical design
Ask Flux for an analysis that matches a product question. Mechanical analysis can cover stress, deflection, heat transfer, airflow, fit, tool access, and mass properties. The analysis can also address center of mass, inertia, cross-section properties, robot reach, self-collision, and joint loads.
Start with the part or assembly that matters. Describe the load, motion, heat source, airflow, or product condition you want to study. Name the materials and dimensions that define the design when those details matter to the question.
Add the mechanical model and related hardware to the project.
Tell Flux what behavior or property you want to analyze.
Describe the relevant geometry, load, motion, material, or operating condition.
Ask Flux to run the analysis and summarize the result.
Use the findings to guide a focused design change.
For an enclosure that contains warm electronics, describe the heat-producing parts and the product's airflow path. For a bracket, name the attached part and the load it carries. For a robot arm, describe the reach and the joints that define its movement.
Strength, movement, and mass
Ask Flux to analyze stress and deflection when a part supports a load or connects moving parts. State where the part attaches and where the load acts. For a moving assembly, describe the range of motion and the parts that must stay clear.
Mass properties help you reason about the weight and balance of a product. Ask for mass, center of mass, or inertia when you design a handheld tool, a moving assembly, or a device that must balance around an axis. Cross-section properties can inform a structural design.
Use the analysis question to frame the result. Ask how a change in a bracket's thickness affects its deflection, or how moving a battery changes the balance of a handheld product. Ask Flux to connect the answer to a specific part or feature in the model.
Simulate flight dynamics
Ask Flux to simulate the flight dynamics of a drone, multirotor, or airplane.
Open the project with the aircraft model.
Open Chat and provide the mass, battery, motors, propellers, frame size, and flight condition.
Ask Flux to run the flight simulation.
Flux runs a time-based flight simulation. You can ask about hover and forward-flight endurance, climb performance, response to a wind gust, and whether the aircraft holds position or attitude in wind. The report lists every input with its value, unit, and source. It includes plots of position and tilt over time, hand checks, margins, and a verdict.
Heat and airflow
Ask Flux to analyze heat conduction through a mechanical part or how air moves through a product. This can inform a heat sink, ventilation opening, electronics enclosure, or liquid-cooled assembly. Name the heat-producing parts, the surfaces that transfer heat, and the openings or channels that guide air or liquid.
For more detail about mechanical analysis and air flow and liquid cooling, see Mechanical analysis in simulation and Air flow and liquid cooling simulation. Those pages describe the simulation workflow. This page focuses on when to ask Flux for mechanical analysis and how to frame the design question.
Use analysis as part of design
Ask for an analysis while the part and assembly are still changing. A result can guide a change to a wall, mount, cooling path, or joint. Keep the product context in the project so Flux can relate the analysis to the board, motor, display, or enclosure.
Select the design area that drives the question.
Describe the condition that matters to the product.
Ask Flux to analyze the relevant mechanical property.
Ask for a concise summary that connects the result to the design.
Request a model change that addresses the design goal.
You can ask about a single part or a complete device. A single-part request might focus on stress in a support. A product request might consider board heat, airflow through the enclosure, and the location of a fan. A robot request might consider reach, collision, and the load at a joint.
Example prompts
Ask Flux to analyze a mechanical design or its flight behavior.